5 More Ways to Lose Weight Without Dieting or Exercise

Recently I wrote "5 ways to Lose Weight without Dieting and Exercise" highlighting five great ways to maintain weight lose without focusing on diets or exercise. Well, I just couldn't stop there. Through my personal journey to be fit and improve my overall health, I've uncovered five MORE ways. As stated in my first article: 'I'm not saying to quit the special diets and never exercise again. The healthy living habits I'm proposing will help to manage your weight longer, better and without the thought, in times when you cannot get to the gym or make special meals. And, over time, by adopting these habits, you will lose weight.'

I've read about health benefits of green tea and it's effects on weight loss, but didn't take it seriously until a good friend confided in me that green tea was responsible for her current weight loss. By drinking approximately 4 cups of green tea a day for 3 months, my friend Linda was able to lose 15 pounds. Linda is at her dream weight and looks great, just in time for summer. Green tea helps with weight loss in a few different ways. It contains polyphenols in very high levels. Polyphenols are also found in fruits and red wine. Studies show that high levels of polyphenols in green tea raise our metabolic rate by 4%. A faster metabolism helps us shed more fat and calories. Green tea has also been found to lower blood insulin levels which leads to less fat storage. With less fat being stored, weight gain lessens, and we might just lose a few pounds. Green tea is available in supplemental form, but has been shown to be more effective when drank as a tea. I like organic green tea best because of the great taste. Green tea bags should remain packaged until they are ready to be used to maintain freshness and potency.

Can eating a cheese burger, a steak or a hand full of nuts help you lose weight? Well, believe it or not the answer is yes. How can this be true? It's because cheese burgers, steak and nuts are all high in protein. Eating high protein meals has been shown to speed the metabolic rate by supporting our muscle mass. According to WebMD, protein helps to build muscle and muscle burns more calories than fat. Protein also works as an appetite suppressant by making us feel full faster and longer than carbohydrates. According to WebMD eating protein activates a natural weight loss hormone called PYY. This hormone reduces hunger. Foods that are protein rich are: milk, cheese, eggs, cottage cheese, fish, red meat, chicken, nuts, beans and seeds. If you are trying a high protein diet, it is recommended to increase protein intake slowly. You will need to eat approximately 120 grams of protein a day to lose weight. Red meat and daily produces have higher protein contents than nuts, beans or seeds, however they contain more fat as well. So choosing lean cuts of meat, low fat daily products and more nuts, beans and seeds will help to keep the fat count down.

I know from personal experience that eating meals or snacking 2 hours before falling asleep can pack on the pounds. For me, it's not really about the time of day or night that I sleep, but the timing of my last meal and when I sleep. There are two theories behind weight gain and sleep. One is that we are completely inactive when sleeping and cannot burn off our last meal, so it's more apt to be stored as fat. We have to remember that food is the body's fuel and fuel that isn't used is stored. The other theory is that staying up late at night leads to hunger cravings of carbohydrates and sweets because we are designed to be sleeping at night. Whatever the cause, the best way to avoid weight gain from late night snacking is to choose healthy snacks, and limit how much is eaten before sleeping.  To combat late night snacking, I've tried a cup of decaffeinated green tea or chamomile tea to curb hunger.  Tea tastes great and keeps the calorie count down before bedtime and helps me fall asleep.

Many know that drinking eight glasses of water a day is beneficial to good health and aids in weight loss, but few know the added benefits of drinking ice water. Recent studies show drinking ice water can burn calories by increasing our metabolic rate. Our body is designed to keep an internal temperature of 98.6 degrees at all times. When we drink a glass of Ice cold water, our internal temperature dips lower than 98.6 degrees. In response, our body will work to warm itself back up. This effort is what causes our metabolism to speed up, burning calories. Now, keep in mind that the water needs to be really, really cold. The best way to get a glass of ice water cold enough: fill the glass with water, add ice cubes and place in a freezer for 5 to 10 minutes, then enjoy.

Did you know that our emotions can trigger hunger pains and the overall desire to eat more than our body's need to maintain good health? It's hard to believe, yet true. Personally, emotions have nixed my weight loss plans a time or two. For me, being under stress causes excess hunger pains. Emotional eating can become a vicious circle. When I'm under stress, I eat more. My body quickly becomes used to more calories and expects this trend to continue, so I eat more again. And so on. Studies so many emotions can trigger emotional eating. Stress, sadness, boredom, anxiousness and anger are reported as being the main emotional culprits. Whatever emotion is the trigger of additional calorie intake, a food diary can help. Two months ago I began a food diary to document what foods I was eating and when. After a few weeks I noticed when I was under stress, I desired more food and ate larger potions a meal time. A food diary idenifies your emotional triggers. Once you know what triggers excess eating, you can address the problem. For me, next step is to recognize and acknowledge what hunger pains are false and do not need to be cured with food. Also, it's helpful have some low calorie, healthly snacks on hand for such a occasion. An apple or a cup of green tea really helps me get through the stressful times.