5 Ways to Lose Weight without Dieting or Exercise

It is true that dieting and exercise are the road to weight loss. However, there are times in our lives when counting calories and working out are just not possible. That's why we need to establish healthy eating and living habits that can be used daily to achieve our goal, without constant dieting and exercise. Now, don't get me wrong, 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.

Drinking 8 full glasses of water each day is great for weight loss. It helps in four ways: with liver and kidney function, with reducing water retention, it decreases our appetite and detoxifies the body. According to Web MD, our kidneys need lots of water to eliminate waste and our liver uses water to metabolize fat. If there is not enough water in the kidneys, toxins build up. The liver is forced to work on removing toxins and metabolizing fat is put on the back burner, allowing fat to build up. Once the kidneys have enough water to work independently, the liver can focus on turning fat into energy, which leads to weight loss. Drinking enough water helps to remove old water that is trapped, or retained in our tissues. Old, stagnate water gives us that 'bloat' feeling. An ample supply of new water washes toxins out of our cells. Our bodies function better with less toxins, giving us a better balanced metabolic rate. Drinking plenty of water fills the stomach, lessening hunger pains, which leads to eating less. So drink more water and lose weight.

What does sleep have to do with our weight? In recent years, studies show a direct correlation between the amount of rest we get and weight gain. It turns out that getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night is beneficial to weight management. Two hormones affect our weight, leptin and ghrelin. Leptin, found in fat tissue, is what manages our body's fat storage. Ghrelin, found in the stomach, is what turns hunger pains on and off. When we go without sleep, leptin and ghrelin levels become unbalanced. This leads to greater fat storage and more hunger pains. With leptin and ghrelin out of balance, weight loss is impossible. So sleep in and lose weight.

Dairy products are not only good for strong bones, they can help with weight loss as well. According to wikipedia, drinking milk at each meal aids in digestion of fats. This works with cow's milk, goats milk and soy milk. Eating cheese, yogurt and broccoli are greats ways to get additional calcium as well. Taking calcium supplements are good for strong bones, but have not been shown to help with weight loss because milk has other "bio active components" that, along with calcium work to burn fat. So drink your milk and lose weight.

Recently I replaced all of my cereals, beads and buns, flour and pastas with whole grain products. It's been found that whole grains are healthier than refined grains for weight loss. According to wikipedia, whole grains contain "cereal germ, endosperm and bran," where refined grain only contains endosperm. The bran part of whole grain is dietary fiber and that's great for weight loss. Dietary fiber helps with weight loss in two ways: by aiding in digestion of fats and it adds bulk to our diet. When dietary fiber is ingested it speeds up the digestion of fats through the body, allowing less fat to be stored. Also, dietary fiber adds bulk to our diet, which fills us up faster. So, by choosing whole grains, we lose weight.

Eating lots of salad is a great way to lose weight fast. A large salad with lean meat can replace a meal, lowering total daily caloric intake. Salads with lean meat are also a good source of protein. Raw fruits and vegetables are high in of dietary fiber as well, and are loaded with vitamins and minerals too. Salads that are made up primarily of vegetables like lettuce, cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes are very low in fat. Most of the time, it's impossible to gain weight eating salads.