Although the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans suggest all adults get at least 150 minutes of exercise weekly, eating a reduced-calorie diet will help you lose weight in the absence of exercise. Although your metabolism will likely be slower when you’re sedentary compared to when you exercise regularly, you can still achieve weight-loss success.
Items you will need
- Food diary
Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day to prevent a decrease in your body’s metabolism when you’re not workout out regularly. Aim for four to five small meals daily, and eat every three to four hours, suggests the American Heart Association.
Reduce your total calorie intake for effective weight loss when you’re sedentary. Eat 500 to 1,000 fewer calories to lose 1 to 2 pounds weekly, suggests MayoClinic.com. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute notes that while many inactive women require 1,000 to 1,200 calories daily to lose weight, inactive women weighing more than 164 pounds and men may require 1,200 to 1,600 calories each day for effective weight loss.
Keep a food diary to visualize how much you’re eating each day, recommend researchers who conducted a study published in 2011 in the “International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.” Once you get an idea of how much you’re eating, try half portions, suggests the American Heart Association.
Increase your protein intake to help you feel full from fewer calories and increase your body’s energy expenditure in the absence of exercise, recommend researchers who conducted a study published in 2009 in the “Journal of Nutrition.” Choose from a variety of healthy, protein-rich foods, such as legumes, nuts, seeds, soy-based foods, low-fat dairy foods, egg whites, seafood, skinless poultry and lean meats.
Increase your energy expenditure during your day-to-day routine to boost your body’s metabolism for successful weight loss. For example, choose a parking spot farther away from your office, take the stairs instead of the elevator and clean a portion of your house each day.
Weigh yourself one time each week instead of daily, recommends the American Heart Association, to track your weight-loss progress. Weigh yourself when you first wake up at about the same time each week. If you’re not losing 1 to 2 pounds weekly, adjust your calorie intake as needed.
- Avoid refined carbohydrates, added sugars and sugary drinks.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2010
- American Heart Association: 5 Goals to Losing Weight
- MayoClinic.com: Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: How are Overweight and Obesity Treated?
- Journal of Nutrition: Single-Protein Casein and Gelatin Diets Affect Energy Expenditure Similarly but Substrate Balance and Appetite Differently in Adults
- International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity: The Association between Weight Loss and Engagement with a Web-Based Food and Exercise Diary in a Commercial Weight Loss Programme: A Retrospective Analysis
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