8 Simple Ways To Lose Weight Without Dieting

Ok, the title might be a little misleading. These steps will require you to make some dietary changes. But compared to a diet like Atkin’s, for example, these ideas should be easy to implement.

So let’s get down to it:

1. Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day. Additionally, drink one glass of water for every 25 pounds that you are over your recommended weight. And I mean WATER. Not coffee, not Gatorade, not soda. Not even juice or milk. Only pure water. If you implement just one of these solutions, make it this one. Water acts as an appetite suppressant and helps to metabolize body fat, but its benefits stretch far beyond weight loss. The fact is, most of us suffer from dehydration and don’t even realize it. Joint pain, stomach pain & ulcers, back pain, low energy, excess body fat, poor muscle tone & size, decreased digestive efficiency & organ function, increased toxicity, and water retention are all symptoms of dehydration.

2. Reduce or eliminate your alcohol intake. Alcohol dehydrates you and it contains empty calories - a lot of them. Stop drinking and you should see a drop in your weight pretty quickly.

3. Stop eating so much sugar! Far more than fat, sugar is the cause of weight gain. Sugar increases insulin levels, and insulin controls the production of body fat - the more insulin you produce, the more fat your body stores. The average American consumes 158 pounds of sugar per year, and another 50 pounds of artificial sweeteners (which are even worse for you). Cutting down on sugary food can be difficult when you’re having cravings, so here are some suggestions for controlling sugar.

4. Switch from coffee to green tea. Coffee (not the caffeine) can stimulate cortisol and insulin production, which causes you to gain weight. Ideally you should cut out caffeine completely because it acts as a diuretic, draining out necessary water. It also stimulates the pancreas, which causes you to have sugar cravings.

5. Eat natural foods. Processed foods usually have less nutritional value than their natural counterparts, and more of the stuff that will make you gain weight, like sugar and fat. If time is a concern, try adding more nuts, seeds, fresh fruits, and raw vegetables (like salads) to your diet - they require almost no preparation. Eat whole wheat bread and brown rice instead of their white counterparts. Because natural food is more nutritious and contains more fiber, you will probably find you can eat more than you used to and still consume fewer calories.

6. Use a high-quality meal replacement. Meal replacement shakes and bars work best when they are derived from natural, whole food sources. Products like Slim Fast often contain large amounts of refined white sugar and not much else, making them more likely to increase your weight than decrease it. Others contain synthetic ingredients that are difficult for your body to process, defeating the purpose of using a meal replacement in the first place. Rice 'n Shine, made from rice bran, is an excellent example of a highly nutritious, whole food meal replacement.

7. Make sure you get enough fat. Yes, you heard me right: Eat Fat. The truth is, you need fat to burn fat. The trick is just to make sure you’re getting the right kind of fat. You’ve probably heard about the Omega-3 fatty acids (a.k.a. fish oil) by now - and with good reason. These are the fats you need to consume, and they’re primarily found in fish and nuts. Replace some of your meat with fish instead (salmon, halibut, and trout and three excellent options) and snack on *unsalted* nuts like walnuts and almonds instead of reaching for that bag of Lay’s.

8. Try a colon cleanse. Whatever the critics may say, people have reported losing 10-30 pounds over the course of a cleanse. This may not be the case for you, as weight lost during a cleanse is probably the result of evacuating impacted fecal matter, and therefore depends on how clean you colon is to begin with. With some cleanses like Almighty Cleanse taking as little as 7 days, this could be one of the fastest ways to lose weight, if it works for you.

The best thing about these changes is that they won’t just help you lose weight - they’re intended to improve your quality of life and your long-term health. Cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are called "lifestyle diseases" for a reason - make some simple changes now and you may avoid serious consequences in the future.