How To Lose Weight Without Counting Calories

It's no secret that weight change (loss, maintenance, or gain) is determined by energy balance, also known as Calories In Calories Out (CICO). This means that in order to lose weight, you must consume less total calories than you burn. One of the best ways to ensure you are in a calorie deficit on a consistent basis is by determining an appropriate, yet effective caloric level and then tracking intake of calories or macros. This type of dieting is typically more flexible and less restrictive (assuming the calorie deficit is set at a healthy, appropriate level) than many of the more rigid diets out there because it does not require you to completely cut out any major food or food groups.

While this method works great for a vast majority of people, some people can't seem to get the hang tracking all of the food they eat every day, and that's okay! No one type of diet will be applicable to every single person seeking weight loss. If you like the idea of a more flexible, less restrictive way of eating where you can still incorporate fun foods and enjoy yourself while still working towards your weight loss goals, but can't seem to get the hang of tracking your meals, here are a few tips to help you achieve a caloric deficit without tracking your intake:

1. FOLLOW HUNGER / SATIETY SIGNALS - Learning to listen to our body's true hunger and satiety signals is the first step in preventing overeating. This may be a little difficult to do at first, especially for those who have a habit of frequent/mindless snacking or have previously been overeating, especially to the point of being so full you feel sick. Before you eat, stop to check if you are actually experiencing physical hunger cues or if it is something else (such as eating out of habit, boredom, or as an emotional coping mechanism). If you are experiencing physical hunger cues, eat until you being to feel the first signs of satiety. Remember to eat slowly so you can be more conscious of your satiety cues. You should aim to stop eating once you feel satisfied (no longer experiencing physicals hunger cues), but not uncomfortably full.

Ideally, you want to stay anywhere between a 3-6 at any given point during the day. You should eat when you feel as though you are around a 3-4 on the hunger scale and stop when you are around a 5-6 on the fullness scale.

If you ignore your hunger cues long enough and end up around a 1-2 on the scale, you are more likely to become ravenous, opt for the first food in sight, and eat so quickly you ignore satiety signals. Doing this can cause you to overeat, leaving you feeling uncomfortably full and will likely put you in a caloric surplus, which over time will cause you to gain weight.

2. PRIORITIZE PROTEIN AND FIBER INTAKE (ideally from whole foods) - Ensuring that you are getting enough protein and fiber consistently through out the day is key when it comes to weight loss. These nutrients will help keep you more satiated post meal and protein specifically is critical to helping maintain lean mass when in a caloric deficit.

Protein goals: You should be aiming for 1.0-1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass (A 150 lb person at 25% body fat has 112.5 lbs of lean body mass, their protein goal should be anywhere between 112-168 grams per day. More specific protein goals depend on training volume/type, rate of caloric deficit, diet history, goals, etc.)

Fiber goals: The RDA for total dietary fiber intake is 30-38 grams per day for men and 25 grams per day for women under 50 (For women 51 and older, the goal decreases to 21 grams per day). Fiber is not only important for helping to promote satiety, but is also an important factor in decreasing a persons risk for developing heart disease, Type II diabetes, and colon cancer.

**Many hyper-palatable foods (foods that are a combination of 2 or more of: sugar, fat, sodium, or carbohydrates; think ice cream, potato chips, etc) tend to mask satiety signals, so it is best to enjoy them in moderation and not as staples in your diet.

3. HYDRATE - Adequate hydration is another key factor in controlling overall body weight, preventing over eating, and regulating hunger and satiety signals. Maintaining adequate hydration levels consistently throughout the day will help to prevent false senses of hunger and food cravings, and promote satiety post meal. More specifically, water consumption immediately before a meal has been shown to reduce total consumption, presumably preventing overeating, when compared to eating in an under hydrated or dehydrated state. General* recommended daily fluid intake for adults is anywhere between 90-128 oz per day (that's equivalent to 3/4 - 1 gallon).

*Hydration requirements vary depending on activity level, age, temperature, fluid loss, pregnancy/lactation, etc.

4. MOVE YOUR BODY - Find a type of exercise that you enjoy and do it often. You should aim to exercise at a moderate intensity for 30-60 consecutive minutes per day. Exercise helps contribute to weight loss by increasing your total caloric expenditure throughout the day, but exercise also has many other benefits aside from caloric expenditure. Regular exercise also helps to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, improve sleep quality, prevent loss of bone density, increase total lean body mass, and has shown to reduce the risk for chronic disease such as Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, and Cardiovascular Disease (including high blood pressure and high cholesterol). The key to reaping these benefits of exercise is to do it on a consistent and regular basis, so choosing a type of exercise that you enjoy and look forward to is important for long term adherence. If you struggle with staying consistent with an exercise routine, try setting specific and attainable performance goals or finding an exercise partner or group.

*If you have an overly sedentary job, make sure to get up multiple times throughout the workday to move around and get your blood flowing in addition to regular exercise.

5. GET QUALITY SLEEP (7-9 HRS / NIGHT) - Most people know that exercise and nutrition are key factors in promoting a healthy lifestyle and play major roles in weight loss and maintenance, but sleep, another contributing factor, is often overlooked. Lack of sleep could be negatively impacting both your body composition and performance goals. Quality sleep plays a critical role in recovery, so if you exercise on a regular basis, make sure you are getting enough sleep to help prevent chronic fatigue or burnout. Sleep also impacts our eating habits. Sleep deprivation (5.5 hours or less per night) has been shown to have a negative impact on brain activity, which can result in more food cravings, especially for higher calorie, hyper palatable foods, as well as increased consumption of those foods when eaten. Sleep deprivation can also decrease sensitivity to hunger and satiety signals, making it more difficult to know when to appropriately start and stop eating.

Hydration: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6209729/

Sleep: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3763921/

Sleep (2): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2951287/