How To Lose Weight WITHOUT Counting Calories
So you want to lose weight, but you don't really want to count or track your calories.
This is something that comes up a lot, as tracking calories can be overwhelming for a lot of people.
Especially when you’re first starting out on your fitness journey, counting every single calorie you consume is one hell of a lifestyle overhaul.
But, luckily, counting your calories isn’t the ONLY way to lose weight and make awesome progress.
I do want to start this article however, by saying that it is without a doubt 100% the BEST way to lose weight.
In this article I am going to outline a few ways to lose weight and make progress without counting your calories, but nothing is as foolproof as counting calories.
Without tracking your caloric intake, there is no way to be sure of exactly what or how much you’re consuming on a daily basis.
Basically, you play a bit of a guessing game.
With that being said though, there are a few specific habits/strategies that while not quite as effective at counting calories…
Can be very effective at reducing your overall calorie intake, and help you make awesome weight loss progress.
So, with all of that being said, here is the first strategy I want to discuss…
3 Plates 2 Snacks
You may or may not have heard of this strategy before.
But it can be extremely effective in reducing your calorie intake leading to weight loss.
Basically how it works is, rather than tracking your calories, you limit yourself to 3 plates and 2 snacks throughout each day.
Shocker right?
A few things with this strategy though.
Notice that it’s not 3 MEALS 2 snacks, it’s 3 PLATES 2 snacks.
So what does that mean?
It means each meal must fit on a single plate, not 2 or 3.
Within that plate, you should have AT LEAST ½ of the plate covered with veggies.
And you should have AT LEAST ¼ of the plate covered with protein.
So those are your rules for the 3 plates.
Now onto the 2 snacks.
For your snacks, both snacks need to fit into your palm…
And, one needs to be a protein and the other needs to be a fruit or veggie.
I would personally recommend a fruit, if I’m between a serving of watermelon or broccoli, I’m going watermelon all day everyday.
And if you prefer broccoli you can’t be trusted, all due respect.
One quick note on the snack - even though it fits into your palm, DO NOT just grab a palm full of whatever it is and scarf it down.
Put it into a bowl or some form of serving dish.
If you just grab a palm full, it is WAY too easy to just go and grab another one.
Now you may be thinking, but what about drinks?
Zero-calorie drinks are always going to be your best bet, ESPECIALLY if you’re trying to lose weight.
Water, coffee, tea, and 0-calorie sodas are all great options.
So, those are the ground rules, here is why this strategy works so well.
This is a VERY lifestyle-friendly way to reduce your calorie intake.
It doesn’t require you to measure out all of your food, all it requires is portion control for the most part.
In many cases, we get into trouble with overeating when we are having multiple plates at each meal…
And multiple servings of each snack.
By limiting yourself to just a single plate at each meal, and just a palm for each snack, most people will reduce their intake pretty easily.
On top of that, taking up ½ of the plate with veggies helps lower your calories, and having ¼ of the plate covered with protein is going to help with satiety (keeping you fuller for longer).
Now, while this strategy may be less invasive or overwhelming for some people, it is by no means “easier.”
You are still eating in a calorie deficit overall (or at least that’s the goal) and doing so is not easy.
You may be a little hungry at times, and that is completely normal.
Your body gets used to eating the amount of food that you typically eat, so it’s pretty common for hunger levels to be higher when someone reduces their intake.
If your hunger is out of hand, increasing protein will always help keep you fuller.
And coffee is actually a natural appetite suppressant, so don't go too crazy on the caffeine, but it may help with hunger levels.
Okay, so that was the first strategy, now onto the second one…
One Big Ass Salad
This one is almost as self-explanatory as the first one…
But here is a brief explanation of how it works.
With this strategy, you are going to replace one meal per day with…
Wait for it…
A BIG ASS SALAD
You can replace any meal you want with this big ass salad, I’d personally recommend
And on top of that big ass salad, I also want you to put some form of protein.
Chicken, steak, fish, whatever you want as long as you get some protein on your big ass salad.
I know that I’m not saying the exact size of the salad, and that may be a little confusing.
After all, I did just spend the first half of this article detailing plate and palm portions…
However, the size of the salad really does not matter.
All you need to remember is a big ass salad.
Like, you should look at the salad before you’re about to eat it…
And go, “wow, that’s a big ass salad.”
Now here is why THIS strategy is also incredibly effective at reducing your overall calorie intake.
Most vegetables are VERY low in calories.
And lettuce, spinach, mixed greens, whatever base for a salad you want is no different.
So simply by replacing one meal in your day with a big ass salad…
You will consume less calories overall for that day.
That’s pretty much all there is to it, as you can see I have much less to say about this strategy.
It’s pretty simple, just have one big ass salad per day!
So there you have it, 2 separate ways that you can decrease your calorie intake to lose weight…
WITHOUT counting calories.
And while one is a little bit more complex than the other, I have seen both be extremely effective in helping someone achieve weight loss without counting calories.
But in both cases, although it may be less tedious than counting your calories is…
It still requires decreasing your overall caloric intake.
Because the ONLY way to lose weight is to eat in a calorie deficit.
Which (regardless of HOW you do it) is not easy!
So don't go into it thinking it’s going to be a cake walk just because you aren’t counting calories, it will still be difficult and it will still take time.
But with consistency and patience, both of these strategies can help get you to your goal!
If you have any questions, or are struggling and need some words of encouragement, please feel free to reach out!
Thanks so much for reading!
I hope this article helps you and if you have any follow up questions (or any other questions) please don’t hesitate to reach out!
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