5 Ways to Lose Weight Naturally

 Losing weight can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. With some dedication and an understanding of how your body works, you can lose weight without starving yourself or resorting to extreme diets that don’t work in the long run. Here are seven ways to lose weight naturally 

1) Start tracking your calorie intake

If you’re serious about dropping pounds, you’ll want to start tracking your daily calorie intake and food consumption as part of a larger diet. The easiest way to track is using an app on your phone, but most smartphone apps require that you unlock it every time you want to record a thing. That creates friction, which often leads people—and by people, I mean me—to forget or avoid logging their meals altogether. To lose weight safely but quickly, make sure you have an app on your phone that allows you to enter your food intake with minimal fuss. Track whatever works for you: grams, points, calories.

2) Get more active throughout the day

One of my favorite, tried-and-true methods for losing weight is getting more active throughout my day. I love incorporating short bursts of movement into everything that I do. Whether that means walking around a trade show floor instead of sitting on a stationary booth or taking stairs instead of elevators, being more active has helped me feel more energetic and accomplish more during my workday. In fact, according to new research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity (like walking) can decrease your chances of being overweight by as much as 54 percent! Pretty incredible findings—it’s proof that exercise pays off! And if you want an added bonus: The aforementioned study also found that exercise reduces your risk for diabetes and heart disease, too.

3) Cut out processed foods

Processed foods may be convenient, but they’re actually one of the biggest culprits behind weight gain and poor health. Instead of eating refined flour and sugar cereals for breakfast, grab some eggs and bacon or oatmeal that’s been cooked in milk. Stick with whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juice. Processed foods often contain added salt, which can cause excess water weight not just in your middle, but in your hands and feet too. Seaweed snacks can quickly become a habit if you aren’t careful; make sure it contains no more than 6 grams per serving before you chow down. Iodized sea salt is best since it's loaded with iodine to promote thyroid function.

4) Drink more water

One of the easiest ways to lose weight naturally is simply by drinking more water. This is because a lot of foods that people love are loaded with fat, salt, and sugar (think fries, burgers, and ice cream), which can lead us to overeat. If you keep your body well hydrated throughout the day by drinking a good amount of water, it will be less likely that you’ll want some of those salty or sugary foods since you’ll already be somewhat full. Many people (myself included) find they eat less simply by tracking their water intake and staying hydrated throughout their day. It’s an easy trick for how to lose weight naturally and it really works!

5) Start tracking your emotional eating habits

Emotional eating is one of the hardest kinds of bad eating habits to break because it comes from an emotional place. The first step to beating emotional eating is becoming aware of what you’re doing and when you’re doing it. You can do that by tracking your food intake using an app like MyFitnessPal, which helps you remember what you eat by logging each bite with a photograph. If being accountable for your bad habit doesn’t stop it, try pre-loading so that you don’t even have food around when feelings strike.