Weight Loss Hack: How to Lose Weight Without Really Trying

Some people like to overcomplicate weight loss but it can also be stupid simple. While cutting out “bad carbs” and avoiding sweets may not be such a bad idea, it’s not entirely necessary. Labeling foods as “good” or “bad” can even be detrimental to the dieter which is why we don’t recommend restricting food groups or food sources.

This is one way of losing weight that we tell people (namely our family members who balk at the mere mention of a “diet”) when they complain to us about wanting to lose weight but not wanting to diet.

A basic answer to most weight loss questions is: eat less or exercise more.

It’s pretty simple, but not everyone understands how calories work. How do you eat less without feeling miserable because you’re always missing out? How do you lose weight without feeling like you’re depriving your inner foodie? How can you improve your physique but still be able to post #foodporn on Instagram?

You take everything that you put in your mouth and reduce it by a third.

So if you usually have 1 cup of rice, you reduce it by 1/3 so you only have 2/3 of a cup of rice. Do this for everything—bread, chocolate, soup, cake, beverages etc.

This is a very basic yet highly effective way to lose weight based on my experience. It’s simple, doesn’t require any thinking or planning, and it doesn’t require restricting certain foods or food groups. This means being able to eat out as you would, go out to drink as you would, and live life as you normally would. Nothing has to change, except you’ll probably have some leftovers to take home.

Advanced version:

“But what about protein? Do I reduce that too?”

Yes and no. For lean protein sources such as chicken breast, white fish and egg whites that you know were not cooked in oil, then don’t reduce the portion. However for fattier cuts of proteins such as salmon belly, pork belly, chicken thighs (with the skin on), wagyu beef and the like, then go ahead and reduce the portion by 1/3 or just trim the fat off as best as you can.

Overachiever version:

“What if I reduce my portion by ½ instead of just 1/3?”

You can, but I personally wouldn’t recommend it. You don’t want to eat too little only for your hunger to get out of control and send you running towards the nearest drive-thru screaming, “CHEAT DAY!” Don’t undermine your weight loss efforts by doing too much at once only to get off track and end up having to do damage control every other day.

“Can I exercise, too?”

Of course you can. Exercise will alter your energy requirements, so take that into account as well. If you’re only eating 2 meals a day, and training every single day on top of that, you may want to increase your food intake to accommodate the added activity.

This seems too easy

It is, and that’s the point. Not everyone wants to go on a diet. Not everyone wants to exercise. There are a lot of benefits to eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly, but the reality is people can be lazy, or they just don’t care that much until it’s almost time to hit the beach. Rather than have them go on a crash diet or do something potentially dangerous, we’d rather give tips that aren’t as “hardcore”, but still very much work.