How to Lose Weight Without Dieting

Losing weight isn’t only about eating super clean or cutting out foods.

In fact, the best diet isn’t really a diet at all.

The secret to sustainable weight loss is nourishing your body with a variety of foods that keep you feeling full and satisfied so that you don’t end up binging later. That means you can (and should) incorporate less-healthy foods into your daily routine.

That’s right - you have permission to include the fun foods on a daily basis.

Right now you’re probably thinking, “this lady is crazy — there’s no way I can eat junk food and lose weight!”

I promise you it can happen and it will happen if you stay open-minded and are willing to change your mindset.

Change the Way You Speak About Food

Here’s why this matters.

When you speak negatively about something you get an immediate negative experience. For example, labeling foods “good” or “bad.” Giving labels to foods instead of calling them what they are, relates those foods and whether or not you eat them to an emotion (i.e. feelings of shame, as if you’ve done something wrong, or feeling morally superior for eating said foods).

Here’s what I mean.

When you say things like, “that’s so bad for you,” or “I was good today,” you’re telling yourself you’ve done something wrong and that those foods are off-limits. This leads to feelings of restriction.

You feel awful about what you ate, so you vow to never eat XYZ again and that you’ll eat less tomorrow. You try to be “good” the next few days only for it to fall apart, you fail by eating a slice of pizza and the floodgates open. The cycle continues.

Removing labels from foods takes them off the pedestal and makes them accessible. If the food is accessible you’re less likely to overeat and better able to tune into your fullness cues (so you can stop when you’ve had enough).

So instead of calling something junk food, or a treat, or bad food, just call it what it is. Food. A cookie. Pizza. Whatever.

Eat Balanced Meals Throughout the Day

Fill your day with nutrient dense foods that keep you feeling full and satisfied that way you are less likely to overeat or make poor choices later in the day.

If you skip meals or skimp out on portions or food groups, you’re going to feel unsatisfied and will probably find yourself in the pantry or fridge later looking for something else.

Instead, focus on building a balanced plate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, that includes a protein, carbohydrate, healthy fat, and a fruit or vegetable.

Serve appropriate portions to help with fullness and provide your body with adequate fuel.

Add Fun Foods to Nutritious Ones

Here’s what I mean:

Every morning I make protein oatmeal. Here’s the recipe: 1/3rd cup oat bran + 1 scoop peanut butter protein powder + 1 dash of salt + some milk (not sure how much); stir and microwave for 90 seconds.

This meal contains all of the balance you could ask for. But, it’s missing something to make it super delicious.

Every day I add white chocolate chips to my oatmeal. And every morning I look forward to my nutritious breakfast and I’m less likely to binge on something less healthy later in the day.

Adding fun foods to nutritious meals and snacks means you still get to eat the fun stuff while also including foods that keep you full and satisfied.

Here’s another example:

Every day I make my kids a snack plate in the afternoon. On the plate I will put some fruit, veggies, crackers, maybe some peanut butter or cheese, yogurt, chips, etc. I’ll also put something fun - some cookies, candy, sweets, etc.

Why does this work? I’ve normalized the sweets. They’re available all the time. So when they eat them, they’re less likely to eat too much. Subconsciously they know they can always have more later or tomorrow. This is the same for adults.

Bottom Line

If you want to lose weight you have to ditch the diet mentality and instead focus on nourishing your body with foods that will keep you full and satisfied. Preventing binges should be your number one focus. To make that happen you’ll want to stop labeling foods, create a balanced plate, and incorporate fun foods whenever you want. Because if you want to lose weight, you’ve got to create a calorie deficit and you can’t do that consistently if you’re binging on the weekends or at night.

Let me know if you try this!