How to lose weight without a diet is a very common question! And wouldn’t it be wonderful? Well, technically it is actually possible but it does come at a cost. For most of our clients we recommend a wholesome outlook to their health and fitness goals. Because not having a few solid eggs in your basket means your margin for error becomes very limited. But sometimes and especially if you are highly food focused you can indeed keep your food intake at maintenance calories. And use the tool that is exercise to burn the timber and place you into a calorie deficit.
However, the issue here is that you need to spend much more time expending energy and for many this is a problem. Because if you’re like us you probably work long hours and have kids. And as for a social life you are most probably hanging on to a cliff edge by your finger nails too.
How to Lose Weight Without a Diet
So, you’re are a 165 pound female who maintains weight at around 1,800 calories when completely sedentary. And you want to know how to lose weight without a diet, so exercise is going to be your sole focus. Now, you know that 1,800 calories maintains your weight so you must continue to eat that amount even when exercising. Let’s say you choose to combine strength training and walking as your energy burning duo! The calculation is your bodyweight in pounds multiplied by the intensity multiplied by the time (1-6 would be 10-60 minutes).
Light Walking Pace Calculation (0.2 intensity)
A brisk walk would be an intensity more around the 0.3 mark.
165 pounds x 0.2 x 8 (80 minutes) = 264 calories or around half a pound of fat.
Strength Training (0.2 intensity)
Strength training is commonly believed to be more around the 0.3 intensity mark but we will keep it simple at 0.2 to be on the safe side. Also, after years of strength training you will burn a lot more calories due to having more muscle mass.
165 pounds x 0.2 x 8 (80 minutes) = 264 calories or around half a pound of fat.
Both of the above methods bring in around 264 calories each per 80 minutes of exercise each – roughly. Which totals 528 calories per day or 3,696 per week (3,500 calories in one pound of fat). As you can see, relying on a calorie deficit coming solely from exercise is heavily time consuming and for most, unrealistic.
In conclusion, if you can place yourself into a 250 daily calorie deficit per day via food and then you could cut your exercise time in half or more depending on what you deduct from food.
1,800 calories – 250 calories = 1,600 calories after your calorie deficit from food
1,600 calories – 264 calories after your calories expended via walking/steps = 1,286
Total calorie deficit = 514 per day and 3,598 per week which is just over one pound of fat per week.
Here is a great blog with tips on how to diet with a smart approach!
How have you been creating your calorie deficit? Did this blog help at all?
