16 Ways to Lose Weight Without Supplements

I recently read about a supplement that promoted up to 30 pounds of weight loss in just 30 days. The results were shocking – they also seemed ridiculous. Then I read the fine print that basically said 90% of the weight loss was water.

So, if I drink a glass of water would I gain it all back?

Fat loss – which is the goal of everyone wanting to lose weight – is not the same as water loss. Sure, you can sweat off some weight. But as soon as you rehydrate you’ll gain it all back.

But this is how many weight loss supplements work: They provide inaccurate or misleading information leading to temporary and even unhealthy results.

In his recent book, How Not to Diet, Dr. Michael Greger explains it well: “Every month seems to bring us a trendy new diet or weight-loss fad, and they always sell because they always fail. The diet industry may rake in up to $50 billion a year, and the business model is based on repeat customers.”

American obesity has soared to new heights. More than 71% of American adults are overweight and 40% are now classified as obese thanks to the amount of body fat. The diet industry’s solution is to create more weight loss products.

But sadly, these numbers are going in the wrong direction. Our nation consumes more weight loss supplements that the rest of the world combined.

As Dr. Greger explains, “The battle of the bulge is a battle against biology, so obesity is not some moral failing. I can’t stress enough that becoming overweight is a normal, natural response to the abnormal, unnatural ubiquity of calorie-dense, sugary, and fatty foods.”

Supplements can be dangerous and are often very expensive. And since there’s no oversight monitoring the supplement industry, you have to be careful to ensure what the label says is actually what you’re consuming.

Prior to uncovering the adverse effects, ephedra was sold as a safe weight loss pill. In a chilling explanation, Dr. Greger explains, “the manufacturer is under no obligation to disclose adverse effects that may arise.”  Online vendors assured absolute safety: “No negative side effects … 100% safe for long-term use.” The president of Metabolife International, a leading seller of ephedra, assured the FDA that the company had “never received one notice from a consumer that any serious adverse health event has occurred.” 

But the truth was Metabolife had received thirteen thousand health complaints, including reports of serious injuries, hospitalizations, and even deaths. These and other additional adverse side effects is what led to the FDA banning the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids (compounds found in some ephedra species) in the United States in 2004.

So, what should you do if you’re wanting to lose weight? There is a safer, more effective longterm solution for your fat loss goals. I want to give you 16 ways to lose fat without weight loss supplements. 

Your days of being a repeat diet-supplement customer can come to an end!

16 supplement-free fat loss tips

1. Stop eating late at night

You’ve probably heard you shouldn’t eat late at night. But why? The reason is because of your circadian rhythm. Your body is getting ready to rest at night. It doesn’t need a lot of extra calories to burn for energy. As a result, food consumed later at night isn’t used as fuel like it would be earlier in the day.

2. Drink water

Drinking water helps remove fat by-products and also helps you feel more full. Not only does this act as a natural appetite suppressant, but it can also improve your metabolism. 

Research on water's impact on your metabolic function is still in process. But far more likely to lose weight drinking a couple of glasses of water before a meal rather than eating the complimentary roll of bread.

3. Walk

The reason the Amish continue to have some of the lowest rates of obesity is not because of their HIIT workouts. They walk an average of eighteen thousand steps a day.

A 2004 study tracked steps of the Amish and found that Amish men walked an average of 18,000 steps per day. Amish women walked an average of 14,000 steps each day.

4. Get enough sleep

Sleep is important for many reasons, but weight loss? 

A study entitled “Sleeping Habits Predict the Magnitude of Fat Loss in Adults Exposed to Moderate Caloric Restriction” found every additional hour of sleep at night was associated with an extra one and a half pounds of weight loss over a period of about three to six months.

Dr. Greger explains, “Sleep deprivation tends to lead people to overeat by about 180–560 calories a day. Restrict people’s sleep, and they also start craving unhealthier choices: more snacks and more sugary and fatty foods.”

5. Eat more fiber

I’ve said before that eating more fiber is the best weight loss tool rarely ever used. In addition to keeping you regular, fiber is satiating, adds bulk to your food, and even prevents your body from absorbing calories! 

Click here if you want to learn more about fiber’s many weight loss effects.

6. Learn to limit 

When you learn to limit your calories – not your food – you will have incredible success with your weight loss goals. But isn’t calories consumption and food consumption one and the same?

No.

You need to learn the difference between high-calorie density foods and low-calorie density foods. In the Living Well Membership, you can learn the difference and how to make this work for you. Click here to join today!

Few of us have a problem eating too many vegetables. As Dr. Greger explains, “Our primitive urge to overindulge is selective. People don’t tend to lust for lettuce. We have a natural, inborn preference for sweet, starchy, fatty foods because that’s where the calories are concentrated.”

7. Control your environment

Out of sight out of mind! You know what food you won’t be tempted to eat? The food that’s not in your house!

Yes, you can jump in the car and go get it. But adding barriers to consuming unhealthy, calorie-dense foods gives you a better chance of avoiding it.

8. Consume vinegar

Behold, the power of vinegar!

During a three-month trial, researchers studied the effects of vinegar on weight loss. Compared to the placebo group, the group taking one tablespoon of vinegar each day lost about a pound a month. And the group taking two daily tablespoons lost five pounds. 

These few pounds might not sound amazing, but the vinegar groups also got slimmer, with a one-inch waistline reduction. 

9. Eat more plants, vegetables, and fruits

Like I mentioned in point #5, it’s not necessarily about the amount of food you consume, but the amount of calories in that food. Plants, vegetables, and fruits are naturally calorie deplete and contain fewer calories.

Participants of a three-week weight loss study in Hawaii were told to consume as much fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and beans as they wanted and lost seventeen pounds. 

10. Break your addiction to sugar

Ever wondered why you turn to certain foods when stressed? Eating sugary foods blocks the stress hormone, cortisol.

America’s sugar addiction is directly aligned with our growing waistlines. “The excess body weight of the U.S. population corresponds to about 350–500 excess daily calories on average, which just so happens to be how many calories, on average, Americans failing to stay under the suggested sugar limits of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines get in added sugars every day,” explains Dr. Greger.

11. Stop eating and drinking empty calories

Just like the sugary foods previously mentioned, empty calories like sodas, juices, cocktails, and prepackaged snacks provide zero nutritional value but are loaded with calories. 

There are ways to still enjoy these foods but in moderation. Drink a couple glasses of water before you drink a soda. Consider eating an apple or raw veggies before you tear open that bag of snacks. This will not only provide the benefit of the healthier option, it will also leave less room for the junk food.

12. Lower your taste thermostat 

The longer we eat healthier foods, the better they taste. But why is that?

It all has to do with your taste thermostat! When you’re used to manufactured flavors and sugar foods, your taste buds are unable to detect the subtle flavors of whole foods. Your brain and your taste buds will begin to adapt so you begin to enjoy whole foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and lentils.

13. Eat the majority of your calories in the morning

There is wisdom in the old adage to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a popper. Front loading the majority of your food consumption allows your body more time to use it throughout the day.

14. Ask yourself if you’re actually hungry

When does most of the snacking take place in your home? If I were to take a guess, I would assume it’s while you’re watching TV. But if you’re going to watch your favorite show do you need to be eating?

Before you take a bite ask yourself, “Am I actually hungry?” We often eat because it’s just what we do. When it’s 2:00 in the afternoon, you realize it’s been two hours since lunch and it must be time for a snack. But you might just be bored or even thirsty.

15. Drink coffee

Your cup of coffee might be doing more than powering your morning.

The caffeine found in black coffee provides a metabolic boost. And according to Dr. Greger, it continues even during rest. “Drink two cups of coffee, and over the next few hours, your resting metabolic rate goes up about 10 percent. In fact, you can tell whether someone had just consumed coffee by measuring the heat coming off their skin. Two hours after drinking two cups of coffee, our skin temperatures rise by about half a degree.” 

For every cup of coffee, you can expect to burn an extra seventeen calories.

16. Change your habits

A habit can be defined as “learned behavioral responses to situational cues.”

You can break a habit in two ways: change the cue, or change the action.

The easiest way is to avoid the situation that leads to temptation. If you struggle with fast food, then find a new route home that doesn’t involve driving past the drive-through. Removing the contextual cue goes a long way to deter the action or behavior you’re trying to avoid.

 Another way is to change the action. This means making it more difficult to act upon. With our previous fast food example. If you’re going to go through the drive-through then have to get your purse out of the backseat in order to pay for your meal. Studies have shown the simple act of adding a barrier to the habit can deter you from completing it.

Conclusion

See, you don’t have to rely on supplements to accomplish your weight loss goals. Individually these sixteen supplement-free weight loss strategies may not get you to your ideal fat loss goals. But when you combine a couple of them together you’ll be well on your way.

The best part is that none of these strategies contain unhealthy ingredients or cause undesirable side effects.

 Want to learn more fat loss strategies? Join the Living Well Membership where you can learn how to lose fat, gain energy, and kiss diets (and weight loss supplements) goodbye for good!