How to lose weight WITHOUT DIETING

5 WAYS TO SHED KILOS: NO DIET REQUIRED

If you’re struggling to stick to a diet, these health experts have a few clever tricks that could help.

1 VARY YOUR ROUTINE

Making a few simple changes to your daily routine could give you the kickstart you need to lose weight. “Drive home a different way so you don’t go past those fast food outlets,” suggests mindset coach Sue Lester. “Instead of coming home and heading straight for the fridge, go into the bathroom and clean your teeth or go outside to breathe fresh air and stretch. Use smaller plates and eat at the table instead of in front of the TV. Sit down, eat slowly and pay attention to the taste, smell, texture of your food.” suelester.com

2 GET REGULAR EXERCISE

Sounds like a no-brainer, but perhaps for different reasons than you might think, says exercise physiologist Tim Douge, from Studio 99 in Brisbane. “Most people use exercise as a way to balance out the calories they take in, but exercise has far more impactful benefits for healthy weight management,” he explains. “Exercise helps regulate hormones within the body. That means your stress levels will be lower, your sleep will be better and your appetite will be more balanced, all of which will contribute to a healthy weight. Not only that, but people who exercise have been shown to subconsciously make healthier choices when it comes to their diet.” studio99fitnesscentre.com

3 COOK AT HOME

of vegies (two big handfuls), a quarter plate of rice/pasta/ potato/corn/bread (about the size of your fist) and quarter plate of meat/chicken/fish (about the size of the palm of your hand). If you’re not confident to cook for yourself, grab a basic cookbook to get you started.” easyhealthytasty.com

4 PUT A NUMBER ON YOUR HUNGER

Rate your hunger out of 10 before you eat, suggests Zoe Morosini, a clinical nutritionist, who specialises in non-diet behaviour change for weight loss. “If you’re less than a five, wait another hour,” she advises. “Eating only when you feel hungry is a simple but powerful way to drop kilos without dieting.” zoemorosini.com

5 RESTRICT YOUR EATING WINDOW

“Time restricted eating (TRE) is a form of intermittent fasting, whereby you consume your calories in one window of time during the day, whether that be 12, 10 or eight hours,” says Dr Michael Mosley, creator of the Fast800 program. “Most fat burning happens six to eight hours after you finish your last meal, and increases almost exponentially after a full 12 hours. The period of fasting allows your body to enter a phase of ‘autophagy’, which literally means self-eat, and puts your body into repair mode. It’s not only good for weight loss, but can help boost brain activity, reduce your risk of heart disease and lower blood sugars.” thefast800.com

Cook at home rather than eating out as often as possible, says dietitian and co-author of Easy Healthy Tasty, Charity Spalding. “By doing this you have full control over the way meals are cooked and what goes into them,” she says. “Serve yourself half a plate