Lazy Ways to Lose Weight: A Discussion for the Busy Folks

After a crazy day at work or home, feeling unmotivated to get up and hit the gym is normal. The idea of curling up under a quilt and watching your favorite rom-coms or TV shows is much more appealing!

But if you want to get in shape and shed some extra pounds, you must make a few changes. However, we are not asking you to jump into a furious workout session.

How about learning the lazy ways to lose weight?

Get excited because you don’t have to carve out an hour to do an intense exercise routine. A few easy moves to shake off those calories can do the trick!

This article covers some fantastic but lazy weight loss exercises that could yield positive outcomes. Not only this, we have also covered some diet hacks that could help you in this journey.

What is a Lazy Way to Lose Weight?

The lazy way to lose weight focuses on making small and manageable changes to your overall lifestyle. Any drastic lifestyle tweaks or hours spent at the gym could affect your mental health. Sudden modifications are also unsustainable.

When looking for a guilt-free way to lose weight and burn some calories while having fun, you should consider these options:

Hit the Beach

Snoozing in the sun is one way to enjoy the beach. Once in a while, make plans with your friends to go for a swim. Make it a weekly ritual, as it is an excellent way to avoid burnout. 

The CDC states that an adult weighing 154 pounds can burn about 255 calories by swimming for 30 minutes and roughly 510 calories in one hour of swimming (1).

How much weight you lose from swimming depends on your weight and how vigorously you swim. If swimming isn’t your thing, try walking on the sand or riding a bike along a scenic path. Anything that involves movement but isn’t boring will burn more calories without feeling like a workout.

Work on the Yard

Being mindful of the movements in your daily life is one of the clever ways to lose weight. Beautifying your yard burns extra calories. Although it isn’t a vigorous way to get back in shape, it can play a crucial role. 

Gardening offers numerous benefits beyond weight loss. In addition to getting you outside in the fresh air and sunshine, it engages all your major muscle groups. This behavior provides a full-body workout that promotes fitness and overall health. It also burns calories and supports weight loss and a healthy diet (2).

Keeping yourself moving becomes increasingly essential as you age. Incorporating more movement into your everyday activities can be a huge help. Some things you can do in the yard are:

• Weeding and watering plants
• Raking and bagging leaves
• Shoveling snow
• Mowing the lawn

Indulge in Leisure Sports

Recreational sports like volleyball, softball, soccer, or basketball can increase your heart rate and burn calories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise every week, such as brisk walking. Participating in sports can help meet this goal (3).

When you indulge in fun and playful activities to keep yourself engaged, you won’t stress yourself under the pressure of working out at specific times. Playing outdoors with friends or family can make you feel happier and lighter!

Walk More!

When you need a lazy girl weight loss plan or an easy weight loss plan for lazy guys, a simple walk through the neighborhood does the trick. 

The American Council on Exercise states that a person weighing 140 pounds (65 kilograms) burns approximately 7.6 calories per minute while walking. A 180-pound (81-kilogram) person burns about 9.7 calories per minute (4).

A 12-week study observed 20 women with obesity (5). It revealed that walking for 50 to 70 minutes three times a week led to an average reduction in body fat by 1.5% and a decrease in waist circumference by 1.1 inches (2.8 cm).

Calorie Deficit

You’ve probably tried to figure out how to lose 2 pounds a week without exercise. 

The key to weekly weight loss is creating a calorie deficit through dietary changes. You make this deficit by consuming fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight. 

Focus on nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods like vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Reducing portion sizes and avoiding high-calorie, sugary, and processed foods can significantly help.

However, experts say that losing 2 lbs a week should be the maximum weight loss per week and recommend gradual weight loss, which you can do without exercise as long as you maintain a consistent calorie deficit for low activity levels (6).

These insights give you an idea that plenty of fun ways to burn calories exist. Be creative so the physical activities don’t seem boring. However, you should talk to a healthcare professional if you have specific concerns. They can help you formulate achievable goals and strategically hit your weight loss targets.

Whether you’re a workout beast or just a beginner making your first foray into the world of fitness and dieting – BetterMe has a lot to offer to both newbies and experts! Install the app and experience the versatility first-hand!

Is There a Lazy Way to Lose Weight?

Losing weight doesn’t happen overnight. One needs consistency, patience, and a SOLID plan to make it happen. But if you are lazy or way too busy to focus on this aspect of your life, you should try some alternatives instead. How about making specific lifestyle tweaks that aren’t very tough to pull off?

Check out some tips you can incorporate in your life:

Cut the Portion Sizes

Eating less food has proven its effectiveness time and again. 

A paper from the University of Cambridge suggests that cutting portions using smaller plates can address this issue simply (7). It is essential to note that this strategy doesn’t prevent you from eating your favorite foods. Instead, reduce the portion sizes to ensure your cravings do not overwhelm you.

The paper further suggests that there should be changes at the policy level. Strategies such as reducing standard plate and drink sizes, eliminating the largest package sizes of junk foods and soft drinks, and ending discounts on oversized items could help people lose weight or prevent weight gain altogether.

Read more: Lazy Dinner Ideas When You Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything

Stay Hydrated

Drinking more water can reduce your appetite and help you lose weight. A 2018 study suggests that drinking water before meals might help reduce hunger and lead to eating less. (8). But, this effect was observed only in individuals categorized as average weight and body mass index (BMI).

It is uncertain if the same applies to people who are overweight or have obesity. However, staying hydrated is essential for everyone, regardless of your weight loss goals.

On the other hand, research from 2016 derived these conclusions (9):

• When not dieting or tracking nutrition, opting for water instead of high-calorie beverages may help reduce calorie intake.
• For those with metabolic issues or obesity, drinking water could increase calorie burning.
• Water consumption prompts the body to break down fat without elevating blood sugar or insulin levels, further aiding in weight loss.

Improve Sleep Cycle

If you are sleeping, you are not eating. More sleep also means your body needs less energy from caloric foods. Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. An older study found that when dieters reduced their sleep over 14 days, the proportion of weight they lost as fat decreased by 55%, while the loss of fat-free mass increased (10). It happened even when they were maintaining the same calorie intake.

They also experienced increased hunger, felt less satisfied after meals, and had lower energy levels. These feelings are common and you may have noticed that you felt hungry or craved certain foods on a day when you didn’t sleep well the night before.

Researchers from the University of Chicago explain that sleep deprivation leaves you “metabolically groggy” (11). After just four days of inadequate sleep, your body’s ability to respond to insulin, the hormone responsible for allowing glucose to enter cells for conversion into energy, may become impaired.

Eat Slowly

When you eat slower, you notice your feelings of fullness sooner, so you can stop eating when satisfied. As you chew your food correctly, it sends satiety signals to your brain. Most people eat too fast. The result is that they consume more calories than they were required to before they realized it.

Recent research published in the journal Nutrients suggested that faster eating speeds may be associated with higher body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and abdominal obesity, as well as various chronic disease risk factors (12). 

Bear in mind that there is no lazy way to lose weight overnight. Give it some time to notice sustainable changes. We’d also suggest you make informed decisions at every step. For instance, decipher calories burned standing vs. sitting. This knowledge helps you plan how much time to rest and consider getting up to burn those extra pounds.

What Is the Laziest Way to Burn Calories?

The laziest way to lose weight means limited movement and passive physical activities. Some options to check out are:

• Fidgeting
• Standing instead of sitting
• Taking short walks
• Chewing gum
• Drinking cold water

These small changes could help you lose extra weight over the long term. They may not result in a dramatic calorie burn, but the efforts multiply over time, and you might eventually feel some pounds melting away. If you want to see results, you must add these strategies to a more comprehensive approach that includes a healthy, balanced diet and physical activity if you’re going to see significant results.

Read more: Can You Lose Weight Doing Pilates Every Day?

How To Lose Belly Fat for Lazy?

Belly fat could be stubborn. It just sits there, not budging despite all your efforts. Losing belly fat is the same as losing fat in general, so continue with your healthy balanced diet and physical activity goals.

Belly fat may be exceptionally responsive to aerobic exercise, so try cardio. The lazy (or most efficient) way might be doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercises. 

These sessions can be quick but burn a lot of calories in a short time. You can also make simple changes like taking the stairs instead of the elevator sometimes, or parking farther away and walking a bit. These don’t change your daily routine but can help you burn a few extra calories, which will add up.

And – don’t forget the water. As mentioned above, hydrating can help you feel satiated and less likely to give in to your untimely cravings.

Are you questioning what to eat to lose belly fat in 1 week? Check out our related article.

How to Burn 1000 Calories a Day as a Lazy Person?

If you want to burn around 1000 calories daily but are a lazy person, here are some steps that could help you:

• Opt for a standing desk to stay on your feet while working.
• Use a printer located further away from your desk to encourage more movement.
• Choose to walk during meetings with a colleague or friend instead of sitting.
• Walk faster than you usually do to increase your activity level.
• Stand up and stretch or take short walks during regular work breaks.
• Park farther from your destination to add extra walking into your day.
• Use the restroom farther from your workspace than the closest one.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator whenever possible.
• Pace around or lift light weights while on phone calls.

Sometimes, it is the little things that could make a big difference. We discussed consuming fewer calories, fancy exercise regimes, and fad diet plans. However, when you start making small changes in your lifestyle, you can begin burning more calories daily.

In 1999, Dr. James Levine discovered this concept and called it Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) (13) (14). The concept refers to all the calories a person burns from everyday activities, not including intentional exercise. It includes simple movements you make throughout the day with little effort. The number of calories burned this way can be more impactful than deliberate exercise.

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What Is the Lazy Diet?

There is no secret lazy way to lose weight fast. You must make small changes to get back in shape without much effort. And this is a slow process. Besides the lifestyle tweaks, you can also look for a lazy diet that can easily fit into your routine.

There is an option to go for the lazy keto diet, which is popular lately but isn’t for everyone. The primary rule of this diet is to keep the carbs limit to 20g per day (15). 

Unlike the conventional keto diet, you don’t have to track your calories or count other macronutrients like proteins and fats. The aim of both lazy keto and the original keto diet is to get your body into ketosis, which burns fat for energy instead of carbs (16). You still, however, have to eat fewer calories than you burn in order to lose weight.

A more healthy, balanced, and even “lazier” approach might be the plate method. 

For each meal, aim to fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables and fruits, a quarter with lean protein, and the last quarter with whole grains or starchy vegetables. You don’t have to count, track, or measure anything. Just eat until you feel 80% full, then give your brain a few minutes to catch up, and chances are you will feel comfortably full and satisfied. 

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is the easiest way to lose weight not eating?

You will probably lose weight if you stop eating, but it’s not a healthy or sustainable strategy, and no one would call it easy. There is a method called intermittent fasting, which reduces overall calorie intake by alternating between periods of eating and fasting, but it’s not easy for everyone (15).

The easiest way to lose weight is to make manageable changes that reduce your calorie intake or increase your calorie burn, which you can stick with for the long term. 

• How can I slim my flat stomach?

Performing cardio and resistance training can help to slim your stomach. And if you are looking for lazy ways to lose belly fat, you should incorporate walking, HIIT, or standing more in your routine.

• How to lose weight in 7 days?

Losing significant weight in just 7 days isn’t sustainable. You might lose 1-2 pounds by reducing your calorie intake and increasing physical activity. Incorporate more low-calorie filling foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean proteins. Make time for exercise and incorporate more movement into your daily routine. Make sure you’re drinking enough water and getting enough sleep.

• What is the 7 day no eating diet?

A 7-day water diet, or water fast, is an extreme and potentially dangerous weight loss method or spiritual practice. It involves drinking only water for several days and should only be done with caution and under medical supervision.

The Bottom Line

We can call a weight loss approach based on little effort “the lazy way to lose weight.” It doesn’t include vigorous exercises and extreme diet plans and doesn’t aim for a 10-pound reduction in 2 weeks. Instead, this approach emphasizes making small changes in your lifestyle. There could be days when you feel like doing nothing, and there is no problem.

If someone tells you there is a lazy way to lose weight in 2 weeks or less, don’t expect yourself to lose a few inches within this duration. Focus on enjoying the weight loss journey and living healthier rather than rushing the process.