You don’t want to embark on a radical diet or start spending hours in the gym trying to sweat out the excess pounds. Instead, you wan’t to lose weight in a more laid-back fashion — with as little effort on your part as possible. Now, conventional wisdom dictates that your attitude could be a hindrance to hitting your goals. In reality though, nothing could be further from the truth.
My Favorite Lazy Girl Weight Loss Hacks
We’ve compiled a list of lazy girl weight loss hacks that can bring successful weight loss within reach, and most of them are easy enough to get started with right away.
1. Prepare Meals in Advance
You are what you eat.
Ambiguous as that sounds, there is no denying that diet is a make-or-break factor in weight loss.
And so, cutting to the chase, you can do yourself a huge favor by prepping meals ahead of time. Start by making a list of healthy foods you like eating and ensure you’re always stocked up on ingredients (buying groceries in bulk will go a long way). From there, make a habit of cooking several days’ worth of meals in advance and store them in your fridge/freezer.
Having food at ready will make healthy eating feel less of a chore. More crucially, it’ll help you avoid making bad decisions when you’re hungry.
2. And Remember to Add Cinnamon
Cinnamon has this magical ability to regulate appetite. We say ‘magical’ because ancient civilizations have utilized the spice to this end for hundreds of years, but modern science is only beginning to grasp its capabilities.
Still, a few studies have confirmed that cinnamon can indeed help stabilize blood sugar levels following digestion. This then helps curb those sudden post-meal hunger pangs that often have you reaching for unhealthy snacks. So, in a nutshell, flavoring your food with cinnamon will transform your appetite from liability to an asset.
3. Practice Mindful Eating
Yeah, I know it’s supposed to be a list of lazy girl weight loss hacks. But come on — You’ve gotta get off the couch some times! Sitting for too long is actually bad for your bones, you know. And when you’re trying to burn off those excess pounds, a little movement can go a long way.
Now, it’s not to say that you should eschew seats altogether; just try to be more mindful of your sitting time. Take breaks to stretch your legs as you would with any other activity — do a few sit-ups, squats, or even go out for a short walk. These tiny bits of movement will make a huge difference in the long run.
10. Lazy Girl Weight Loss Hacks: Try HIIT
Exercise can be an effective way to fast-track your weight loss journey. And contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to overwhelm yourself to get the results. All you need is a good dose of HIIT.
Short for high-intensity interval training, this strategy involves alternating short, vigorous workouts with recovery periods where you do some low-intensity exercise. A few minutes of this routine each day will add up to some serious fat burn. The best thing about HIIT is that most exercises can be done without equipment. This makes it ideal for those times when you want to get busy but are just too lazy to hit the gym, or don’t have the time for it.
12. Exercise as You Watch TV
This is a no brainer: combine one of your past times with an effective weight loss strategy, and you’re well on your way towards a fitter, leaner version of yourself. Although exercising while watching TV doesn’t make for an intense workout, it still gets you active and sweating nonetheless. Do it often and you’ll effectively have turned your favorite shows into fat-burning binges.
You’ll be surprised to see just how enjoyable exercise can be. And as we noted earlier, this is a great way to limit your sitting time — and ward off the temptation to snack mindlessly while you’re sat on the couch.
13. But Remember to Take Things Easy
By far the most important thing you could do as you work to get in shape is to be patient. Don’t feel like you have to start doing everything on this list right away. Likewise, there’s no need to beat yourself up if you don’t seem to be hitting any milestones or making progress at all. Give yourself some credit and believe that you’ll eventually achieve your goals — no matter how long that takes.