Last Updated on October 3, 2024 by Michael Brockbank
Want to lose weight but don’t want unnecessary risks to your health? It’s possible if you can put in the effort to change your daily habits. In fact, some of the safest ways to lose weight involve nothing more than getting up off your butt and moving.
Not everyone wants to subject themselves to the dangers of weight-loss surgeries or side effects of new dietary pills. Personally, I’d rather just change how I live than to spend money on elements I really don’t need.
First, let me point out this list of safest ways to lose weight is based on personal experience and scientific fact. I try hard not to make baseless claims or spread false information.
In reality, these methods have helped me lose more than 60 pounds so far.
With that being said, let’s dive into it.
1. Swimming
I know not everyone likes to swim or has the capacity to do so. However, it’s one of my favorite activities which doesn’t feel like exercise to me. In reality, it’s one of the best zero-impact activities you can do to burn calories exceptionally fast.
It’s difficult to pinpoint just how many calories you’ll burn by jumping into the pool for an hour. Things like weight, age, metabolism and height will all be a factor. But swimming also puts work on a wide scope of muscles, which begins to tone as well as reduce fat mass.
This isn’t to mention how it’s easier on the joints, fun and effective as a physical activity.
2. Walking
Most people are capable of walking. Unfortunately, not everyone does…at least as often as they should. To play Devil’s Advocate, though, not everyone has the best opportunities to walk either. For instance, I spend a lot of time in front of my computer for work and play.
Walking is a simple activity that has contributed to a lot of my weight loss. Sure, I spend a lot of time at my desk. But, I also take regular breaks and walk around the backyard for about 15 minutes.
Personally, I can burn more than nine calories per minute at a pace of about 3.5 miles per hour. You may burn more or less depending on your physique.
3. Portion Control
The most important aspect of losing weight is portion control. Too many people overeat, which leads to obesity. This is perhaps one of the more difficult habits to curb for many people.
As an experiment, install and actively use the free app, MyFitnessPal. When you start recording every morsel of food you eat and see the amount of calories, carbs and sodium you consume during an average day, it’s an eye-opener.
I lost 20 pounds the first month just by reducing the amount of food I ate. Instead of three or four Walmart cupcakes, I dropped it to one. Instead of four slices of pizza, I reduced it to two.
It adds up very quickly throughout the day.
4. Add More Vegetables
Eating vegetables is an excellent way to get nutrients your body needs. It also fills the stomach without adding in all the bad carbs and calories. It’s too bad not everyone adds more of them to their meals.
One of my favorite salads consists of lettuce, raw spinach, onions, mushrooms, carrots and a bit of shredded cheese. It makes an incredible amount of food without adding all the fats and carbs of something like McDonald’s.
I’m not saying you have to replace most of your food with veggies. However, adding them into your daily routine will make a profound difference in your health and how you feel overall.
5. Avoid the Drive-Thru
Speaking of McDonald’s, spend less time going through the drive-thru window. Even a lot of the “healthy” meals on the menus of many corporations give you more food than you should eat in a single sitting.
Using MyFitnessPal, I saw how many calories and carbs I was eating from various restaurants. It’s quite disheartening when you see the numbers go bright red and how much junk you’re pouring into yourself.
Besides, I’ve saved a lot of money by cooking things at home – which often taste better anyway.
6. Xbox Kinect Play
What list of mine would be complete without the Xbox Kinect? This game console is responsible for the largest portion of my weight loss. As long as you keep yourself active during game-play, you can tear through the calories faster than any gym aerobic workout.
I believe in the effects of gamification. This is when you take an otherwise mundane chore and find a way to make it fun. It keeps the mind engaged and tasks no longer feels like a boring activity. In fact, many companies use gamification to improve productivity from employees because of this.
While the Kinect may be dead in the eyes of gamers, it’s still and effective tool. Luckily, Virtual Reality producers are stepping into the fitness game. And I can’t wait to try out some of their developments.
The point is, make fitness fun in some way. Don’t view it as a chore, but as a way to entertain yourself.
7. Picking Better Foods
Picking better foods is an important part of the safest ways to lose weight. Portion control is vital, but not if you’re eating 10 cupcakes a day to stay inside your calorie goal.
The human body needs a certain amount of nutrients to stay healthy. The term, “You are what you eat” is more than just a slogan for a commercial. It’s true in every regard. If you eat nothing but junk food, that’s what your body consists of.
Picking better foods is probably one of the easiest, and at the same time, most difficult of the safest ways to be healthy. It relies purely on your own commitment to turn down junk for something which contributes to health.
The grocery store is full of weight loss friendly foods. Here is just a handful of what you can eat that is available in almost every store:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Blueberries
- Spinach
- Dark Chocolate
- Almonds
- Eggs
- Avocados
The list of healthy, weight-loss foods is vast. I’m sure you can find something that will tempt your palate.
8. Drink More Water
Getting more water in your daily routine contributes to more than just weight loss. It keeps the body regulated in so many ways. Plus, it’s among the safest ways to slim down simply because it’s an element we all need to survive.
Dehydration can lead to a myriad of issues such as high blood pressure.
One of the reasons you should drink more water is to excrete toxins and other elements your body is storing in an abundance.
9. Reduce Sugar Intake
I suppose this can go into managing portion sizes and eating healthier, but I wanted to point out sugar because you shouldn’t cut it out completely. It’s one of the important aspects of creating energy for the human body to continue living.
However, this doesn’t mean you should load up on Recess Pieces or Oreos. In fact, you get a fair amount of natural sugar depending on the fruits and other health foods you consume.
The point is you shouldn’t cut out sugar in all forms if you want to lose weight. I’ve seen many people skip eating even fruits because they don’t want sweet products.
Reduce the sugar intake by cutting out cookies and adding something like berries, oranges or other sweet fruits.
Personally, I have an affinity for blueberries, strawberries and pineapple.
Everyone is Different
It’s easy to find the safest ways to drop the pounds. For the most part, it only takes motivation and commitment from yourself to make changes in your routine. You don’t need fad diet plans, pills or surgeries to drop the weight in most cases.
While there will be some people out there who are genetically predisposed to having poor health, you shouldn’t let that be your argument. Not everyone suffers from thyroid problems or bad genetics. I know a lot of people who are capable of finding the safest ways to lose weight, but they simply refuse to do so.
Health and fitness is not about looking like a model. It’s about prolonging your life and greatly reducing the risks of various diseases ranging from cardiovascular problems to Alzheimer’s.
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