How to Lose Weight Without Counting Calories
This article was reviewed by Lynn Marie Morski, MD, JD.
Key Takeaways:
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You can lose weight without counting calories by eating more protein and fiber and drinking more water to feel fuller.
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You can also use smaller plates, eat more mindfully, and check serving sizes to avoid overeating.
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Stay accountable with a food diary, habit tracking, or an accountability partner.
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Don’t forget about sleep, movement, and expert advice as part of your weight loss plan.
Though counting calories works for some people, it can be time-consuming and stressful. Plus, it can lead to eating disorder symptoms and an unhealthy relationship with food.
Luckily, you don’t need to count calories to lose weight.
Wondering how to lose weight without counting calories? Making a few tweaks to your eating habits can put you in a calorie deficit — when you eat fewer calories than your body needs — without any math.
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1. Eat More Protein and Fiber
Protein can help you feel fuller for longer, and a high-protein breakfast might even reduce food cravings later in the day.
Protein can also help you hold onto muscle mass as you lose body fat. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so having more muscle can keep your metabolism higher.
Eating more protein might naturally lead to eating fewer calories and burning more calories overall. This can help you lose weight without counting calories.
Go for lean proteins like:
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Chicken
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Turkey
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Lean beef
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Fish
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Beans
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Tofu
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Eggs
Similarly, fiber can help keep you fuller for longer. You can find fiber in:
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Fruits
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Veggies
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Whole grains, like brown rice, oatmeal, and quinoa
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Legumes, like chickpeas, lentils, and beans
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Nuts and seeds
Try adding a fiber and protein source to your meals. Fill up on these nutrients first before eating the carbohydrates on your plate.
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2. Drink Water — Especially Before Meals
Water can help you feel fuller, especially when you drink it before meals.
One study found that when people drank about 35 ounces of water before meals, they ate fewer calories. After 8 weeks, this led to:
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Weight loss
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A lower body mass index (BMI)
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A reduced waist circumference
Drinking more water can also help you limit high-calorie beverages, like sugary sodas and alcohol.
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3. Use Smaller Plates
You can stay in a calorie deficit by practicing portion control — eating the right portion sizes for your body. If you find yourself eating too much at meal times, try using smaller plates, bowls, and serving spoons.
You might naturally serve yourself smaller portions and consume fewer calories.
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4. Eat More Mindfully
Even when you count calories, mindless snacking can tip you over your calorie target for the day. But you can minimize these behaviors without tracking by eating more mindfully.
Mindful eating means being more aware of what and when you’re eating. When you reach for food, take a beat and ask yourself if you’re physically hungry or eating out of habit, boredom, or stress.
If it’s the latter, try to soothe your emotions with a non-food-related activity. If you want to snack, go for more nutritious options, like carrot sticks and hummus or air-popped popcorn.
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5. Check Serving Sizes
It’s easy to accidentally eat more calories than your body needs — and you might not realize you’re doing it if you don’t count calories. One way to avoid overeating is by checking serving sizes.
Check nutrition labels to see what a recommended serving size is for foods like pasta, rice, and Greek yogurt — foods that can be nutritious, but easy to overeat.
You don’t have to monitor serving sizes forever. Doing it a few times can give you an idea of what portions to eat going forward.
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6. Make Nutritious Swaps
If you’re trying to cut calories without obsessively tracking, try subbing out high-calorie foods and drinks for lower-calorie options. In particular, going for whole foods instead of ultra-processed foods can drastically reduce the number of calories you consume.
For example, you could swap:
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Sugary soda for sparkling water
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Full-fat dairy for low-fat dairy
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Sugary cereal for oatmeal
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Pastries for whole-grain bread
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Chips for air-popped popcorn
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Fried chicken for grilled chicken
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Ice cream for Greek yogurt with berries
You don’t need to overhaul your diet all at once. Make swaps at a speed that works for you, such as one nutritious swap per week.
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7. Find Ways to Stay Accountable
Calorie counting can provide accountability to help you stay on track with your weight loss goals. But it’s not the only accountability tool out there.
You could:
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Keep a food diary — just the foods, not the calories
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Track habits, like the number of home-cooked meals you have per week or your daily step count
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Get medical advice and work with a professional for support, like a weight loss specialist, dietitian, or personal trainer
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Track your weight, waist circumference, or body fat percentage
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Get an accountability buddy or join a weight loss program
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8. Get Enough Sleep
Weight loss isn’t just about calories. Sleep is a key part of weight management, but it’s a part that’s often overlooked.
Sleep loss can spike your appetite and food cravings, which can lead to eating more calories. Even if you don’t overeat or eat higher-calorie foods, you might have less energy or motivation to work out when you’re sleep-deprived.
To get enough quality sleep, you can:
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Keep consistent sleep-wake times
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Only use your bed for sleep and intimacy
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Avoid large meals before bed
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Wind down without screens in the run-up to bedtime
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9. Do More Movement
“To lose weight, you need to be burning more calories than you consume,” says Mike Bohl, MD, senior director of medical content & authority at Hims & Hers. “The majority of this depends on your diet, but exercise also plays an important role.”
Movement can contribute to weight loss in many ways. Physical activity helps you burn more calories, and strength training helps you build and maintain muscle.
You don’t need to track how many calories you burn to lose weight. You just need to add more movement to your routine.
Aim for a mix of:
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Aerobic exercise, like brisk walking, jogging, cycling, and swimming
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Strength training, like bodyweight exercises, dumbbell circuits, and resistance machines
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General physical activity, like walking, standing, stretching, and doing physical chores or yard work
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10. Consider Weight Loss Medications
Sometimes, healthy lifestyle changes aren’t enough to lose weight. But even then, you don’t have to resort to counting calories.
Weight loss medications can help people with overweight or obesity lose weight. Many medications work by reducing appetite, curbing cravings, and making you feel fuller. This helps you eat more nutritious foods and minimize overeating.
There are weight loss injections like:
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Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy)
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Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound)
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Liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda)
And oral weight loss medications like:
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Naltrexone
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Metformin
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Topiramate
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Bupropion
A healthcare provider can let you know if weight loss medications are right for you and which ones could suit you best.
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How to Lose Weight Without Counting Calories: The Bottom Line
You don’t have to count calories to lose weight. In fact, counting calories can be harmful for some people and downright time-consuming for others.
Here’s what to do instead:
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Eat fewer calories, without counting them. Counting calories can help you stay in a calorie deficit. But using smaller plates, filling up on protein and fiber, and making nutritious swaps to low-calorie foods can help you do the same.
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Minimize overeating. Check serving sizes, eat mindfully, and get enough sleep to make portion control easier.
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Find ways to stay accountable. That could include keeping a food diary, tracking your weight or waist circumference, or working with a friend or healthcare provider on your health and wellness goals.
Finally, calories aren’t the be-all and end-all. Some calorie-dense foods are high in nutrients, like nuts and avocados.
Plus, exercise, sleep, and stress levels all play a role in weight loss. So, you don’t need to count calories — or anything else for that matter — to lose weight.
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FAQs
Get answers to frequently asked questions about how to lose weight without counting calories.
What is a calorie?
A calorie is a unit of energy. It measures how much energy is in food. Calories supply your body with the energy it needs. Generally, eating more calories than your body needs can lead to weight gain, and eating fewer calories than your body needs can lead to weight loss.
Is it possible to lose without tracking calories?
Yes, it’s possible to lose weight without tracking calories. You can lower your calorie intake without tracking calories by eating foods lower in calories, practicing portion control, filling up on protein and fiber, drinking lots of water, and eating more mindfully.
Does calorie counting work for weight loss?
Calorie counting works for weight loss for some people. It can help you see if you’re eating more calories than your body needs and stay accountable to your goals.
But it’s also time-consuming, stressful, and potentially harmful for your mental health. Calorie counting can lead to eating disorder symptoms and an unhealthy relationship with food for some people.
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This article originally appeared on Forhers.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org