Simple Ways To Boost Your Fat Loss Results Without Hours in the Gym

Dec 08, 2023

Looking for ways to shed fat and kickstart your metabolism without having to spend hours at the gym?

You're certainly not alone because as we get older, losing weight becomes an even tougher uphill battle. Our metabolism naturally slows down as we age and our body weight is made of less muscle and more fat, which slows the calorie-burning process.

A June 2022 study in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Obesity found that "higher body fat content was related to a higher risk of mortality."

Newsweek spoke to health experts who outlined some simple lifestyle changes to help boost your metabolism and turn your body into a fat-burning machine.

Board-certified bariatric physician Dr. Kevin Huffman is the CEO/founder of Bariatric Food Source, an online store supporting those who have undergone bariatric surgery (a type of weight-loss surgery). He told Newsweek that getting between seven and eight hours of "quality sleep" every night is one simple but key lifestyle change that can help improve your metabolism and increase fat loss.

"Quality sleep is essential for regulating one's metabolism. Studies have found that people who routinely fail to get adequate and quality sleep feel less satiated once they eat and also metabolize the fat in their food differently. Both of these conditions can lead to more weight gain," the doctor said.

Short sleep (less than six hours each night) has been repeatedly associated with higher body mass index, and greater weight gain, Huffman said. He added that studies have also shown that short sleep durations are "directly linked to over 40 percent increased risk of obesity in both children and adults."

The doctor said it's also been hypothesized that poor sleep increases the levels of ghrelin, a hormone that makes you feel hungry, and decreases those of leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full. "This is probably why people who are sleep-deprived often report an increased appetite as well as increased calorie intake throughout the day," he said.

Walking is "one of the best ways to burn calories and improve your metabolism," Aroosha Nekonam, a senior personal trainer at Ultimate Performance in Washington, D.C, told Newsweek. She noted that she has prescribed 10,000 steps a day to every client she's ever trained for fat loss.

She said walking was a big contributor to your daily energy expenditure from what is often referred to as NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). "Put simply, this is the energy expended from everything we do when we're not sleeping or exercising," she said,

Those looking to lose weight should increase their NEAT through short, frequent walks. The average person burns around 500 calories for every 10,000 steps, which is "roughly the level of calorie deficit we need to create each day to lose one pound of fat per week," she said.

Nekonam also said certain food groups can increase your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). "These foods require more energy to digest them than others, a phenomenon known as the 'thermic effect of foods.'"

Give your metabolism a jump-start by making lean proteins, such as chicken, turkey, and fish, a staple part of your diet, she advised.

Around 20 percent of the calories from protein are burned through digestion. When you eat high-protein foods, "your internal body temperature rises as the chemical reaction to break down those foods takes place," she said.

A September 2020 study in the Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome found that "consuming more protein than the recommended dietary allowance not only reduces body weight, but also enhances body composition by decreasing fat mass while preserving fat-free mass in both low-calorie and standard-calorie diets."

Nekonam also noted that protein is "incredibly satiating," which will keep hunger pains at bay and prevent you from snacking on sugary treats.

Anna Chabura, a certified nutritional therapist and personal trainer, told Newsweek that drinking plenty of water aids in "toxin elimination, reduces brain fog [lack of concentration and difficulty focusing], and keeps you feeling full and energized."

Personal trainer and Pilates instructor Juju Sheikh also said that drinking water can help "boost your metabolism by up to 30 percent for about an hour after drinking it."

A December 2003 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that drinking 500 ml of water (nearly 17 oz.) increased metabolic rate by 30 percent. This increase occurred within 10 minutes and reached a maximum after 30 to 40 minutes.

The study said: "Therefore, the thermogenic effect of water should be considered when estimating energy expenditure, particularly during weight loss programs."

Sheikh noted that dehydration can slow down your metabolism, so you should be sure you're drinking enough water throughout the day. "I'd recommend 3-4 liters [around a gallon] a day."

Certified personal trainer Samantha Clayton is the sports performance and fitness vice president at Herbalife, a nutrition company. She told Newsweek that "adding weight training into your life is great for improving metabolism."

She explained that muscle is "more metabolically active" than fat, which means that as you build up your muscle mass, "your body must burn more calories to sustain your new body composition."

This additional energy expenditure throughout the day, combined with a healthy diet, can lead to changes in body fat, she said.