Most people assume that, in order to lose weight, you need to exercise for hours a day. The truth, though, is that hours of daily exercise aren’t necessary. In fact, no exercise is necessary at all.

If you’ve been in a car accident or have injured yourself in another way and can’t exercise, you’ve come to the right place.

Read on to learn how to lose weight when you can’t exercise.

Safety First

Before getting into specific weight loss tips, we need to emphasize the importance of consulting with a doctor, registered dietician, physical therapist, or personal trainer before taking on any weight loss endeavors.

These individuals can help you figure out the appropriate diet and supplementation protocols to help you reach your goals in a safe way.

It’s especially important to work with a professional if you’ve injured yourself in a car accident or other serious event.

People like physical therapists and chiropractors can also help you regain your strength faster so that, eventually, you can start exercising again. If you need help finding the right chiropractor, you can read more here about choosing the best person for your situation.

How to Lose Weight When You Can’t Exercise

If you’re trying to lose weight but can’t exercise, these tips can help you shed extra pounds without breaking a sweat:

Track Your Calories

The fundamental rule of weight loss is to consume fewer calories than you burn. If you can’t burn extra calories by exercising, you’ll likely need to adjust your calorie consumption to make sure you’re not eating more than you’re burning.

There are lots of apps out there that make it easy for you to track the amount of food you consume and figure out how many calories you’re eating on a regular basis.

Many of these apps also take your height and weight into account and give you a baseline idea of how much you should be eating to lose extra pounds.

Limit Processed Foods

Technically, you could eat nothing but potato chips and lose weight as long as you’re eating in a caloric deficit (eating less than you burn). But, it’s incredibly easy to overeat processed foods like potato chips.

If you’re eating lots of processed foods, it’s also highly unlikely that you’re eating healthy food and getting sufficient amounts of the nutrients your body needs to function properly.

Limit your consumption of these foods and keep them out of your house. If you really want them, make it an event to go out and get them. Having them on hand will just increase your chances of giving in to temptation.

Supplement When Necessary

In a perfect world, you’d get all the nutrients you need from whole, unprocessed foods. Unfortunately, though, we don’t live in a perfect world.

If you’re having a hard time consuming all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs, you may need to try supplementing with a high-quality multivitamin.

You can also use your calorie-tracking app to look at your micronutrient intake and figure out which specific nutrients you’re deficient in.

Weigh Yourself Regularly and Measure Your Progress

Weighing yourself on a regular basis can help you stay accountable and reach your goals faster.

If stepping on the scale regularly stresses you out or has an unhealthy effect on your mental state, there are other ways you can measure your progress.

Try taking measurements with a tape measure, take progress pictures, or simply pay attention to the way your clothes fit.

Get Plenty of Sleep

When you’re sleep deprived, your body’s production of appetite-regulating hormones gets thrown off. Your body’s production of the stress hormone, cortisol, also tends to increase.

When these hormones are out of balance, you’re more likely to experience hunger and cravings for high-calorie, high-sugar foods.

To make matters worse, sleep deprivation reduces your willpower and increases your chances of giving in to these cravings.

Don’t Skip Meals

Skipping meals may lead to overeating or binge-eating. This is especially common among people who skip breakfast.

Set yourself up for a successful day by eating a healthy, satiating, nutrient-dense breakfast. Good options include eggs, Greek yogurt, and oatmeal.

Avoid common breakfast foods like pancakes, waffles, and pastries, though. These foods are full of empty calories and won’t keep you full for very long.

Chew Your Food Thoroughly

Are you guilty of wolfing down your food as quickly as possible? If so, that might be the reason why you end up feeling hungry thirty minutes after eating.

When you chew your food thoroughly, your body is able to digest it easier and better absorb important nutrients. Chewing thoroughly also helps you feel fuller, faster, meaning you’ll be less likely to overeat.

Try to chew your food at least thirty times before swallowing. And, put your fork down in between bites, too. It might seem challenging at first but, with time, you’ll it’ll become second nature.

Eat Plenty of Protein

Protein is the most satiating macronutrient. In fact, research shows that, when you increase your protein intake, you eat fewer total calories per day.

It’s not clear exactly why protein is more satiating than carbohydrates and fat, but some researchers believe it’s because it has an influence on appetite-regulating hormones.

It’s especially important to consume plenty of protein at breakfast so you’ll be full throughout the day.

Stay Hydrated

Finally, be sure to drink plenty of water. Many people actually overeat because they mistake their thirst for hunger.

Keep a water bottle on hand throughout the day so you take drinks regularly. You can even set alarms on your phone or use an app to make it easier for you stay hydrated.

Looking for More Weight Loss Tips?

As you can see, it’s totally possible to lose weight without exercising.

Now that you know how to lose weight when you can’t exercise, you might be interested in learning more about proper nutrition, supplementation, and other factors that influence weight loss.

If so, be sure to check out the diet and nutrition section of our site today for all the information you need.