How to Lose Weight If You Can’t Work Out, According to a Dietitian

Just because you can’t exercise doesn’t mean you will be unable to lose weight. In fact, many people get started on their body transformation journey long before stepping foot in a gym. Samuel Dickerson (@betteryoubettersociety) is an online fitness coach and influencer on a mission: To help people lose weight and become the best version of themself. In one viral video, he offers tips on how to drop weight without exercising. “If you're trying to lose weight and you can't work out because you have an injury, or if you have a super busy schedule, then you need to really stick to your diet strictly. So this is how you eat to still lose the weight,” he says in the clip. We also asked The Diet Diva, Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a Board Certified Sports Dietitian, to weigh in on his strategy.

Eat Two to Three Meals a Day

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Losing weight starts with your diet, says Dickerson. And, what you eat doesn’t have to be complicated. “Eat two to three meals a day of protein and veggies,” he suggests.

Drink Protein Shakes

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Getting enough protein is crucial for weight loss. So, “on top of those meals, drink one protein shake,” he advises.

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Here Are Examples of Meals

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Dickerson offers “meal examples” with enough protein. “It can be five to eight ounces of fish, chicken breasts, lean beef or Turkey breasts, any one of those protein sources with a side of vegetables,” he says.

Snack on Fruit or Protein Bars

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In between meals, he suggests fueling up on healthy items. “If you want to snack on something, you can either snack on fruit or you can snack on a protein bar,” he says.

Walk

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If you can, he suggests “30 to 45 minutes of cardio daily” or “stuff that's low impact,” he says. “You might not be able to jog, but if you can go outside and do a nice slow walk, do that.”

Or, Use the Bike or Elliptical

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There are other forms of cardio he recommends. “If you can go to the gym and get on the bike or the elliptical, if that's not going to cause you pain, do that,” he says. “But if you can't do the cardio” he says to “just relax, just chill” and “you’ll still be able to lose weight even though you're not really able to work out.”

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RDN Agrees

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Collingwood supports his recommendations. “If your output (calorie burn) goes down because you are missing workouts for one reason or another, cutting back on the diet is a good idea,” she says. But don’t starve yourself. “Still eat several times a day but focus on the highest quality foods like lean proteins and veggies. You can definitely fit some fruit and whole grains in there, too. Just really watch the ‘extras’ like the lower nutritional quality foods.” And, if you can “try to do something for exercise, even if it is just getting out for a 10 minute walk.”

💪🔥Body Booster: Even if you can’t exercise, try and move your body a little bit every day. Even a 10-minute walk will make you feel and look better. And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss 12-3-30 Walking Method: 20 Proven Tips to Lose Weight Faster.

Hailey Gorski (@thetipsykale_dietician) is an LA-based dietician and social media influencer whose goal is to help women take a “holistic” approach to diet and weight loss. In one of her many viral videos, she reveals a few easy ways to get back into shape for summer, using one of her client’s quick transformations as an example. According to Hailey, she made a “real change” to her lifestyle, “which is habits and a better relationship with food,” she said. “So here's how she really made this transformation in just one month.”

Try Lower Calorie Cocktails

According to Hailey, her client didn’t have to “cut out alcohol and miss out on her best friend's bachelor party.” Instead, “she enjoyed one to two finer cocktails and switched to a lower calorie, lower sugar option,” she said. While still tracking her nutrition progress, she felt confident. She didn't feel like she deprived herself, and she didn't feel guilty.”

Educate Yourself on Nutrition

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“Did she obsessively track calories on MyFitnessPal? Nope. She tracked when she could so she could establish awareness around what she's eating to learn more about calorie density and different foods but also understand her snacking was intentional and unintentional,” Hailey continues.

Related: I Added These Simple Things to My Walking and Pilates Routine And Now I See a Difference

Take Progress Photos

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You don’t need to weigh yourself daily. Instead of “using the number on the scale as her only metric of success,” Hailey’s client “also used progress photos,” she says.

Eat in a “Moderate Calorie Deficit”

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Finally, her clients didn’t starve themselves. “She focused on a moderate calorie deficit, not subtracting from her diet, but adding in foods like protein and high fiber, carbs and fruit,” she says.

Choose Weight Loss Programs “Tailored to You”

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“The weight loss industry has created a stigma around weight loss,” Hailey concludes. “As a dietician, there is nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight, as long as you have a healthy intention, are seeking programs that are tailored to you, and that will improve your relationship with your food and your body.”

Related: #1 Hack to Make Maintaining Your Weight Loss Easy, According to Nutritionist

These Are “Sustainable Choices,” an Expert Agrees

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The Diet Diva, Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a Board Certified Sports Dietitian, is totally on board with her suggestions. “These are all excellent changes and are all sustainable choices,” she tells Body Network. “It proves that you don’t need to do drastic diets or intense workouts to still make a difference and get results.”

💪🔥Body Booster: The most important thing to focus on when losing weight is staying in a caloric deficit. Use an online calculator to determine how much you can eat with your activity level and still lose weight. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.

Just because you aren’t eating very much doesn’t mean you are going to lose weight. Jamie Michele (@jamiemiichele) is an online coach and food and fitness expert, who tries to help people become the best and healthiest versions of themself. In one of her viral videos she schools her followers on the importance of making nutritious choices and meal planning. “If you are someone who is wondering, ‘I don't eat very much. I have no idea why I'm not losing weight,’ I'm going to show you why,” she says in the clip. Find out if you are guilty of this unhealthy habit and what you can do about it.

If You Are Grabbing Food Out of Convenience, It Might Not Be the Healthiest – Even If You Don’t Eat a Lot

“Let's say you're running late to class or work, and you stop at Starbucks and you grab a bagel and cream cheese and a grande vanilla latte. Pretty simple, right? So then in the middle of the day, you don't have any time for lunch. So you grab a protein bar and a Coke again, not that much. So then by dinnertime, you're starving. You still want to get something decent. So you go to Cava, you get the bowl, you get the pita chips because you haven't eaten that much today, and those are your meals for the day,” she says.

Just Those Items Add Up to 2,055 Calories

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She explains that this type of menu amounts to a lot of calories. “This day of food, which isn't that much, you just have a bagel, a protein bar, and a bowl. It comes out to 2,055 calories, which is the average woman's maintenance,” she says.

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Unless You Are Exercising A Lot, This Type of Diet Won’t Get You Into a Caloric Deficit

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Exercise and movement also comes into play. “If you combine that with a pretty sedentary lifestyle, like not getting a ton of steps, just working out two to three times a week, it is easy to see why you are not losing weight or even gaining weight, or you can eat a lot more,” she says.

You Can Eat More, and Still Lose Weight

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She then shows an alternative meal plan. “This is 500 calories less, which is a deficit for a lot of people. You get a full breakfast, burger, bowl, potatoes, sauce, a big bowl of pasta and dessert, and you get to lose weight,” she points out.

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Meal Planning Is Key, an Expert Says

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If you want to stick to a healthy diet, meal planning is important. “A lot of us tend to eat reactively and don’t plan ahead,” explains The Diet Diva, Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a Board Certified Sports Dietitian. “The result is eating out with high calorie, low nutrient foods, skipping meals, grabbing anything around the office or home, and making poor choices. If you plan ahead you can eat more strategically with more nutrient dense foods, snacks to bridge your hunger between meals, proper portion sizes, and not skipping meals.”

💪🔥Body Booster: Plan out your meals for one week and try sticking to it. At the end of the week, do you feel better? Have you lost weight?

Looking to lose weight fast? Soraya (@project.s.lifestyle) is a weight loss coach and TikTok influencer with a massive following on social media. In her many viral videos she shares tips on how to lose weight and get into the best shape of your life. In one of them, she revealed a few ways to lose weight fast – in both sustainable and unsustainable ways. “If you want to lose weight fast for a special occasion, here's exactly what you need to do,” she says in the clip. We also asked The Diet Diva, Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a Board Certified Sports Dietitian, to weigh in on her approach.

Intermittent Fast and Cut Out Fast Food

The first thing you need to do? “Cut out all fast food and limit your eating window from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM and only have two meals within that time frame,” she says.

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Run a Mile a Day and Do 10 Minutes of Ab Work Daily

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Next up, exercise. According to Soraya you need to “run a mile a day and do 10 minutes of abs right before bed.”

Weigh Yourself Daily

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Finally, “number three, weigh yourself every single day in the morning to keep track of your daily progress,” Soraya says.

If You Do That, You Will Lose Weight, But Likely Gain It Back

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“Now, if you do this, you will lose weight fast, but you know what else? At some point you're going to get overwhelmed, exhausted, have overwhelming cravings, go right back to old habits and regain the weight, if not even more weight,” she continues. “On top of that, it'll worsen your relationship with food and create a really toxic relationship with the scale. So forget all that,” she says.

Calorie Deficit with Foods You Enjoy

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“If you want to lose weight and actually keep it off for good, here's what you need to do,” she continues, offering a few healthier weight loss methods. “Number one, eat in a healthy deficit and include foods that you actually enjoy,” she says.

Work Out Three to Four Times a Week

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“Number two, get three to four workouts in per week,” Soraya says, adding that you need to strength train.

Walk 30 Minutes a Day

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“Number three, walk 30 minutes every day,” she concludes.

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RDN Says: Thumbs Up

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Collingwood says that Soraya’s advice “is very practical and not extreme,” and overall, gives it a thumbs up. “Incorporating walking, exercise, strength training, etc. along with reducing calories makes perfect sense,” she says. However, “there is no need to do abs right before bed…any time of the day will work.” She also likes that she is encouraging eating foods you enjoy. “She isn’t really giving major guidelines around portions or frequency, so some people might have a hard time with knowing exactly how much they can eat and still lose weight. She is encouraging only a 6 hour eating window which is pretty strict. I tend to recommend at least an 8 hour window and more like a 10-12 hour window of fasting each day.”

💪🔥Body Booster: The less restrictive a weight loss diet you commit to, the more likely you are to stick to it.

If you’ve had enough of fad diets and failed weight loss programs, it’s time to simplify your efforts. “Losing weight isn’t a linear experience. You’ll have ups and downs. But if the overall trend is downward, that’s when you know you’re having success,” exercise physiologist and psychologist David Creel, PhD, tells the Cleveland Clinic. “That’s why we have to think about how to lose weight as a lifestyle.” Losing 30 pounds in 6 months means a weight loss of 5 pounds a month—very doable! Here are eight things you should do to burn fat and lose weight, according to dietitians.

Calorie Deficit

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Weight loss comes down to setting a calorie deficit and sticking to it. Adjust the deficit as you approach your goal weight. “We’re all unique beings, and our bodies have different needs,” Dr. Creel says. “But at the end of the day, the most basic concept of losing weight is that you need to achieve a calorie deficit.”

Weigh Yourself Frequently

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Keeping track of your weight can help you keep on track. “In addition to a reduced-kilocalorie diet and physical activity, frequent weighing appears to be an integral part of successful weight loss maintenance,” LuAnn Soliah, PhD, RD, says via Today’s Dietician. “Monitoring weight on a regular basis is a form of accountability and self-monitoring, and consistent self-monitoring is associated with improved weight loss.” You can benchmark your progress with this useful Lean Body Mass Calculator.

Avoid Ultra-Processed Foods

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A diet heavy in ultra-processed foods could undermine your weight loss. “Newer research suggests that overly processed foods are especially easy to overeat because they can be eaten more quickly and they don’t produce the same level of contentment as more wholesome foods,” Samantha Cassetty, RD, tells Better by TODAY. “On the flip side, whole and minimally processed foods typically take a longer time to eat and are linked with appetite-regulating benefits, so you’re more likely to fill up on portions that are right for your needs.”

Don’t Sit So Much

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A sedentary lifestyle can cause weight loss to slow down—so turn off the TV and take a walk. “The national average time for watching television is 28 hours per week, or four hours per day, for the average American adult,” Soliah says. “This is a tremendous amount of time people spend engaged in sedentary activity. Similarly, childhood obesity specialists report a direct correlation between pediatric weight control problems, increased body mass indexes, and excessive television viewing. Attempts to reduce accumulated weight and enhance physical fitness may begin during childhood by including more physical activity in leisure time.”

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Stress and Sleep

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Stress and sleep both impact weight loss. “Stress is a major contributor to weight gain or inability to lose weight because it can cause you to turn to food for comfort,” says a dietician at North Kansas City Hospital. “Take time to relax and unwind. Meditation, yoga, self-care, and making time for your interests or hobbies can reduce your stress level. Sleep. Lack of sleep is another contributor to weight gain or inability to lose weight. The CDC recommends getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night.”

Strength Training

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Strength training can help preserve lean muscle mass. “Muscle is metabolically active. Your muscle burns through calories much faster, even if you’re just sitting on the couch,” Dr. Creel says. “The more muscle mass you have, the quicker you burn calories. Strength training doesn’t usually burn as many calories as cardiovascular exercise. But the benefits of maintaining muscle are of utmost importance. And if cardio exercise is hard for you, strength training is sometimes an easier gateway into physical activity.”

Eat Healthy Carbs

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You don’t have to remove carbs to lose weight. “What I’ve learned is that you don’t need to take an all-or-nothing approach to carbs,” Cassetty says. “Most often, I consider grains a side dish rather than an entrée, but I still eat them every day. What is important is that you consistently choose whole grains over their refined counterparts. That means mostly eating brown rice instead of white, whole-grain bread over the pillowy, white sandwich bread you may have grown up loving, and choosing whole-grain cereals, whether cold or hot, over hyper-processed refined versions.”

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Don’t Try To Out-Exercise Your Diet

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Do not try to out-exercise an unhealthy diet—you’re probably burning far fewer calories with your workouts than you think. “I’m not saying you should take a lifelong pass on fitness, but what I am saying is that if you’re killing it on the cardio machine merely to burn calories and squeeze into your extra-skinny skinny jeans, you may need to re-think this strategy,” Cassetty says. “When it comes to losing weight, it’s more about what you put in your mouth than what you’re burning off. Among participants in the Weight Control Registry, walking is the most frequent form of exercise, and there was no difference in weight maintenance after three years among people who participated in the most physical activity compared to those exercising the least.” And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.