20 Tips for Making Weight Easier Using Less Willpower

In this article: 

• Willpower is unlikely to be sufficient for weight loss. 
• Reduce your dependence on willpower for weight loss by making healthier choices easier compared to less healthy choices. 
• Increasing the availability of high-nutrient foods compared to high-calorie foods, paving the way for more activity, and establishing healthy habits can reduce the effort needed to live healthily. 
• Your Lark coach is available 24/7 to help you make healthy choices around nutrition, activity, and more.

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Do you know any people who always seem to achieve whatever they set their minds to? It may seem like some people have superhuman willpower to eat well and exercise, but that’s not usually the case. Dig a little deeper, and you may learn that they have all kinds of tricks to make things easier and set themselves up for success. 

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If you’re depending on sheer willpower, losing weight may be a losing battle. It can be hard to feel like you’re fighting to make healthy choices. Instead, shift your focus to making healthy living easier. Here are 20 ways to make weight loss easier.

Portion Control and Nutritious Eating

1. Eat only at the table. Serve yourself first, then sit down and eat.
2. Serve yourself salad and other vegetables first so there’s less room on your plate for higher-calorie items.
3. Keep junk food, restaurant leftovers, and any other foods you’re trying not to eat out of your home. If others in your home want unhealthy snacks or leftovers like pizza at home, package them well, place them out of sight, and put healthier foods within easier reach so you can reach for them first.
4. Always have some vegetables and fruit washed and ready to eat for snacks, meals, and anytime you feel like munching. Examples include cut lettuce or other greens for salads, vegetables like baby carrots, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks or coins, bell peppers, and broccoli and cauliflower florets. Blueberries, strawberries, bananas, tangerines, grapes, and apples can also be good snack choices.
5. Add healthy foods to your shopping list so you can always have them available at home. Fresh and frozen vegetables, lean proteins like chicken, plain nonfat yogurt, oatmeal, and low-fat cottage cheese are some examples. 
6. Pre-portion snacks instead of eating from the bag. 

Physical Activity and Breaking Up Sedentary Time

7. Make it easier to start workouts by reducing decisions and preparation at the last minute. Schedule your workout in advance, set out workout clothes and shoes the night before or before you leave for work, have your playlist ready, and know what workout you’ll do so there’s no thought involved when it’s time to start your workout. 
8. Make workouts enjoyable by going with a friend, finding activities you love, regularly changing up what you do to avoid boredom, or binge-watching your favorite shows while you work out. 
9. Stay motivated by remembering that every little bit counts. A 10-minute workout is better than nothing if you don’t have time for a 30-minute workout, and a light walk is better than nothing if you aren’t able to get in some higher-intensity activity. 
10. Set up your day so that you must stand up regularly to break up sitting time. For example, drink a lot so you need to get up to use the restroom regularly, park a little further away than necessary from destinations so you must walk to and from the car every time, and do only one chore at a time, like doing the laundry or getting the mail, so that you have to get up more times. 
11. Use reminders like setting a timer on your phone to stand up and keeping your dumbbells within sight to remind you to do your workout. 

Working with Your Body (Not Against)

12. Drink plenty of water to reduce dehydration, headaches, and mid-afternoon dips in energy. Staying hydrated also helps prevent mistaking thirst for hunger, which is a common mistake. 
13. Eat according to your hunger and fullness. Eat when you’re hungry but not starving, and stop when you’re just starting to become full, but not stuffed. This can take practice until it becomes natural for you. Here are tips for how and when to assess hunger and fullness. 
14. Stick to a schedule whenever you can. Consistent bedtime and wake times, as well as consistent meal and snack times, let your body adapt and produce hormones to better support appropriate hunger and fullness cues, blood sugar regulation, and energy levels.
15. Get adequate sleep. Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Adequate sleep helps with blood sugar control, the ability to make healthier choices, better metabolism, and reduced hunger and cravings. 
16. Manage stress in healthy ways. Exercise regularly, eat nutrient-dense foods, hang out with friends, and pursue hobbies that you love.
17. Think before reacting in stressful situations. Practice deep breathing or counting to 10 before getting angry or flustered. 
18. Unless weather conditions are dangerous, spend time outside during each day for better daytime energy and improved sleep at night. Natural light helps set your body’s clock. 

Keeping Others on Your Team

19. Take advantage of other people to build momentum and engage in healthy behaviors. When you socialize, ask your friends to visit local parks, gardens, or hiking areas to stay healthy.
20. Ask for help. Ask your friends for support, like checking in with you about your progress, splitting meals if you go to restaurants, and walking with you. That way, you get motivation and accountability with less effort!

How Lark Can Help

Willpower is just a tiny piece of the puzzle, while making smart choices easier on a routine basis can make for sustainable progress towards your goals. Lark can help you make small changes to improve heart health, lose weight, and manage or prevent chronic conditions. Your Lark coach is available 24/7 for encouragement, nutrition and physical activity coaching, and habit tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications. 

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Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark today!

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