Losing weight isn’t all about calories and cutting out ice cream sundaes. There are so many other factors which affect our waistline, such as metabolic rate, insulin sensitivity and the types of food we eat and when. So you may ask, can I still lose weight while eating what I want?

You can lose weight without restricting your calorie intake by controlling blood sugar, which will help regulate cravings. Intermittent fasting then allows you to eat what you want in the eating window. Eating mindfully helps you to enjoy the food you eat without piling on the pounds.

So, you’re probably thinking ‘I understand this now but I’m still confused – can I eat whatever I want?’ The answer is yes, within reason. If your diet contains the right types of foods which help control your blood sugar, then you will curb cravings and not have to worry about calories. Weight loss will come naturally.

You should also be able to avoid getting too hung up on what you should be eating, which can lead to mental stress.

Getting away from the strict diet mentality and diet culture is crucial for some people to hit their healthy weight loss goals.

2 – Intermittent Fasting to lose weight whilst eating what you want.

Intermittent fasting can help to control your blood sugar levels by limiting the time food can be in your body. You aren’t constantly grazing and pushing up your insulin levels all the time.

This can help to calm cravings as well as generate weight loss.

How does intermittent fasting control weight and allow you to eat what you want?

The most popular form of intermittent fasting plan is the 16:8 plan,

This involves fasting for up to 16 hours a day and only eating within a comparatively small window – the 8 hours that are left.

Most of the fast is over night. So if you stop eating at 7pm in the evening, you wouldn’t eat again until 11am the next morning. This is relatively easy for most people, especially if you have got your blood sugar levels under control.

The good news is that during the eating widows you can eat what you want. You have to be sensible though. If you spend the time eating ice cream you arent going to see weight loss.

However, you don’t need to count calories during your eating window and can enjoy your food without worry or guilt.

You can still lose weight eating what you want – as long as you eat sensibly and don’t overeat.

Fasting usually results in weight loss of between 1 and 2 pounds a week, but can sometimes even lead to more substantial losses if done correctly.

It also makes you feel amazing once you get the hang of it with increased focus and energy.

3 – Drink enough water to curb cravings

Drinking more water basically helps your body to function better all round. We arent at our best when dehydrated.

However one of the main ways it will help is to stop cravings. Often we crave food, thinking we are hungry when actually we are dehydrated.

Making sure you are fully hydrated will take the edge of cravings so that you arent compelled to eat fattening foods.

How can drinking more water help you to lose weight?

1. Drinking more water can naturally lower blood pressure and can improve your insulin sensitivity, which can both lead to natural fat loss over time. If you’re insulin sensitive you can stop cravings and can naturally control your appetite.
2. Amazingly, drinking more water can actually increase your metabolic rate and can help to burn excess fat. The average man can expect to see a 0.3% boost in metabolic rate by drinking 1 litre of water, while the average woman can gain a 0.2% increase from drinking that same amount. However, if you’re an overweight man the increase can be as high as 0.5%, while for heavier women it can be as much as 0.6%. You can read the research here.
3. By drinking more water you can flush out toxins that may be making you feel sluggish. Drinking enough water can naturally help to lower blood pressure and can improve your insulin sensitivity.
4. Drinking more water can help you to control your appetite, stop cravings and can naturally regulate your food intake.
5. By drinking enough water you can stop the irregular cravings that can sometimes turn into binges.

Drinking enough water will help you to stop cravings

4 – Avoiding snacking and eating in between meals controls your blood sugar levels.

Snacking can be a way of life for some people and can often come about due to boredom or habit. Snacks can also give us the opportunity to get in some extra calories without really thinking about it.

If you find that you snack all the time, there’s a good chance that your blood sugar levels can be a little out of whack. This can lead to a whole host of problems, from mood swings to overeating.

How can avoiding snacking help you lose weight?

However if you can stop snacking and only eat 3 meals a day, it can make a huge difference to your weight loss efforts as it can control those high peaks and drops in blood sugar. This can also be a huge benefit to your mood and can naturally help with those binges.

You also cut out a bunch of mindless calories from junk food that you didn’t even notice. These are often refined carbs and sugars.

This means that when you do eat your main meal you can enjoy what you eat without worrying about the calories.

5 – Eat mindfully

We all know that its way too easy to stuff food down without really noticing what we are doing. Boredom and stress often make this happen. Its common at work or after a stressful day, sitting in front of the TV.

This can lead to rapid weight gain and bingeing.

Eating mindfully is a new way of approaching food. It helps you slow down and enjoy your food while naturally cutting out extra calories. It can also make you feel much more satisfied after a meal, therefore limiting the possibility of snacking or binging later on.

It might sound new-age but its actually not hard to do at all if your mind is in the right place.

It’s even been proven by science. This research paper showed great results