Losing weight is a challenging task no matter how you look at it, and is made even more challenging if you happen to be busy. Not everyone has time to spend an hour at the gym and an hour everyday preparing their own healthy meals. A modern schedule is full of appointments, errands and random time-consuming obligations (browsing Facebook and Instagram doesn’t count). As such, weight loss or dieting can not only seem hard, but at times impossible.

Worry no more as I’m here with good news. You don’t have to spend 2 hours at the gym each day. You can still lose weight, albeit a little slowly, while going about your normal everyday routine.

The key here is to introduce small weight-loss habits that will soon become second nature to you. This way, weight loss won’t feel like its own ‘thing’, but rather a natural part of your routine.

Plan Your Meals in Advance

Planning your meals in advance doesn’t just save you time, it can also be used to ensure you stick to your dieting or nutrition goals. You can easily spare time on the weekend to plan your meals for the coming weeks.

So, every weekend, create a meal plan specifically for the coming week and go grocery shopping. Make sure you have everything you need to create those meals the following week. This will help you stay on track without any nags.

You can also work with dieticians or nutritionists to ensure you’re in the right track of your calorie intake, protein needs, sugar levels, etc. There are plenty of them today; you can easily who are the best ones in your city or ask a healthcare marketing experts to recommend you one.

Time-saving tip:

You can chop vegetables and set aside the ingredients for your week’s meals ahead of time. This way, when it comes to cook the meal, you won’t have to spend time actually preparing it. Simply use the ingredients you’ve prepared.

Also, since you’re creating meal plans in advance, make sure you count your calories and adjust portion sizes appropriately. This will eliminate any ‘guesswork’ on your part when it’s time to eat.

Keep Healthy Snacks Near You

Nobody can resist a sudden craving for a mid-morning muffin, so it’s always wise to have a nutrient-rich snack near you instead. Keep such snacks in your bag or your desk at work so there is no excuse left to get that muffin.

Some fulfilling, healthy snacks include hard-boiled eggs, beef jerky or edamame. You could also try dry fruit such as pistachios and walnuts, roasted chickpeas or seaweed.

Throw Out the Junk from Your Kitchen

This seems quite obvious, and even painful, but it has to be done. The more accessible junk food is for you, the more likely you’re going to consume it. So why not start with the kitchen, where there’s bound to be more than a few types of junk food lying around.

Start by getting rid of your sugary snacks and frozen treats. When you’re busy and looking to eat “just a little”, you’re more likely to reach for these convenient yet tremendously unhealthy foods.

Keep Fruit In Sight

Consider this a continuation of our last tip. Firstly, replace the junk food in your kitchen with fruits, so you always have a tasty snack when you’re in a bit of a hurry. But more importantly, have the fruit in plain sight, like on the countertop.

A study by Cornell University study showed that women who had a fruit bowl in sight weight 13 pounds less than women who had cereal or soft drinks sitting on their kitchen counter. Need any more proof that this tip works?

Similarly, instead of having a diet-busting candy bowl, get a basket and fill it with your favorite fruits. Remember, fruits can be just as feel-good as candies and other junk food, but they don’t carry the same dietary penalties.

Keep Hydrated

Drinking water before a meal can help you feel fuller. And it’s something all of us have felt when we drank too much water and couldn’t eat as much as we would’ve liked. Most people do not keep track of their (lack of) water intake. An easy remedy for this is to carry a reusable water bottle on your person at all times. Refill it regularly and aim to drink at least 2 liters each day.

Find and Make Time for Exercise

I understand that not everybody has hours to spare at the gym. But still, it’s hugely important that you pair a healthy diet with regular exercise for weight loss success. So you might be asking, “If my day is jam packed, how am I supposed to work out?”

The answer to that is, you have to make time for it. Now we’re not saying drop that meeting and go to the gym instead. Simply try to find a time when you aren’t working and reserve it for exercise. It can be as little as 15 minutes in the morning before work, or during lunch break.

But whatever it is, try to be as consistent as possible with your exercise daily.

Eat When You’re Not Distracted

Have you eaten at an actual dinner table lately?

In these modern times, nearly all of us like to eat while we’re watching a movie, watching Netflix or even while working. However, little do we know that eating while distracted can actually lead to greater consumption of food.

Sure, you might think that eating while watching a movie or working is multitasking, but a study suggests that multitasking may actually decrease your productivity.

Still, that’s not the point. What we’re suggesting is mindful eating. Paying attention to your feed and actually savoring it will not only be a more enjoyable experience, but it will also make it easier for you to recognize when your body starts sending signals that it’s had enough.