Feeling like you have no time for healthy habits like meal prep, regular workouts, and home-cooked dinners? It’s easy to think that real, sustainable weight loss is out of reach. A busy schedule, a desk job, or a tendency to grab fast food can certainly make it challenging.

But before you give up, know that you don’t need to add more hours to your day to eat less and move more, the two core principles of weight loss.

Try these smart, actionable ways to help you lose weight, no matter how packed your schedule is.

Adopt a New Mindset

It’s common to fall into an all-or-nothing trap. People often believe they need to spend an hour at the gym or completely overhaul their diet with special foods. When that seems impossible, they give up. Instead, think of every small decision as a chance to be healthier. Missing a workout doesn’t mean the whole day is a failure. You can still make healthy food choices for the rest of the day.

Adjust Your Eating Habits

You don’t need to drastically change what you eat or spend more time cooking to lose weight. Simply eating less can be a highly effective strategy. Most people who are aiming for sustainable weight loss need to consume about 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day. This can often be achieved by focusing on portion control, skipping dessert, or not going back for a second helping.

Eating regular meals is also important. Going more than four to five hours without food can slow your metabolism and lead to poor food choices later. Spacing out your calories throughout the day, whether it’s three meals and a couple of snacks or five mini-meals, can help you maintain a consistent eating schedule and prevent unhealthy binge eating.

Sneak in More Movement

While a 30- or 60-minute workout is ideal, you can still burn plenty of calories by breaking up your physical activity into short bursts. The recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week can be easily met with shorter, more frequent sessions. For example, fitting in 10 minutes of activity in the morning, at lunch, and at night, five days a week, will get you there.

Think of exercise like saving money- a few rupees here and there add up to a significant amount over time. Similarly, a few push-ups or extra steps throughout the day will accumulate and help you burn calories.

Make Simple Swaps

You can save a surprising number of calories by making small changes to your food choices. This doesn’t take extra time and can be done without major effort. Consider small adjustments like leaving the cheese off a burger, using honey mustard instead of mayonnaise, or choosing sparkling water with lemon over soda. These little swaps add up to a significant calorie reduction over time.

Prioritize Sleep and Stress Management

Cutting back on sleep to fit everything into your day can backfire on your weight loss efforts. Adequate, quality sleep is essential for proper body function. When you’re well-rested, you’re more likely to have the energy to work out and resist cravings for high-calorie, sugary foods.

Similarly, how you handle stress has a huge impact on your weight. Stress can influence appetite, food intake, and how your body processes calories. Finding ways to manage it, even in short bursts, can be incredibly beneficial.

Rethink Your Schedule

Take a hard look at your daily routine to identify “time sucks” you might not even be aware of, like mindless scrolling on your phone. You may be able to find pockets of time for healthy activities or realize that some commitments aren’t as important as your health. Prioritizing your well-being should be as crucial as any other appointment or task.

Use All Your Resources

• Weekend Planning- If your weekdays are hectic, use your days off to prepare for the week ahead. Shop for healthy groceries, prep meals, and plan your weekly eating schedule. You can also get in longer workouts over the weekend to reduce the pressure of exercising during the week.
• Social Activity- Why not combine social time with exercise? Instead of meeting friends for happy hour, try a spin class or a group hike. Playing with your kids or joining a sports league are also great ways to get your heart rate up and have fun. Social support is a powerful motivator for sticking with a new behavior.
• High-Intensity Workouts- You don’t need hours in the gym for an effective workout. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can burn more calories in less time. A 20-minute HIIT session can be more effective than a longer, steady-state cardio workout.
• Smart Shortcuts- Not all pre-made or packaged foods are unhealthy. Look for smart shortcuts in the grocery store, like frozen vegetables or a rotisserie chicken (with the skin removed), to quickly put together a healthy meal.
• Tech Solutions- Use fitness trackers and apps to simplify your weight loss journey. They can automatically log steps, calories burned, and even meals, saving you time and making it easier to stick to your goals.