If You Hate Cardio, Experts Say to Do These 9 Things to Lose Body Fat and Get Lean

Strength training is key to building muscle, which helps you burn more fat at rest. ACE-certified fitness instructor John Kersbergen says three to four sessions a week is the sweet spot for most people. Use a variety of equipment, and don't be afraid to lift heavy — it won't make you bulky, it'll help you get lean and toned.

You need to focus on creating a calorie deficit in order to burn more calories than you are taking in. "Caloric needs are based on numerous factors, but the most important ones for a healthy individual include gender, age, weight, height, and activity level," said Stephanie Ferrari, a registered dietitian with Fresh Communications.

In order to determine how many calories you need, meet with a registered dietitian who can assess your lifestyle, goals, and health history to make recommendations (but this formula will give you an idea).

Figuring out an appropriate calorie deficit will take some trial and error, so monitor your calorie intake for two to three weeks, and if you don't see a change, decrease by five percent. Keep in mind that restricting your food intake to fewer than 1,000 calories per day can slow down your metabolism and lead to fatigue, lightheadedness, constant hunger, hair loss, and sleep and hormone issues, since you're not taking in enough calories to support your body's basic functions to keep you alive. Tracking your calories by measuring your food and using an app like MyFitnessPal for accuracy is key.

Protein is a key macronutrient in not only building muscle but also helping you feel more satiated. Registered dietitian and ACSM-certified personal trainer Jim White told POPSUGAR that the standard dietary reference for protein intake is approximately 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. But if you're looking to build muscle, you may want to increase that number to 1.2 grams. That means for a 150-pound woman (68 kilograms), you should aim to get between 54 and 82 grams of protein.

Choose whole-food proteins like fish, beans, nuts, seeds, tofu, eggs, and chicken. If you eat protein with every meal and snack, it'll be easy to meet your daily protein goal. Getting your daily fill will prevent hunger that can make you overeat.

A one-hour workout a few times a week is great, but moving throughout your day can burn calories, too. Increasing NEAT (nonexercise activity thermogenesis) could be the missing link to helping you lose body fat.

Take a walk during your lunch break and listen to music or a podcast. Walk up and down the stairs while on the phone. Do a five-minute afternoon stretch session, stand at your desk, or bike to work. Increasing NEAT will increase your metabolic rate, burning more daily calories and helping you lose weight.

Intermittent fasting (IF) involves not eating (aka fasting) for part of each day or a few times a week. One common example of this is called 16:8, where you only eat during an eight-hour window in a day and fast for the other 16. When your body doesn't have a constant energy source from the food you eat, it utilizes the fat stores it already has, helping you lose body fat.

In a previous interview, Luiza Petre, MD, a weight-loss specialist and board-certified cardiologist, told POPSUGAR that intermittent fasting raises growth hormone levels and lowers insulin levels, both of which help burn more fat.

Eating in a shortened window not only reduces hunger (it's true!), but since you're not eating for long periods of time, there are also fewer opportunities to consume calories, which is why IF helps people eat fewer calories effortlessly.

Downing sugar and refined carbs like white bread and bagels won't help you lose weight, but it's not only because those foods tend to be high in calories — it also has to do with insulin. Jason Fung, MD, a nephrologist (kidney specialist), explained that processed carbs and sugary foods such as ice cream, cookies, crackers, and regular pasta spike your insulin levels. Keeping your insulin levels low will help you reduce your overall body fat percentage.

Aside from being high in carbs and calories, these foods are low in nutrients (unlike their whole-grain counterparts), so you end up feeling hungry, which makes you eat more. Eating sugary foods also increases your cravings for them, which is another contributor to overeating.

It's OK to enjoy sugary treats and processed carbs every once in a while, but if you cut down on these types of food, you'll definitely notice a difference in how you feel and how your body looks.

When we're stressed out, our bodies release cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. It's actually an appetite stimulant, explained Charlie Seltzer, MD, a physician board-certified in obesity medicine. This explains why when you're stressed, you just want to inhale your entire kitchen, and you can have a harder time saying no to carb-heavy, high-fat junk foods.

"Gaining weight due to stress is very common, and there are actually physiological reasons we tend to eat more and crave more unhealthy foods when we are stressed," said Amanda Barnes, MS, RDN, owner of Amanda Barnes Nutrition. When you eat these kinds of foods, your brain releases dopamine, which activates the reward and pleasure centers in our brains. "This is a continuous loop leading to increased appetite and cravings, which in turn can lead to weight gain," she explained.

Find healthy ways to relax each day and fuel your happiness. Take 10 minutes alone to listen to music, walk in nature, read a good book, take a hot bath, or do this tension-melting yoga sequence.

This is another way to get you moving more throughout the day. Aim for 10,000 steps (or more!) and track them using something like a FitBit or your phone. Laura Arndt, an NSCA-certified personal trainer, said that a 30-minute brisk walk can get most of her clients "between 3,000 and 5,000 steps, depending on their speed and their gait." So make a point to go for a walk each day.

Aside from making you cranky, not getting enough sleep will increase cortisol, the stress hormone, which increases cravings and hunger. Plus, having low energy makes it harder for you to push yourself at the gym (or even be motivated to go!).

If you're trying to lose weight, aim for at least seven hours every night. Help promote sleep by turning off all electronics at least 30 minutes before bed. According to Sujay Kansagra, MD, Mattress Firm sleep health consultant and author of My Child Won't Sleep, "When engaging with content on social media, the brain releases chemicals such as norepinephrine and dopamine. This makes it harder on your body to fall asleep because these chemicals stimulate the 'wake centers' of your brain."

You can also take a hot shower, sip warm herbal tea, do some yoga, make sure your bed is cozy, or read in bed to get you into snooze zone. Or have sex! Having an orgasm will help you fall asleep faster because it produces oxytocin (the cuddle or love hormone), which inhibits cortisol, said Robert Glatter, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Northwell Health Department of Emergency Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.