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I was just like you: several years ago trying to lose weight and didn’t have a clue where to start. Not that I was unwilling to learn, it just was too much information that wasn’t all accurate. In fact, as you are going to see, most of the things you read about getting fit are actually wrong and have the opposite effect. I ended up many times bitter and stressed out because didn’t have a clue what I do wrong.

Eating well and losing weight is not just a miracle happening, is the only way to drop kilograms and be healthy. I am going to reveal with you the tips I found most important over 10 years of researching and practicing nutrition. I was, in fact, overweight 8-9 years ago, and I was feeling so bad about it that I didn’t keep any picture from that period of time. Constantly depressed, insecure and unfriendly, I waved between trying forcefully to lose weight by starving myself and getting back on eating unhealthy after too much exhaustion. Maybe you can relate.

But enough about me, I just want to provide the right secrets that I found over time that works awesome while makes us healthier and stronger than ever. You are not just going to look good, you will feel good, you will be confident, energetic, you will be that spark of positivity in your family and friends group, and you will keep losing weight while eating.

If you are new to this, maybe it sounds amazing. Nevertheless, you will see that all of these tips are according to how our body functions and they are so simple that it’s curious why we fail to see them. What is simple to see is simple to miss also. Even if you have already experience with dieting, you might still find some tips never heard before, so keep reading, you have nothing to lose (except for your extra weight).

Right before into getting to show my secrets I want to say that these tips are applicable for anybody. It doesn’t matter if you are man or woman, athlete or casual runner, bodybuilder or a parent who wants to look good, you can use these pieces of advice. They work because are ways that enhance our natural performances. You see, there’s nothing like the mechanism that our body is. It’s so complex and so perfect that it can’t be replicated by the technology we have today. All we have to do is boost its capabilities and let our body bring us to our perfect shape: fit and healthy.

So let’s get to it. Here are the five secrets that I found to be essential for losing weight and get fit.

1. Starvation is what makes you gain weight

Wow, this is a shock. I mean, it was for me when I first learned about it. You see, the first idea that pops into our head and the idea that is constantly spread around is that cutting down how much you eat makes you lose weight. It couldn’t be more opposite than that.

Our body is a great mechanism like I’ve said before, but we still have the instincts from those times when we had to hunt to survive. So here’s the deal: starvation fires up our survival instinct. Your body doesn’t know that you consciously try to eat less. It’s thinking like: “Hey, I have no food. Let’s save everything we can!” That means your body enters energy depositing mode. If you are hungry for a sustainable period of time, everything you will put in your mouth is going to be deposited as fat. You know, for safe keeping.

Even more than this, starvation will weaken your body. You are not going to have the nutrients that are essential for your survival. Your metabolism will slow down, energy will drop, everything will go downhill. Bottom line: starvation is what makes people fat.

There are two types of starvation: quantity starvation and nutritional starvation. While the first one is easy to understand (you don’t eat enough food) the second one is more common and less known. Nutritional starvation basically means you eat a lot but nothing that benefits your body. If you constantly find yourself at McDonald’s you can bet your body is starving for nutrients. Calories can carry junk or nutrients, depending on what you eat.

2. 3 hours meals / Eating often

When I started to hit the gym and had the honor to learn from a bodybuilder national champion, I was amazed to find out that eating often is the best way to lose weight and get fit. Eating often from 3 to 3 hours is the key to looking good and be healthy. That means you are going to have 3 meals and 2 snacks. Of course, we are talking about healthy meals and snacks. Using this method will get your body in the best shape ever. You won’t have to use exact hours over time, but it’s best to use it in the beginning so that your body gets used to it. After years and years of eating this way, my body automatically tells me when I must eat by making me hungry, and yeah, I don’t miss a meal.

The quantity of the total meals during the day should be proportional to your body and physical activity. You just split the food into 3 meals and 2 snacks. 

So, not only that I don’t encourage you to starve yourself, I am also telling you to eat a lot. Yes, this is a guide for weight loss 😂. Let me explain it to you why this is the best way.

• You get rid of starvation: Like I’ve said in the first secret, starvation is what makes you gain weight. Eating often makes your body start to lose weight because it completely feels saturated. When you don’t know what hunger is anymore, that’s when your body will start to burn excess calories.
• Your metabolism gets accelerated: Eating from 3 to 3 hours will boost up your metabolism, and as it climbs the fat will start to burn and muscles to be built. Basically, all the internal processes will accelerate and functions at top-notch.
• Your body will consume energy for digestion: Eating often has an incredible losing weight effect just by keeping the stomach always busy. All that energy required for digestion matters. There are even some foods that need more energy to be digested than the energy they provide, like apples and salads.
• You will properly nurture your body: When you eat often you provide your body the ability to use everything you eat. If you eat, for example, one big meal per day, your body won’t be able to absorb that high amount of food in one go, so most of it will pass by undigested. By fueling your body smaller meals spread out during the day, it can properly absorb everything useful.

You might also like: 6 Simple Ways to Boost up your Metabolism

3. Nutritional value is important, counting calories is worthless

The most important factor about what you eat is the nutritional value it provides. Don’t get caught in the mathematical illusion that if you get 1200 calories or whatever you will be healthy and good-looking. You can get exactly the amount of calories your body theoretically needs, but if that amount is worthless junk, you just wasted time calculating something it’s not doing you good anyway.

I don’t believe in counting calories and it’s also proved that it’s a huge stress factor. If you get the most nutritious food possible, you can go over the limit without problems. Your body will quickly burn those excess calories as it is healthy and strong. And that time you lose counting what you eat for dinner? You could be spending it doing some jumping jacks, thus burning some calories. 💪 Don’t get caught in the illusion that our bodies don’t know what to do with excess food. IF your body deposit fats it’s because one of these secrets.

Also, keep in mind that bodies with accelerated metabolism consume much more calories even while sleeping. So you might even slow down your metabolism just because you don’t allow it to get enough energy.

Your body needs vitamins, minerals, fibers, proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats, not numbers of calories. There are so many empty calories in sodas, salty snacks and sugary products that provide no nutritional value. I would rather do more running or hit the gym to burn extra calories than eating a number of X calories while doing nothing.

4. The more natural, the better

Nothing says “healthy” like Mother Nature. When we talk about veggies, the rawest the better. But it’s more than this. Cooked meals, whole fruits, salads, green tea, everything that comes from a natural source is healthy and provides a lot of nutrients. As simple as that.

Anything that is artificially made, sweetened or colored you know it’s bad news.

Don’t believe things like meat is producing cancer or that fruit is not good in excess, or drinking too much water is bad. These are the types of excuses unhealthy people find to give themselves a reason to drink Coke-Cola. I mean, seriously, anything that is natural is 10 thousand times more healthy than something that has sweeteners and colorants. And eating something healthy in excess has 10 thousand times less bad effects than their artificial replacements.

I always choose natural, even when it comes to protein supplements. If I want a protein shake I make my own with milk, white eggs, and cacao, rather than using protein powder. You need to understand that our body is build and functions with food. Anything that we make in a laboratory is not that good. Nothing compares to natural food. You will never see a healthy fit person that doesn’t know how to cook.

Note: The only supplement that I use and I recommend is multivitamins and minerals, especially if you have a workout routine like me. Protein powders can help accelerate your results if your diet is already in check, but they are not mandatory.

5. Alkaline foods and their amazing weight loss effects

This is something I’ve learned recently but it’s one of the most important factors of our healthiness. You see, everything we eat, after it gets digested, their pH becomes either acidic or either alkaline. It’s not the state of the food as it is, it’s what becomes after it gets digested.

Now, imagine this. You eat something acidic for a long period of times, and your body needs to protect itself from the increased acidity so that your internal organs and muscles doesn’t get burned (because that what’s acids do, they damage and erode). Your body will start either to deposit fat cells to protect your vital organs from that acidity or will burn extra calories trying to counter attack it. Now you understand why some people get fat no matter how cautious they eat and why some people are still skinny even if they eat huge amounts of food.

The most acidic foods: Peanuts, walnuts, white flour, pastries, pasta, beef, pork, shellfish, cheese, homogenized milk, ice cream, beer and soft drinks.

The most alkaline foods: Stevia, lemons, watermelon, limes, grapefruit, mangoes, papayas, asparagus, onions, vegetable juices, Parsley, raw spinach, broccoli, garlic, olive oil, herb teas, lemon water.

You can see the full chart below:

Image source: vidyaliving.com

Save this image and try to eat as many alkaline foods possible.

The more alkaline your most foods are, the healthier your body will be. You will be stronger, healthier and you will visibly lose weight. Now, I don’t say that you have to eat only alkaline foods, but you can eat most of them by replacing what you can from acidic foods. For example: Instead of any other oil, use olive oil.  Instead of peanuts, eat almonds. Instead of soft drinks, drink green tea. And the list can go on and on.

Believe me when I say that you never felt this good and energized like when you will start to eat alkaline foods.

As a little habit secret: If you start your day with alkaline foods, you will be tempted to follow the routine that whole day. Start your day with a big glass of lemon water, then some green tea, almonds, and watermelon or apple. It’s proven that if you start your mornings with healthy habits you are going to enjoy the effects all day.

These were the little secrets. I call them like that not because I am the only one that knows them, but they are not common information found in most dieting guides out there. Still, I’ve found them vital to get fit and lose weight in a healthy way, making your body stronger and stronger. I wish you a healthy and happy life! 

Which one of these secrets will you start to apply in your diet? Share it with us in the comments.