Hey Y’all! Today, I’m sharing 5 things you can do to lose weight naturally starting today!

These 5 things are related to nutrition and lifestyle, so if you add fitness to the equation, you’ll see results even faster.  And, feel free to do all 5 of these things simultaneously for maximum results.

If you prefer to watch the video for this blog post, scroll to the end of this post.

#1 – Switch to a Whole Foods Diet

Yes! It’s time to cut out all of the junk foods, processed foods, fried foods, candies, sodas, etc. and switch to a whole foods diet.

If you’ve already made this switch, be sure to read the next 4 tips below.  But, if you’re still eating the Standard American Diet (SAD), you must make this switch first in order to see best results.

A whole foods diet consists of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, grass-fed meats, eggs, nuts, seeds, superfood powders, and certain unrefined grains.

The main thing is cutting out processed foods and refined grains and sugars – sodas, chips, candies, sweet tea, fried foods, white pastas, breads, etc.  Any of the recipes on my blog are considered part of a “whole foods diet” if you need recipe ideas.

Just from making this one switch, you will lose weight and feel much more energized.

#2 – Replace One Meal Per Day With a Smoothie

Just to be clear… when I say smoothie, I’m talking about a high fiber, high (healthy) fat smoothie, not a fruit smoothie.

The biggest mistake I see people make when trying to consume more smoothies is that they add too many fruits.  Fruit, in moderation, is okay, but when you start to add too many, the sugar content of the smoothie goes up!

And, drinking a high sugar smoothie can increase insulin levels, which is the fat-storing hormone.  Keep in mind that in the presence of too much insulin, your body goes from fat-burning mode to fat-storing mode, which is not what you want when you’re trying to lose weight.

So, you want to add lots of greens for the mineral and fiber content.  The greens are going help help you stay cleansed and nourished.

Also, be sure to add some healthy fats, such as ground chia or flaxseeds, avocados, hemp seeds, MCT Oil, etc.  The healthy fats will help to keep you fuller longer and keep your blood sugar levels steady, avoiding a crash, which can lead to cravings.

And, my rule of thumb when it comes to fruits is to add 1 serving or less per smoothie.  So, I may add 1 frozen banana (at the most) or I may add 1/2 of a frozen banana with 1/2 C. of Blueberries.  Or, I may not add any fruit add all and substitute the fruit with an avocado and stevia.

But, the main takeaway here is to keep fruits to a minimum in your smoothies, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.

#3 – Start Meal Planning

This one is HUGE!  I’ve been working with clients one-on-one for a while now, and the #1 reason people don’t reach their weight loss goals is because they fail to make a plan.

Think about it… when you want to reach any type of goal, whether it be a business goal, paying off debt, etc., you always make a plan of action to reach that goal.

But, for some reason when it comes to weight loss, people think they can get by without making a plan.  And, for most people, it’s just not true.

Making a weekly meal plan not only helps you to stay on track on a day-to-day basis, but it also helps you to save money because you know exactly which items you need to buy at the grocery store.

So, if you already know how to plan your meals each week, I encourage you to get disciplined with it because sticking to a plan will help you to reach your health and weight loss goals A LOT faster.

But, if you’re the person who has never made a meal plan before in your life, you have no idea where to begin, and you really could use a step-by-step guide, then you’re not alone!

In fact, many of my clients were asking me to create an online platform where they could access meal plans, grocery shopping lists, supplement plans, etc. in order to give them a roadmap on how to start living healthier and losing weight naturally.

So, I did and I call it my 21-Day Total Body Transformation Program.  It’s literally the exact step-by-step formula I use on clients and it gives you everything you need to jumpstart your health & weight loss.

So, if you’re a newbie to all of this meal planning stuff, trust me, you could benefit greatly from my program.

And, just to add the cherry on top, the average weight loss that people see within the first week on the meal plans is 5-7 lbs!… hey, I gotta brag on my program a little bit because I’m proud of it 😉

Anyway, the point is that meal planning is a very helpful tool when it comes to staying on track and reaching your goals a lot faster.  So, whether you use my program or you make your own meal plans, as long as you stay disciplined, I’m certain you’ll reach your goals.

#4 – Sleep the Fat Off!

Yep, that’s right!  Sleep is a critical component to speeding up your weight loss results.  In fact, have you ever noticed that when you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you tend to crave more sugary foods and carb-rich foods the next day?  Well, there’s actually a reason behind that.

There are two hunger hormones that are super important when it comes to controlling your appetite.  Leptin and Ghrelin.  Leptin helps you to feel more full or satisfied while ghrelin stimulates hunger, making you feel more hungry.

Studies have shown that when you get less than 6 hours of good quality sleep per night, it increases your ghrelin levels, making you feel more hungry the next day.

So, we want to make sure you’re getting enough good quality sleep per night in order to avoid spiking ghrelin, which will give you more control over your appetite.

Additionally, good quality sleep can help to increase the production of human growth hormone, which has been linked to better fat metabolism (aka weight loss).

This means that a good night’s sleep can help you to literally melt off the fat much quicker.

#5 – Try Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is when you go so many hours in a day where you don’t consume any food.  So, for instance, the 16/8 rule is what I go by where I’ll fast for 16 hours and consume all of my calories within an 8-hour time frame.

Just to be clear… this doesn’t mean you reduce your calorie intake, it just means that you consume all of your calories for that day within a specific time frame.

One major benefit when you intermittent fast on a regular basis is that it drastically reduces your overall insulin levels, which helps to stimulate the fat-burning process.

You see, every time you eat (even if it’s a small snack), you spike insulin.  And, remember what I said earlier about insulin… it takes your body out of fat-burning mode and switches it to fat-storing mode.  So, with intermittent fasting, you’re allowing your body to stay in fat-burning mode much longer, which not only helps to increase the fat burning process, but is also great for your overall health.

Additionally, some studies have shown that intermittent fasting also helps to increase the production of human growth hormone, which helps to stimulate fat metabolism and improve muscle mass.

There are many proven benefits of intermittent fasting that I encourage you to research yourself if you want to give it a try.

Personally, I’ve found that the 16/8 rule works best for me, and I’ve notice an improvement in my sleep patterns, more mental clarity in the mornings, and I’m less bloated overall.

Well, there you have it!  5 things you can do to lose weight naturally starting today.  I hope you give 1, 2, or all of these things a try in your journey to getting healthier and losing weight.

Be sure to comment below to let me know which of these tips you’ll be trying.  And, feel free to share your weight loss tips as well.  See ya in the next video/blog post!