5 Tips to Start a Diet

Starting a diet might be difficult for a lot of people - too much information on the internet (fats are good or bad? carbs are good or bad? cardio or hiit?) and I want to get it sorted once for all.

With these 5 tips, you will be able to start, by yourself, a complete change in your lifestyle - and don't expect to read here any magical food or shake, or any miracle. It is about the process and loving it.

So let's get it started

5 - WATER IS ESSENTIAL

Some people start a diet by thinking about what they can remove from their day but actually, most people need to add water - normally people are dehydrated most of the days, and drinking enough water is key for fat loss or weight gain. But how much is enough?

It depends on many factors as your age, your activity level, your endocrine system and even where you live - someone living in a hot place like Brazil needs more water than someone living in a cold place like the UK.

But there is a number that can guide you through your water intake goals - 35 to 50 x your weight in kilograms. So, for example, if you are 80kg bodyweight than you should have something between 2800ml and 4000ml - not counting exercise water. If you ar over 65 years old, you might use 25 to 40 for the same purpose.

4 - ADD FIBRES

Once again, people start thinking about removing instead of adding and you might need to add more fiber to your diet. Fibre will make your digestive system work better and also you will feel more satiety throughout the day. Also, the vitamins and minerals that come alongside your fiber sources, will make your body healthier. Good sources will be adding more leaf salad, vegetables, and fruits.

3 - FAKE HEALTHY FOOD

Be really careful with the "Fake Healthy Food". Cereal bars, fake "low fat" or "low sugar" foods, granola, all marketing across putting one specific snack as a saver. Be careful. Read the number of calories in the package and also the ingredients. If you can't understand most of them, choose another one.

2 - LIQUID CALORIES

Drinking calories is way easier than eating them. This can be done in form of alcohol, juice, soda, and more. If you are trying to lose weight, liquid calories won't be welcome into your daily meal plan - except for protein shakes. If you are trying to gain weight on the other hand, you might make use of liquid calories to reach your daily calorie intake. Make sure they are healthy calories - avoid sugary drinks and juices.

1 - USE THE 80/20 RULE

Going too restrict suddenly is a pathway for failure so you might want to use the 80/20 rule, which allows you to have 20% of your weekly calories from not-very-nutritious sources. That 20% is what makes you stick to the other 80%. If you go for a 100% healthy, nutritious diet - coming from a broken one - you will eventually fail, and it will become 0% sooner than you expect. Plan ahead and make sure you use it to allow your mind to have a part of your "old you" eventually, sometimes, during the week.

If you want to start weight training and know more about my system, you might want to try the 8-week Machine Based Program which puts you inside my training system and nutrition approach. You can have access to it by clicking here