8 Natural Weight Loss Secrets 🤫You Haven't Heard Before 

What if I told you that there are ways to help your body burn fat more efficiently, to improve the look and feel of your skin, and even to help you get better sleep? These natural weight loss secrets aren’t necessarily earth-shattering, but they work. Try incorporating a few of these into your daily routine, and you’ll notice the difference in as little as one week!

1) Calories count 🧮

Many weight loss programs focus on counting calories, something that most people can only do in theory. Even if you keep track of what you’re eating, there’s a good chance that you’re not getting a complete picture of what’s going into your body each day because food labels and restaurant menus often don’t include all relevant nutritional information. For example, many breads or cereals are labeled as containing 100 calories per serving but really contain double or triple that amount. A better way to lose weight is to count how many grams of fat, carbohydrates and protein you eat every day so that you can get a full picture of how much energy your diet contains.

2) Protein at every meal 🥗

The fat-burning hormone leptin is naturally triggered when we consume protein, but it's also released whenever we eat carbohydrates. If you want to stoke your fat burn, eat lean proteins with every meal and snack and sprinkle in carbs around your workouts. Better yet? Mix a protein shake into your diet plan and mix up your exercise routine to shock your muscles into growth mode. Studies show that making a habit of switching up exercises can amp up muscle growth by as much as 80 percent! Exercising in short bursts with little rest time between each burst allows you to maximize muscle groups throughout every single workout session and increase calorie burn, especially from all that hard-to-burn belly fat.

3) Fiber at every meal🥪

Soluble fiber, found in beans, oats and veggies, digests slowly and adds bulk to your stomach. This makes you feel full more quickly, which can be helpful if weight loss is your goal. When combined with plenty of water and a healthy diet plan, soluble fiber is one of nature’s most effective appetite suppressants.

4) Healthy fats can help you lose weight 🥑

Natural remedies are popular weight loss solutions because they don’t disrupt your body’s natural functions. These natural solutions work with your body, not against it. Eating foods rich in healthy fats can help you lose weight. Omega-3 fatty acids in particular can increase your metabolism and decrease appetite. They might also promote fat burning. Fish, nuts, and flaxseeds are good sources of omega-3s (not to mention protein and fiber). Don’t forget that avocado is a fatty fruit—it's still healthy! Just skip gooey guacamole since it may have more fat than you need in one sitting!

5) Water, water, water 💧

Water is essential for human survival, but when you’re trying to lose weight, people often avoid it because they're worried about bloating. In fact, drinking water can help with healthy digestion and flushing out your system—goodbye bloat! One study found that women who drank two cups of water 30 minutes before a meal lost 25 percent more weight than those who didn’t drink before eating. This is because not getting enough water can make your body hold on to excess fat. Make sure you hit at least half of your daily eight-glass goal; carry a BPA-free water bottle to work with you; and drink up before meals. My personal favorite?

6) Just do it!✌

Exercise is a natural remedy for weight loss, and one of these key benefits is its ability to increase levels of appetite-suppressing hormones that help keep your hunger at bay. And while we’re on things you can do every day to help control your weight—we all know losing a pound or two per week is optimal when trying to shed extra pounds—it’s always good to add more healthy habits into your routine. Whether it’s exercising with a friend, keeping a journal about what you eat, or finding motivation in fitness gear, there are lots of little things you can do every day that will pay off over time.

7) Sleep right😴

Getting a good night’s sleep is just as important for weight loss as eating right and exercising are. If you’re not getting enough rest, it can be difficult to stick to a healthy diet or exercise routine—not to mention how groggy you may feel in general. To make sure you’re getting enough sleep, track your hours over several days using your phone or a sleep tracker app (like Fitbit’s Sleep Stages). How much sleep do you need? A study published in January 2014 found that most adults should aim for at least 7 hours every night.

8) Move more!🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️

In order to lose weight, you have to be in a caloric deficit. This means that you're burning more calories than you're consuming every day. Exercise is one of your biggest weapons in that battle because it helps build muscle (which increases your resting metabolic rate), staves off hunger and cravings, and promotes better sleep, all of which increase fat-burning. Studies have shown time and again that exercise leads to greater weight loss than dieting alone. It's an amazing win-win scenario: 30 minutes of vigorous walking (enough to burn 200 calories) has been shown to lower appetite by 5 percent for hours after exercise—and people who walk regularly tend to weigh less overall than people who don't.