Most diets advocate low-fat, low-carb, high-protein foods as the standard weight-loss regime.

Truth be told, not only is this type of diet very restricting, but it doesn’t supply your body the optimal nutrition it needs to boost you metabolism. This type of diet can also be confusing and often time consuming, making you count calories or decipher color-coded cards — it makes you work for your food.

I believe a healthy diet is one that makes your food work for you — a diet that gives you the maximum nutritional value in each meal, nutrition that will help boost your metabolism for the long-term.

Why would you want to just eat a diet that helps you lose weight when you can create a diet full of foods that not only helps you drop weight, but also have loads of energy, and sets your metabolism up on autopilot so it helps you burn more fat — allowing you to exercise less and get back to living life.

Let me explain. There are two main types of nutrients out there… micro- and macro-nutrients. To put it simply, micro-nutrients are all the vitamins and minerals. These are the nutrients that supply your body with the sustenance it needs to keep your metabolism “healthy”.

Macro-nutrients are nutrients like protein (chicken, fish, lean red meat and egg whites), carbohydrates (rice, potato’s and vegetables), fats (oils, fatty meats and fried foods) and fiber. These nutrients can either boost your metabolism and burn body fat, or force your body to store fat.

Think of the food you eat like a drug for a moment. Each micro- or macro-nutrient you ingest causes a very specific chemical reaction in your body. Some foods cause your body to release chemicals which force it to store more body fat, while others force your metabolism to burn hotter and thus burn more calories and stored fat.

It just makes sense that you should strive to eat only those foods proven to make your body healthier, tighter and leaner.

Creating a diet that’s going to get you these results is as easy as following three basic rules:

1. Eat 5 or 6 meals every day — equally spaced about 2 to 3 hours apart.

When you eat a healthy meal your metabolism automatically kicks in and begins burning that food as fuel for energy. In order for this process to work efficiently however, it shouldn’t be interrupted, except when you sleep.

It takes your body about 2 to 3 hours to break down the macronutrients and then assimilate the micronutrients from foods. Your metabolism is high and in fat burning mode during this entire process (assuming you choose the right foods).

Once your body digests that food, your metabolism begins to slow down. So, by eating every 2 to 3 hours, you’re forcing your metabolism to remain high, maximizing your body’s ability to burn body fat and stay healthy.

2. Eat lean protein like chicken, fish, lean red meat, egg whites, or protein powder in every meal. Also add a wide variety of raw vegetables in each meal, making your serving size as large as possible—avoid starchy vegetables.

3. Eat complex carbohydrates like potatoes, rice, grits, or rice cakes in your first few meals. These servings should be smaller, like a cup of rice or 1 regular size potato for example.

It’s important when following these rules to also remember your first meal should always be your largest and should be eaten within 30 minutes of waking. When you sleep, your metabolism is at it’s absolute lowest, so you need give it a boost as soon as you can to trigger the fat burning process to begin as early in the day as possible.

The two best ways to jump-start your metabolism after waking up in the morning are by eating a breakfast that contains protein, vegetables and some complex carbohydrates, or by exercising.

If you skip this vital step and don’t begin eating anything substantial until lunchtime, you’re missing out on all those golden hours of fat burning you could be automatically taking advantage of simply by eating a healthy breakfast.

Your last meal of the day should be the smallest and should consist of only lean protein and raw vegetables.

Yours in good health and fitness,

Christopher Guerriero
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Christopher Guerriero is Founder and CEO of The National Metabolic and Longevity Research Center. Christopher is the author of several books, including the world wide best-seller “Maximize Your Metabolism“. Take a moment to learn about Christopher’s Healthy Living Weight Loss Audio program.

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