We don't suggest, recommend or require counting calories to lose weight. The type of diet at we recommend at Level1diet.com is the same KIND OF DIET as that followed by all animals in the natural environment. To make the weight loss diet more efficient and speed up losing weight, we add certain nutrients in supplement form,and then work to 'balance' our overall menu plan by controlling the proportion of foods we eat.

But, we NEVER count calories!

Animals in the wild, real-world environment are never "fat" -- even though they may be surrounded by tons of food. None of these creatures find it necessary to count calories... of course! They eat a natural diet of the food that is available to them. They eat all they want. And, they're never fat.

Did you ever wonder about that? The only fat animals and people are those who are caged, limited in their ability to move around their world, and who are also fed an artificial diet?

When we return to natural foods that we would eat if we were living in the forest, on the coasts, or on the high plains, guess what -- we become thin again, just like the wild animals.

On a natural diet, we become and stay naturally thin, and avoid degenerative diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and strokes.

In order to lose weight naturally, we do not need to count calories.

Our research has shown that you can even get healthy BEFORE you lose large amounts of weight by following a naturally balanced diet of about 60% high-fiber colorful vegetables, berries and fruits, 15-20% low fat proteins from lean meat,, fish poultry, beans and nuts, and 20-25% fats from fish, fish oil, coconut oil, borage oil and minimum amounts of oils found in whole vegetables.

Here is the macro-nutrient plan again:

1. 60% high-fiber colorful vegetables, berries and fruits
2. 15-20% low fat proteins from lean wild free-range organic meat, wild fish, free- range organic poultry (turkey, chicken, game hens, etc.), beans and whole nuts
3. 20-25% fats from mainly oily fish, fish oil, coconut oil, borage oil and minimum amounts of oils found in whole fresh or frozen vegetables, plus a handful of fresh whole nuts

If we eat natural foods like fresh vegetables, wild "free range" meat, fish and poultry, plenty of fresh herbs and spices, whole raw nuts, berries and fruits... while avoiding poisonous foods typically found in our "modern diet"... guess what? We get healthy!

STEP 1: BALANCE YOUR FATS

The biggest problems for us all is fats, followed by sugars and processed-food starches.

The amount and balance of fats in our diet controls major bodily processes including blood sugar, inflammatory status, insulin resistance and even effects our moods or attitudes.

You must balance your fat intake to stay healthy and lose any excess weight. The "bad fats" for us are the common vegetable oils (omega 6 oils like corn oil, soybean oils, peanut oil, cottonseed oils, sunflower oil and safflower oil), and saturated fats like meat fats from fatty beef and pork, chicken skin or turkey skin. If we decrease those to minimal levels (only 2-3 tablespoons per day of omega-6 plus sat-fats), and INCREASE omega-3 oils from fish oil and flaxseed, we have fixed many of our diet problems.

Try to maintain a 50-50% balance of the omega-3 with omega-6 plus sat-fats. Your omega-3's should equal the total of sat-fats plus omega-6. This is not easy.

Start by taking 10-12 1-gram capsules of enteric coated fish oil. Then reduce the other fats to a total of 2-3 tablespoons per day.

Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil Instead of Other Vegetable Oils

Olive oils are an exception to this fat balancing problem. Extra virgin olive oil is a fresh, unprocessed monounsaturated omega-9 oil. Olives and their virgin oil are very high in polyphenols and antioxidants. They tend to help control cholesterol, reduce inflammation, and improve insulin resistance.

These are moderate effects, but they are proven by hundreds of recent peer-reviewed scientific studies. Olive oil does not play a negative role in our fat balance. In fact, taking 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil per day in your food or on salads will slightly improve your health.

Note that the antioxidants found in virgin olive oil are destroyed by cooking at higher temperatures above 300 degrees F for more than 10 minutes. To avoid this problem, lower cooking temperature by adding a bit of water to your cooking pan, and cook for shorter time periods.

You may also choose to switch to coconut oil for cooking (see below) and use olive oil as a "drizzle" over already cooked vegetables or salads.

Coconut Oil is Okay for Cooking

New research shows that virgin coconut oil, the unprocessed kind, is actually a healthy saturated fat.

Due to the size of the coconut oil molecule, it is treated differently in the body compared to much longer saturated fats from animals. Coconut oil is only 12-14 carbon atoms long, about half the length of animal fats.

This is called a "medium chain triglyceride" or MCT by scientists. There is evidence that these MCT's actually improve health by helping you reduce cholesterol, increase metabolic rates, burn fats at a higher rate, fight infections, improve insulin resistance and lower inflammation.

You should use these oils moderately -- about 2-3 tablespoons per day in cooking only as needed. They are not required for health, but may be helpful if they replace other saturated fats or vegetable omega-6 oils you would normally use.

Most grocery stores sell coconut oils in the bakery or health isles of the store. You may find coconut oil in jars or cans located near the Crisco or other solid cooking oils. Expect coconut oil to be solid at "room temperature" -- 72 degrees F or lower. When cooking with coconut oil, lower your temperature a bit to prevent smoking.

STEP 2: REDUCE SUGARS & REFINED STARCHES

The second step is to avoid any refined sugars and sweeteners in foods. This includes honey, table sugar, syrup, processed candies, pies, cakes, and so on. It also includes white low-fiber breads, pasta, white starchy vegetables like potatoes, and all over-cooked veggies that become "sweet tasting" due to the cooking process.

Some mashed or over-cooked vegetables can be as dangerous as sugar inside your digestive system. Avoid mashed potatoes, mashed carrots, turnips, etc. Whenever possible, eat only lightly steamed, stir-fried or low-temperature (200-220 degrees F for 10-15 minutes) baked vegetables.

If you can avoid these processed starches and sugars, you've done the next big thing. Eat about 2/3's of your total on-the-plate servings in fresh lightly cooked vegetables, the more colorful the better. Add one or two fresh fruits with each meal. Eat only 2-4 ounces of lean chicken, turkey, free-range wild beef or fish with each meal. Replace the meat or fish with beans or peas and lentils several times per week.

STEP 3: INCREASE SPICES

Then the 3rd step is to add-in spices, coffee, teas and herbs to your daily menus. Spices like turmeric, ginger, red pepper, chili and cinnamon will have a medicinal, healing effect.

Turmeric contains 'curcumin' which has been shown to reduce cancer growth rates and improve most other inflammation related disease.

Red peppers contain 'capsaicin,' which is so powerful against cancer that it is being used by some doctors to treat that deadly disease, and pharmaceutical companies are researching ways to patent drugs around its functionality, by imitating the way it works in the body. Capsaicin appears to efficiently block TRVP1 receptors better than any current drug. This action effectively slows cancer growth rates and can eventually kill many tumors.

While these natural remedies cannot COMPLETELY replace prescribed drugs from your doctor, they can help you manage or reduce risks for many degenerative conditions relating to insulin resistance and inflammation.

Recent scientific studies reveal that increasing many of the strong spices in your diet (other than salt) can help you control your blood pressure, improve blood sugar control, and reduce symptoms of inflammatory diseases.

You should drink several cups of green tea or take green tea supplements through the day. Brown teas are alright in addition to, but should not replace green tea. Green tea contains EGCG, while other teas do not, a powerful agent that reduces inflammation and even fights cancers.

The caffeine and polyphenols in coffee and tea serve to speed up your metabolism and reduce risks for major diseases. People who are heavy drinkers of coffee are about 50% less likely to develop diabetes, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Coffee and tea drinkers also tend to lose weight faster than those who do not drink caffeinated beverages. Studies show consistent healthy associations for all kinds of coffee and tea, whether caffeinated or not. This demonstrates that there is a major activity going on in these drinks that is not related to their caffeine alone, even though caffeine does appear to aid in greater weight loss and 'fat burning.' Researchers believe the anti-oxidant power of teas and coffee are related to the catechins and polyphenols they contain, which accounts for many of their positive effects on health.

STEP 4: TAKE IMPORTANT SUPPLEMENTS

Then the 4th step is to add several important anti-inflammatory supplements to your diet to absolutely guarantee that you get enough of these super important ingredients:

1. Fish oil - 10-12 grams per day containing 2,500mg to 3,500mg of total EPA+DHA nutrients. Good brands include "Jarrow Formulas, EPA-DHA Balance" and "Natural Factors, RxOmega-3 Factors, EPA 400 mg/DHA 200 mg". Those brands are more concentrated than regular fish oil, so you only need 5 to 6 capsules per day.

2. Borage oil - 1-2 grams per day. Good brands include "Nature's Way, Efa Gold, Borage, 1300 mg" and "Now Foods, Borage Oil, 1050 mg". Take 1 or 2 capsules per day.

3. Magnesium citrate - 400mg per day. Good brands include "Vitamin Shoppe Magnesium Citrate" and "Now Foods Magnesium Citrate:

4. Soluble fiber - 3-4 teaspoons or 20 grams per day of "BeneFiber" or a similar product. The "micro powdered" kinds are preferred, since they have no taste and dissolve easy into tea, coffee or any other drink without changing the taste or feeling gritty on your tongue.

5. Ester Vitamin C - 1 to 2 grams per day, use the ester-C type. Good brands include Solgar Ester-C, American Health Ester-C

6. High Gamma Vitamin-E - 400iu per day (with at least 200mg of the gamma, the rest in "mixed tocopherols"). Good brands include "Jarrow Formulas Gamma E 300" and "Source Naturals Gamma E-400 400 mg"

7. A good "total minerals" in chelated form - look for the kind that says it is chelated with amino acids, with names ending in "...ate" such as citrate. This will include balanced formula with small amounts of minerals like selenium, manganese, zinc, etc. in a more bio-available form. Good brands include "Country Life Total Minerals" and "Now Foods Full Spectrum Minerals". If these include enough magnesium, you may not need the separate magnesium citrate listed above.

STEP 5: MOVE TO LIVE

Move. It's that simple. Act the way you would in a natural environment. Make time to walk, run, skip, and to play. You don't have to work at it or become an exercise maniac, any more than a wild animal would. Just wonder around and move through the day.

Only 30 to 45 minutes of moderate exercise is enough to maintain health. If you spend all day sitting at a computer or in front of a TV, get up and walk for a while. Walk 20 minutes away from home or the office, and 20 minutes back. It will change your life!

An important recent study performed by UCLA demonstrated that even diabetes and heart disease could be reversed in the majority of cases when the participants followed a strict regimen that included a diet similar to that described above, and performed 45 minutes of treadmill exercise at 70% of their 'maximum heart rate'. You would need a heart rate monitor to help control that exercise, which you can get at any local sports equipment store or online for around $30 to $99. But, the amazing fact is that these diseased adults were returned to 'normal' symptom free parameters after ONLY THREE WEEKS on the program! And, even though they were typically obese before the study, these dramatic health results were achieve with only a very small weight loss. Metabolic diseases were actually reverse for over half these previously very sick participants. They became 'non-diabetic' and/or 'non-symptomatic' of heart disease conditions such as hypertension, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL, high blood sugar, high CRP inflammatory markers, high fribrinogen, and so on... in only 3 weeks.

You CAN do it. You can get healthy WITHOUT counting calories!