Over the years, we've tried enough diets to know there's one common barrier for trying to lose weight fast on any plan: hunger! It's a problem nutrition expert and celebrity trainer Jorge Cruise has observed for many years. Recently, while talking to doctors and weight-loss pros for his podcast, The Jorge Cruise Show, he heard exactly the same thing again and again: “Turns out, 90 % of the time whenever we think we're hungry, it's really 'false hunger.'” Driving that hunger, experts agree, isn't a insufficient calories but an imbalance in the electrolytes sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

When electrolyte minerals are out of whack, your body thinks it's starving. “Sodium is the key regulator for magnesium and magnesium controls potassium levels,” explains pharmacist James DiNicolantonio, a research scientist at St. Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Missouri and author of The Salt Fix (Buy on Amazon, $13.19). “The body needs electrolytes to function optimally, so you've to get all three in balance.” Once the minerals are imbalanced, the body dials up hunger and cravings so that they can get the nutrients it needs. In addition to intense cravings, an imbalance also triggers fatigue and headaches – all of which allow it to be difficult to stay with a weight-loss regimen.

This hunger-inducing electrolyte imbalance affects as much as 98 percent of ladies, according to Michael Greger, MD. NYT bestselling author of How To not Diet (Buy on Amazon, $18.93). One of the main factors driving an imbalance is the use of processed foods, which break down into acidic by-products during digestion. The body uses potassium and magnesium stores to neutralize those acids and protect cells from damage, pulling electrolytes out of balance. But even ladies who avoid processed foods in support of whole foods receive an imbalance. That's because a healthy diet naturally lowers insulin, which causes your body to release sodium, says DiNicolantonio. “This can result in a sodium deficiency, which makes weight reduction extremely hard.” Indeed, one study found that after just seven days on a low-salt diet, women gained 15 percent more weight compared to those on a moderate-salt diet. The main reason? A low-salt diet increases stress hormone levels, which instruct the body to store fat, especially around the belly.

Fortunately, Cruise has uncovered a genius method to correct an electrolyte imbalance, eliminate hunger and release excess weight, and it's as easy as drinking 32 ounces of the items he calls Zero Hunger Water – a DIY sip rich in salt, magnesium and potassium – throughout your day. “You allow it to be for pennies, you drink it, and also you forget to eat,” he cheers. “It's perfectly.” Just ask Barbara Rastello, 72, who always struggled with cravings. But after incorporating Jorge's “magic water” into her routine, she felt full and energized – plus lost 21 pounds in 19 days. “I must have had an electrolyte imbalance and just did not know it,” Rastello says. “What I do know is I feel satiated drinking water.”

Even better, belly fat goes first. That's because correcting an electrolyte imbalance lowers stress hormone levels, “and stress hormones are linked to belly fat,” explains Cruise. “The water helps regulate these hormones, so fat comes off the belly first.” When subjects inside a attend the University of California, Irvine, added electrolytes to some weightloss regimen, they lost typically 56 pounds over just six weeks.

Freedom from hunger and excess weight is just the beginning. “When you correct an electrolyte imbalance, you sleep better as well as your kidneys function more proficiently,” says DiNicolantonio. Meanwhile, women first spoke to credit this shift with assisting to lower cholesterol levels, banish chronic pain as well as reverse prediabetes. Prepared to get started? Read on.

Say goodbye to hunger!

“I drink Zero Hunger Water throughout the day, and I literally forget to eat because I don't have any hunger. It's effortless,” cheers nutrition expert Jorge Cruise, bestselling author of more than 20 books. Indeed, sipping water spiked with electrolyte minerals sodium, magnesium and potassium can instantly eliminate cravings and assist you to shed inches effortlessly. Women first spoke to report losing two pounds every single day!

To begin, Cruise suggests making four 32-ounce bottles of Zero Hunger Water (recipe at right) at night to drink through the following day. Each bottle will contain 1,000 mg. of sodium, 200 mg. of potassium and 60 mg. of magnesium – the total amount that ensures electrolyte balance to banish cravings and keep weight gain-inducing stress hormones away. And incorporate these simple strategies to supercharge slimming:

Drink one bottle upon waking up. “I have clients who drink 32 ounces of Zero Hunger Water within two or three minutes of getting out of bed,” says Cruise. If that feels like sinking at once, he suggests drinking 16 ounces immediately and the remaining 16 ounces within 40 minutes.

“So lots of people think that to possess energy in the morning you need carbohydrates or caffeine,” Cruise says. “But for those who have minerals offering the energy, then your body will burn its body fat for energy.”

Continue drinking every 2 hours. “Zero Hunger Water does a good job of supporting hunger for 3 hours,” says Cruise. Note: Women rich in blood pressure level should speak with their doctor before beginning this plan of action.

Eat when you are hungry. “This is not a fasting program. It's turning off your hunger,” says Cruise. “But when you are getting hungry, you can eat.” He adds that lots of women he works with don't want to consume anything until between 3 pm and seven pm.

Indeed, women on the plan report that they eat a couple of meals a day without any snacks in between, which Jorge says is ideal for fat burning.

Keep meals low-carb. Cruise recommends eating meals that are high in fat and protein, like grilled steak with butter sauce. This is the key to preventing bloat and losing fat, he states, because when blood sugar levels are elevated, sodium triggers fluid retention. However when you lower blood sugar levels having a low-carb diet, salt can help you drop pounds without puffing you up. “When you're eating a fat- and protein-based diet, your blood sugar levels will fall,” explains Shawn Baker, MD. The result: The body will begin to burn body fat for fuel.

Cruise says you can enjoy a Mediterranean-inspired meal like baked fish or chicken, or even pasta or pizza if that's what will satisfy you. “Just be sure to add protein like sausage or meatballs,” he adds. To fill your plate, Cruise favors low-sugar veggies like zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, squash, peppers and lettuce, in addition to low-sugar fruits like avocado and berries. Cruise says most people feel full after eating and don't need more food for the rest of your day, but when food cravings return, sip another bottle of Zero Hunger Water, and if hunger persists after Twenty minutes, enjoy another low-carb meal or snack. For types of wholesome low-carb fare, see the sample meals below.

Move for eight minutes. Cruise favors interval training (short bursts of intense activity followed by periods of rest), but any movement dials back hunger. “Exercise like intervals actually blunts your appetite,” asserts Dr. Baker. In fact, a study in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders discovered that interval training workouts reduced hunger hormone production. To obtain the perks, walk for 2 minutes, then do four 30-second bursts of speed walking, following each burst with Thirty seconds of recovery. End with two minutes of gentle walking.

“I dropped from a size 20 to some size 4!”

Julie Gushlaw made the long ascend the football stadium steps to watch her son perform in the university marching band. But once up there in the heat, she felt ill, forcing her to escape to the cooler inner concourse, where she missed the entire game. That's when she knew: I've had it with my weight. Wearing a size 20, Julie suffered from plantar fasciitis, sore joints and depression. She feared it was merely a few time before she faced scarier concerns like high blood pressure and diabetes. But diets never worked for Julie. “I was always 'the hungry girl,'” she says.

So when Jorge Cruise invited Julie to test his Zero Hunger Water, she gave it a whirl. In order to save time, she reached for premixed electrolyte powders like Redmond Re-Lyte (Buy on Amazon, $39.99) to increase cold water. She drank about 100 ounces from the mineral water each day, and her cravings immediately lifted. She shed 8 pounds the very first week, and shortly was down 30 pounds. “I felt just like a new person. I possibly could walk without pain.”

With a mix of mineral water, eating healthily and interval workouts, Julie dropped 84 pounds in 11 months with no longer needs antidepressants or pain meds. What's more: Her husband lost 55 pounds, her daughter lost 50 pounds and her mom lost 20 pounds. Julie cheers, “This is the best thing I have accomplished for myself and my loved ones!”