One of the biggest MYTHS I hear time and time again is that you can lose weight by merely restricting calories and increasing exercise. While both of these do play specific roles to weight loss, they in and of themselves do not help you shed unwanted pounds.
The information you will receive in just a little while will probably contradict much of what you understand to be true of a healthy diet, but studies have proved otherwise.
I'm sure you've heard the saying "quality over quantity." It applies to weight loss as well. The key to weight loss is the quality of calories and exercise.
First, I'll list two things you must get rid of in order to lose weight and keep it off. I will explain in detail how the quality is much more important the quantity later, but for now make note of each.
1. Sugars (fructose, HFCS, etc.)
2. Grain
Essentially you will need to replace your grain carbs and sugar calories with high quality protein and healthy fats. To increase the quality of exercise you'll need to replace traditional aerobics with HIIT (high intensity interval training)
In today's busy lifestyle we have replace much of our healthy 'whole foods' with unhealthy 'convenience foods'. So much of what we shove into our "pie holes" is processed and refined garbage. This leads to disaster relating to your health and weight control.
The USDA showed some of the top food consumed by Americans are:
1. whole or 2% cow's milk
2. ground beef
3. soda
4. white bread
5. white "bleached" flour
6. refined sugar
The number one source of calories in the American diet from the list above is - as you probably have already guessed - is soda. Once you understand that fructose, along with other sugars, and refined grains are the main culprits behind obesity, is it any surprise that almost 70% of Americans are overweight...
So, what does a healthy diet look like? I'm going to list three macronutrients that a healthy diet should consist of.
1. Protein
2. Carbohydrates
3. Fats
Once you gain an understanding the importance of each major nutrient and know the healthy foods in each, you'll no longer fight the "battle of the bulge". Simply put... by eating the right types of foods within each macronutrient group, your body's metabolism will function much more effectively and dieting will be a thing of the past.
2 Things You Must Do Immediately to Shed Unwanted Pounds:
1. Restrict carbohydrates - fructose, sugar, and grains
2. Increase healthy fats consumption
Your meals should consist of the proper ratios of all three macronutrients in order to function properly.
Have you ever felt sluggish, sleepy, irritable, or hungry following a meal? I'm sure there's not a single person that can say "no", so what causes these symptoms. It's a sign that your meal didn't contain the proper ratios of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. When you provide your body with the nutrients it needs, you'll have plenty of energy and feel full longer.
Let's go a little into detail about each major macronutrient and the role of each.
Protein-
Eating adequate amounts of quality protein will keep you full longer helping to curve your appetite. Like I said earlier, many people are in a hurry and don't choose meals containing healthy foods.
The so-called healthy foods labeled "low-calorie" manufactured by the "diet food" industry are some of the worst. Most of these highly processed and pre-packaged meals contain high-fructose corn syrup, soy, and other additives. They are big time contributors to ill-health as well as the rise in obesity rates.
This is why I stated earlier that it's not the quantity of calories that truly matters. It's the quality that counts because regardless of the amount of calories in fructose, the majority of fructose turns directly to fat.
Yes, you're being deceived by the "diet food" industry. They label their products with "low-fat" and "reduced calories" to catch your eye. In reality you're only consuming processed/refined junk that does nothing to satisfy hunger and doesn't give your body the nutrients it needs to thrive. This in a bundle only leads to increased weight gain.
If the so-called "diet food" manufacturers actually made food that helped you lose weight, they would indirectly put themselves out of business. So, you see it's not all your fault. Much of the problem lies within the deception of the food manufacturers.
Let's take a look at quality protein sources:
- Raw dairy
- Organic chicken
- Organic free-range eggs
- Lean grass-fed beef and bison
- Wild-caught fish
- Nuts and Seeds
- Whey protein
It's important when choosing protein from beef sources and whey protein that they are NOT from grain/soy-fed cows. Your whey protein should be made from antibiotic and hormone free cows. Also, make sure whey is minimally processed without artificial sweeteners and flavors.
Prograde Protein makes high quality whey protein follows all of these guidelines. It's one of the purest forms of whey protein I've found.
How Do Fats Contribute to Weight Loss?
Fats provide satiety by slowing down the digestion process and provide the necessary energy that you'll need once you cut out sugar calories and grain carbs. This may go against everything you've ever heard, but saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources are not only healthy but aid fat loss. Some good sources of saturated fats are grass-fed beef, organic eggs, raw dairy products, and tropical plant oils.
Saturated fats play a crucial role in the delivery of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) and mineral absorption.
Trans fat on the other hand are ones that must be avoided. They clog the arteries and lead to heart disease.
Some healthy sources of saturated fats are:
- extra virgin olive oil
- coconut oil
- palm oil
- raw dairy from grass-fed dairy cows- including raw butter
- grass-fed beef
- organic free-roaming eggs (vegetarian diet, no grain or soy)
- avocados
- raw nuts
What Carbs Should Your Diet Consist Of?
There are certain carbs such as grains and sugars that promote insulin resistance leading to weight gain. The best way to assure you are getting quality carbohydrates, is to get them from minimally process vegetables (preferably organic).
There are many carbohydrate sources that are good for you, but there a some that should be used sparingly for weight loss:
- Beets
- Carrots (contains more fructose uncooked)
- Eggplants
- Winter Squash
Many fruits contain high amounts of fructose
When consuming fructose, try to limit consumption to 20 grams or less per day. The fructose from fruits create insulin spikes which can lead to weight gain. The only time you want to create an insulin spike is directly after exercise. This will enable the nutrients to be shuttled directly to muscles which are in glycogen depletion. Click here to learn more about why creating an insulin spike after exercise is important.
2 Great Ways to Increase Your Vegetable Consumption:
1. Juicing
2. Smoothies
Juicing is a fantastic way to get tons of vitamins and minerals. The only problem with juicing is that you throw away much of the pulp which is very nutritious and provides much-needed fiber to the diet. The only juicer that I would recommend is a "mastication" juicer. It discards much less of the pulp than other juicers.
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