Nutrition – Key #3 to Effective Weight Loss
The third key to effective weight loss is related to something we all do every day, eat. You must learn about your own personal nutrition.
Nutrition – the goal is to eat a balanced menu. The Atkins diet, Hollywood Diet, Zone Diet, and many others are simply that – a diet. While some have good components and some may be beneficial, in the long term most restrict needed nutrients.
These are quick fixes, such as eating higher amounts of protein, that will allow you to lose weight initially, but all of them, all diets, have the same major flaw. They do not help you change your eating habits so, weight lost will be short lived and then, most people gain it right back, rapidly.
It is your eating habits, what you eat and when, that make you who you are. There is a question with which we are all familiar: Can I eat anything I want? Essentially, yes, you can eat anything you want, the key to doing so is moderation.
A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, consisting of over 10,000 people, showed that a diet comprised of about 55% carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 20% fat gave the best results for maintaining good weight control whether you exercise or not.
Advertisement: Rockstar (click on photo for more info)
Our founder has prescribed this same type menu for over 15 years due to his work with athletes. Many of whom he recommended a 50-25-25 (carbs-proteins-fat) nutritional base. Such a menu will allow you to eat almost anything you desire within reason on one condition – that you are exercising regularly and are active.
Drinking several cans of beer or soda and eating a couple of donuts and cup of ice cream each day is not using moderation or good reasoning. When you succumb to this type habit, it will not matter what kind of ratios you’re eating in your main diet, you simply will not lose weight.
It is necessary to realize that when you eat, where you eat, and how you eat is a combination of your cultural heritage, upbringing, and lifestyle. To change these life-long habits it will be necessary to develop a positive attitude and educate yourself about the fundamentals of nutrition and exercise. Also, the types of food you enjoy eating are in large part due to your upbringing and so, adjusting food types that you eat will require a conscious effort.
Think about it this way; a “Big Mac” at McDonald’s is about 560 calories. A grilled chicken, 6-inch sub sandwich at Subway is about 280 calories. It’s all a matter of choice. And, whether you eat on the go because you’re so busy or prepare most of your meals at home, wise choices are needed to help combat weight gain. In general terms, eat less fried meats and more broiled such as fish and chicken (skinless). Eat more vegetables and less processed carbohydrates – lean toward broccoli and cabbage rather than pasta and bread, eat better oils such as canola and safflower instead of coconut and butter.
Do you know how many calories are in a slice of bread compared to a bagel? You should because some bagels can be as high as 600 calories while a slice of bread is generally about 70 calories. What is the difference in calorie count between fats versus carbs versus protein? You need to know this, not to be a calorie counter, but to make better choices when selecting food that you prepare or when dining out. For example, carbohydrates and proteins have 4 calories per gram; fat has 9 calories per gram and sugar alcohols (what are they?) have 7 calories per gram.
Advertisement: CytoCharge (click on photo for more info)
To begin your quest, we urge you to read our entire section on nutrition. This will give you the primary keys to becoming your own nutrition and health expert. You do not need to rely on Dr. Phil, Oprah, or any others that claim to be the experts, when in fact, most are not.
Become your own nutrition expert. Why? Because you can! And remember one thing – no one will have as much interest in helping you more than you will.