Hello again! Let’s start with the topic that is on most people’s minds...weight loss.
I know that you are probably hoping that I give you this simple weight loss secret that will help you to shed all the weight you want in minutes, maybe even seconds. I wish! If it were that simple I would be a millionaire by now and America would not be the fattest nation in the world. The fact is a lot of diets out there simply do not work, at least in the long term. Many diets label 1 food group as the enemy. The reason people are overweight. They claim that you can eat all the protein and fat you want, and you will still lose weight as long as you avoid Carbohydrates. If that was true, why wouldn’t we just remove all of the carbohydrates from the American diet? Wouldn’t that fix the problem? As I am sure you can tell I am being sarcastic.
People tell me all the time that high protein, low carbohydrate diets helped them to lose weight fast. However, when you ask them how long they have been able to keep the weight off, most will admit that they have gained back most of the weight they lost, if not more. The frustrating thing is it is not their fault that they gained the weight back. The body was not meant to live without Carbohydrates. Let me put these diets into a different perspective. If I gave you 2 chocolate candy bars, and told you that is all you could eat in a day, would you lose weight? YES. But would you be healthy? NO. Would you be able to live the rest of your life only eating 2 chocolate candy bars a day? NO. Without getting too technical, this is an exaggerated metaphor as to why these high protein, low carbohydrate diets seem to work in the short but leads to long term failure and health issues.
Did you know many studies are looking at the link between high protein, low carbohydrate diets as the cause for the increased risk of diabetes, heart disease (high cholesterol/stroke risk), and kidney disease? It is even thought that eating too much protein can cause your skin to wrinkle faster. There are now many websites and books dedicated to educating America about the dangers of these fad diets. The only thing that all diets have in common that is necessary for weight loss is calorie restriction. There is not one food group that is “BAD” for you or one food group that is “GOOD” for you. It is all about balance and moderation. Calories in vs. Calories out. I believe in the philosophy that small changes in your lifestyle can lead to big results, without feeling like you are depriving yourself. As you continue to read my blog, you will notice that there are very few things that I will ever recommend you avoid completely.
This week’s dare: write down everything you eat and drink on a daily basis for the next 7 days. Try to keep a detailed log. Try to measure food and look up the nutrition when possible. If you can, keep track of the Carbohydrates, Protein, fat and fiber. Below are some sources you can use to look up information:
Good luck! :-)
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