Promises Of Weight Loss Diets — Don’t Overthink It!
Promises Of Weight Loss Diets — Don’t Overthink It!
Many folks believe a certain kind of weight loss diet is the solution to losing their fat. But the whole idea behind “going on a diet” seems so temporary. I’ll just do enough to get to my ideal weight and then I can eat whatever I want. Many fail with this approach. Jumping from diet to diet.
How about a complete lifestyle change that’s permanent? That’ll do it!
There seems to be a lot of different diets out there right now. All proclaiming to be “the one” that’ll change your life. Some are based on science, while others are more or less based on hunches or superstition. Of course, some of them work, some of them don’t and some of them seem to work, but in the end, aren’t that great.
So which of these diets are right for you?
What Are Low-Carb and No-Carb Diets?
These types of diets seek to dramatically limit your carbs. Including the carbs from grains, beans and fruit. Many of these diets more or less limit dieters to proteins, fat and limited amounts of certain vegetables. These are diets like Keto, Paleo and variations of these. Now, don’t get me wrong here. I’m not condemning any of these diets mentioned in this episode.
You should check them out and see if they suit your lifestyle. I tried the Keto diet myself. It was difficult, but it really helped me to lose weight, FAST! But after that I went back to my normal diet and put it all back on again. Keto for me wasn’t the kind of diet I could maintain for a long time. There are many arguments online as to whether it’s sustainable or not.
For me it wasn’t. Maybe for you it could be. At first sight, these diets make sense because carbs are one of the three main energy yielding nutrients. The idea here is that without carbs for energy, the body will have to break down its stored fat reserves and burn that for energy.
Starvation has a similar effect. This logic seems sound, but these diets have a couple of holes. For one thing, proteins are also an energy yielding nutrient. They yield just as many calories per gram as carbohydrates. And, if you overeat protein, it’ll also store as fat in the body.
Also, fats – from meats and dairy products – yield more than twice as many calories per gram as proteins or carbohydrates. There’s also the matter of acidic waste that’s created from digesting proteins. We sometimes see this showing up as gout or stones from overconsuming protein. This isn’t a problem when you eat meat as part of a normal and healthy diet.
But when most of your dietary energy is coming from digested proteins, it can cause problems. It’s something to be aware of. You know, I love eating fruit. I don’t overeat it though. Fruit seems to have become the enemy these days with the arrival of low-carb diets. Despite popular belief, fruit doesn’t make you fat when eaten the right way.
To find out how, check out the link I mention near the end of this episode or see the show notes on the site. When you stop eating fruit, beans and grains, your body gets less beneficial fiber and maybe not enough vitamins and minerals it needs that are found in those foods.
So how come these diets are so popular?
Because they work. You can lose weight fast on one of these diets. That’s mainly because avoiding carbs means avoiding unhealthy carbs like junk food and sweets. The better solution is to allow yourself fruit, beans as well as non-processed grains like whole grains, and cereals, while limiting fat from animal sources like meat and dairy. A balanced diet.
What about Low-Fat or No-Fat Diets
Fat is also not the enemy. If you research the whole non-fat fiasco, you might stumble across information that it was the sugar industry who created the whole “fat is bad for you” lie. Why? Because they wanted to promote sugar as “NOT so bad for you.” Misdirection!
Of course, not ALL fat is good for you in large amounts. Fats from some animal sources can be unhealthy for you – the exception is fat from fish like salmon. The fats from many plants – in the form of oils – are usually good for you.
I’ll share a list in the show notes on what oils are best for health and the ones to avoid. Your body needs fats and even if you were somehow miraculously able to avoid them all, it really wouldn’t be good for you. Too much processed sugar stores a lot more fat and creates disease. Reduce that and processed carbs for health’s sake.
Is the Mediterranean Diet Good For You?
A popular diet based on science that has the approval of many health experts, is the Mediterranean diet. Basically it’s the diet of people in the Mediterranean region, specifically Italy and Greece.
This diet stresses consuming plants and plant oils, especially olive oil, as well as a limited amounts of whole grains. It also limits red meats a lot. Meat that is higher in unhealthy fats, and encourages eating fish and chicken.
Chicken is lower in unhealthy fats than red meat and fish can be higher in fats but has a healthier form of fat. The Mediterranean Diet is a very well-balanced diet, not to mention delicious.
Basically, the diet stresses variety and moderation so that you avoid unhealthy sources of excess calories while allowing yourself everything that the body needs to thrive.
It’s interesting to note that a number of Blue Zones countries eat this way. If you want to learn how to use the correct combination of foods eaten at the right time of the day to reduce fat fast… …you can learn about this method and formula by going to wlmind.com/p That’s w-l-m-i-n-d.com/p.