Healthy Diets For Weight Loss 

The two main camps when it comes to healthy diets for weight loss seem to be low fat or low carb. Now both can be effective if followed correctly however the one I feel works best for the majority of people is the low carb method. Just to clarify when I mention low carb diet I don't mean the Atkins diet because personally I don't think this a particularly healthy diet. I am also not anti carb and think that certain carbohydrates play a very important role in health and vitality.

No the reason I think that low carb is the better choice is because when your on a low fat diet your still consuming too many processed refined carbohydrates such as pasta, bagels, breads, cereals, rice, muffins, sodas, juices, sweets, crackers, etc. It is these types of foods that I think are the major culprits in why so many people gain weight and then struggle to lose it later.

It is really hard to avoid processed carbohydrates even when your trying to be healthy because through clever marketing a lot of foods we think are ok are actually just full of refined flours and other additives. Consuming these is going to spike your blood sugar and create an insulin surge that stimulates direct body fat storage and actually increases your appetite so you want more.

Apart from weight gain years of eating excessive processed carbohydrates can make your body to become more resistant to insulin and its no surprise that we are now seeing more and more type 2 diabetes occur in many people at a younger and younger age

Anyway from my own experience I would recommend that people struggling to lose weight would benefit more from

1. Reducing overall grain-based foods in your diet (pasta, cereal, crackers, rice, etc)

2. Get the majority of your carbs from veggies, whole fruits, berries and nuts.

3. If you must eat grain foods go for those labelled bran and germ as these are the most nutritious and fibrous portions of the grain. These include foods like oat bran, wheat germ, and rice bran.

It is easier to stay on track with a low carb plan.

My body composition became much improved when I restricted carbs. Unlike when I was on a low fat diet when I was always stressing about the fat content in every meal all I knew I had to do was take the starchy carb away from the meal and replace with extra veggies and healthy fat sources such as avocados, guacamole, nuts, seeds. I also found that my appetite wasn't as high so was naturally cutting down the calories I ate without thinking about it.

Now my meals are mostly primal

Primal meals are made up of lots of proteins and good fats and have fewer carbs, and this is what I enjoy for meals during the week. However I am at the weekend I do weaken occasionally indulge in more high fat high carb meals. I think this is because I am more relaxed and out with friends so there is more temptation. However by being disciplined in the week and including intermittent fast days I am able to enjoy these treats and still remain lean.

There are occasions where I go low carb and low fat.

When you need to lose body fat quickly say for a holiday or party then calories must be restricted from both carbohydrates and healthy fats. This means just clean proteins such as chicken breasts and lots of veggies at every meal for a couple of weeks, which generally tends to work.

As with all healthy diets for weight loss the best one is the one that works for you. I just believe that out of the options available to everybody this approach is the most healthy and effective.

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