What are the best foods for helping me to lose weight? (from Harry in Tonbridge) When trying to reduce body fat, one of the main factors overlooked is what type of foods we eat. Whilst creating a calorie deficit is obviously important, there are two main issues. to consider Firstly, people cut calories drastically over a long time, and then wonder why they dont lose weight. If you were to lose your job you wouldnt go and spend all your savings. The body works in exactly the same way. Cutting calories drastically means the body tries desperately hard to conserve energy, therefore slowing the metabolism down. Your gut doesnt know when the next calorie is coming from, and therefore goes into survival mode. The metabolism slows down as you break down muscle tissue, which is key to burning calories and stoking the metabolic furnace. Cut calories for too long and a number of health problems arise, like low blood pressure, low blood sugar levels, anemia, extreme tiredness, depression, interrupted menstruation (in females) to name a few. The second issue is that people cut the wrong type of calories from their diet, therefore impairing their results. Reducing your calorie intake from 2000 calories to 1300 calories a day is all good and well. However, if the macronutient composition is wrong the body will not lose fat. If you cut down your protein intake drastically this will impair your results. Lets consider why protein is so important. Protein is essential for DNA expression, cell enzyme activity, collagen and elastin of bones, efficiency of the central nervous system and immunity. Protein is the one macronutient you cannot sacrifice, and if anything should be increased when losing weight to maintain muscle tissue, and prevent getting infections. Protein has the highest thermic effect of food, and burns the most calories when consumed. Protein is key to thermogenesis, which is muscle heat production. This means with more lean muscle tissue you carry, the more calories you will burn. More muscle tissue means improved insulin sensitivity, means the body becomes more efficient as assimilating food, and redirecting nutrients to muscle tissue rather than being stored as fat. Some good protein sources include chicken, duck, venison, eggs, steak, and fish like salmon and mackerel (also a good source of polyunsaturated fats). The Forever Lite Ultra Protein shake that my partner company (Forever Living) offers is also a high quality and fast acting source (link at bottom of this post). Whilst trying to count protein in grams can become very problematic I would aim to eat protein with each meal, and after you workout to allow muscle tissue to be preserved and burn calories. Asides from protein vegetables are an absolute must when trying to lose weight. Firstly they are very very low in calories, and are excellent for satiety (keeping you full for a long time). They (vegetables) keep you full for a long time as they are low energy density foods; meaning they have a high water content. They are also absolutely loaded with plant based antioxidants, which hep conserve your immune system and tackle oxidative stress from exercise to promote faster recovery. Good sources include carrots, broccoli, green beans and sweet corn. Its generally hard to eat too many vegetables, as most people (including me) dont eat enough. A breakfast favorite of mine to get your vegetable intake close to 5-7 servings daily is a three egg omelette with olives, mushrooms and spinach. Whilst I have discussed what foods are important, I think its important to mention what foods to cut back on. Earlier I talked about macronutient composition. While protein intake should be increased, carbohydrate intake should be decreased. Im bot advocating you ditch carbs altogether as they provide the body with energy. However, whilst the role of carbohydrates is to act as the bodys primary energy source its generally easy too eat too much (think cereals, bread and pasta). The problem with this, like I mentioned earlier, is that not all calories are created equal. Too many carbs and the pancreas secretes a hormone called insulin to lower blood sugar levels, which pushes nutrients into muscle and fat cells. The muscle cells only have an affinity for holding so many nutrients, which means hat the muscles cannot absorb your face cells (which have a very high affinity for nutrient storage) will. Carb sources which must be avoided are processed cereals (think shreddies, special K, and corn flakes). They are loaded with sugar, and have a very immediate effect on blood sugar levels, meaning you will only feel hungry again shortly after. Avoid white bread, white potatoes, white rice when trying to lose weight. These carbohydrates should not be consumed as they have a very fast glycemic index, which promotes too much of an insulin response from the pancreas, which is detrimental to weight management. I hope that answer your question Harry. As you can see, the question you posed does not lend itself to a simple answer, and requires a detailed explanation.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 11:38:13 +0000