An easy way to eat for weight loss

Having run numerous weight loss courses and seminars it has become increasingly apparent that people are confused as to the best balance of foods for weight loss:

- low carb
- high carb
- no carb
- high protein
- low fat

Alongside these "diets" the food agencies would have us believe that the food pyramid still serves our best needs with its age old principles of the largest amount of your intake coming from breads, cereals & potatoes alongside increasingly lower amounts of other food groups...typically in the ratio:

Carbs 50-60%
Protein 10-20%
Fats 20-30%

So why does this ratio exist?

If you look back to the 1940's when it was created, food was rationed based on those practices that were abundent and affluent. The cereal companies put much money into government and in return recieve ongoing backing that suggests cereals, grains and bread products are the ideal largest food group in our diet.

What this has done is make the cereal manufacturers rich and the rest of us fat or fighting to stay lean.

How are carbs like cereal, bread & pasta making us fat?

Carbohydrates when digesting are released into the blood stream as sugars. Sugars in the blood stream cause a release of insulin, a chemical messenger or hormone, that serves to move this blood sugar into the muscle or liver tissues as storage for energy when needed.

This process is a normal response and essential for the energy to move, exercise and stay conscious and typically the liver can hold 40-50grams of carbohydrates and the muscles can hold 300-350g of carbohydrates.

Issues arise when we take in excess carbohydrates as any that can not be stored in the muscle and liver (amounts above the levels mentioned) will be stored as fat.

This doesn't sound good for my fat loss goals...what can I do?

A more realistic ratio of macronutrients for weightloss would be:

- 40% carbohydrates
- 30% protein
- 30% fats

So a simple aproach would be to limit your intake of breads, cereals, pasta and other carbs to small portions, ensure you have a lean protein source with every meal, and eat healthy fats (fish, nuts, eggs, fat from organic meats, olive oil) more freely.

To top up meal sizes replace your normal carbs with vegetables to ensure you dont feel hungry.

This is a very simplified version of eating for weight loss but if you make this first step consistently you will see a difference in your weight and shape.

for further reading around this ratio for weight loss have a read of the following book:



to your health and happiness

Nathan

www.nathanlee-pt.com