If I were to tell you to eat to lose weight, you would think I was insane since most people's idea of weight loss is cutting back on calories, primarily carbs (calorie deprivation). The majority of us have been taught and or programmed to think that "carbs" (carbohydrates) are bad "carbs" are the enemy. ATTENTION, ATTENTION "carbs" are not the enemy however the type of carbohydrates you consume is what really matters when you’re seeking weight loss.
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Eat To Lose Weight Explained
The act of eating in itself is asking your body to do work (digestion). As humans over time, we have processed, bleached, and refined our foods. (simple carbs) We've done this for a few reasons, taste, convenience, and even status. Kings in early history used to only feast on refined foods; while peasants ate all-natural foods. We're not doing our bodies a favour by processing and refining foods before ingestion. When we eat in this manner our body has less work to do and depending on what we eat food can be more easily stored as fat.
The harder the body has to work during digestion the more efficient it becomes in metabolizing food. TEF (thermic effect of food) is also an important factor. The more complex the meal the more energy you expend. When you expend more energy you slightly increase body temperature (that's why it's called thermic).
The whole process of TEF can burn up to 10 calories; protein being the most thermic of nutrients and fat being the least thermic of nutrients.
Make Your Meals Complex
In order to eat for weight loss, simply increase the complexity of your carbohydrates or in other words complex carbs. Complex carbs can be further broken down into two categories, starchy carbohydrates, which are food items like sweet potato, brown rice, beans, etc., and fibrous carbohydrates which are cabbage, carrots, broccoli and all green leafy vegetables. It’s also a good idea to combine protein, starchy carbohydrates, fibrous carbohydrates, and good fats in each meal. This ensures increased TEF and metabolism.
Don't mistake what I call "Eat to Lose Weight" for another diet. Your body was designed to metabolize natural foods eating in this method is mostly common sense. Some of us already partially eat this way. Eat to Lose Weight is not only for someone who wants to lose weight this change will also support lean muscle tissue gains, as you're losing fat and gaining healthy weight when combined with exercise.
What to avoid?
Avoid trans fats, hydrogenated fats, sugars (glucose, sucrose, fructose), and refined, bleached, and processed foods. This includes white rice, white bread, and fruits. Did I say FRUITS, yep! I thought fruits were good? They are and don't stop eating them but they contain sugar (fructose), and if weight loss is the primary goal you will want to limit fruits to 2-3 per day. The same thing goes for fruit juices, when you eat fruit or have any sugars always have them in a complete meal. (protein, starchy carbs, fibrous carbs, and good fats).
What happens when you have sugar?
Cakes, ice cream, chocolate, cookies, and pop all contain sugar (simple carbohydrates). When you put a simple sugar into your digestive tract all that sugar will be absorbed into your bloodstream at once. As a result, you have momentarily high blood sugar. Your pancreas produces two hormones. Insulin (storage hormone) which transports sugars to muscle, liver, and fat storage. Glucagon (release hormone) which allows mobilizing of stored fat. You want to keep a healthy balance between glucagon and insulin if you want to create an environment for fat loss.
OK, back to the high blood sugar. Your pancreas responds to the high blood sugar level by producing more insulin. When your pancreas is forced to increase insulin it has no choice and must decrease glucagon production. Low glucagon levels mean nothing can be released and fat is trapped.
In other words, if you exercise all day and eat poorly encouraging frequent insulin spikes, you'll never be lean and or muscularly defined because fat is infrequently released.
Little Nutritional Value
In addition, ingesting foods made with bleached and refined flour have little nutritional value; losing valuable micronutrients through processing, making them “empty calories” that are easily converted into triglycerides and stored as fat. Poor eating habits destroy your body’s fat-burning capability. When you "Eat To Lose Weight" you ingest complete meals all the time. Components of a complete meal allow the slow release of glucose into the bloodstream. This allows the pancreas to maintain a balance between insulin and glucagon hormones.
5 Reasons Why Consuming Healthy Carbs Are Good For Weight Loss
Here are 5 reasons why eating carbs can be good for weight loss:
- Energy Boost: Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy. Eating the right carbs can fuel workouts, boost metabolism, and support fat loss by helping you stay active and burn more calories.
- Supports Muscle Maintenance: Carbs help prevent muscle breakdown by providing glucose, which preserves muscle mass. More muscle means a higher metabolism, which aids in weight loss.
- Keeps You Full: High-fiber carbs like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables take longer to digest, keeping you fuller for longer periods. This helps prevent overeating and unhealthy snacking.
- Promotes Balanced Blood Sugar: Complex carbs, especially those rich in fiber, help regulate blood sugar levels and prevent insulin spikes, which can reduce cravings and promote fat burning.
- Boosts Mood and Reduces Cravings: Carbs increase serotonin production in the brain, improving mood and reducing emotional eating. Feeling good can make it easier to stick to a healthy diet!
Eating the right types of carbs is key for great health, building muscle and losing weight. You no longer have to feel guilty about having carbs while pursuing weight loss!
Final Thoughts On Eating
Break away from the mindset of counting and extreme calorie reduction. We only eat this way because we think we need to starve in order to lose weight. There is a whole world of food out there explore and have fun eating healthy. If there were as many commercials for nutritious foods as they are for those fast food joints we wouldn't be struggling with a high obesity rate. Remember eating to lose weight is common sense eating, you’ve got this!
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