(Thank you Vladislav Babienko for the photo!)
One. NO MATTER WHAT, it is NOT possible to out exercise your mouth. If we eat more calories than we need, we will gain weight. We cannot exercise away large volumes of excess calories. Extra calories simply add extra pounds to our bodies 100% of the time. Obtaining a healthy weight is 80% what we put into our mouths and 20% how much we exercise. Exercise certainly is important to obtaining a healthy weight and becoming physically fit. But, what occurs in our kitchens and what goes from our hands to our mouths is much more of a determining factor for our weight than how much we exercise. So, start eating proper portions. No second helpings. Avoid unhealthy snacks. Keeping track of how much you eat in a food journal or phone app can be very helpful.
Two. Significantly reduce carbohydrate intake. The standard American diet, also known as the “SAD” diet, is loaded with carbohydrates. The problem with carbohydrate intake is that our bodies respond to carbs by increasing our insulin levels. Insulin signals our bodies to store fat. The more carbohydrates we eat, the higher our insulin levels will be. The more often our insulin levels are elevated, the more fat our bodies will store. To lose weight, carbohydrate restriction is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Additionally, carbohydrates are not created equally. “Bad carbohydrates,” are those found in candy, soft drinks, fruit juices, bread, and starches. Interestingly, these foods are usually white and yellow. “Good carbohydrates,” are those found in vegetables. So, start limiting the bad carbohydrates and choosing vegetables as your carbohydrate source instead. When you cut bad carbs out of your diet, you WILL begin to lose weight.
Three. Eat plenty of protein and vegetables. Protein and vegetables should be the mainstay of your diet. Our bodies require more energy to digest protein than is required to digest fats or carbohydrates. So, protein intake gives you less net calories compared to eating the same number of calories of fats or carbohydrates. As you eat only protein and vegetables, each meal, every day, and avoid bad carbohydrates, you will see the pounds melt away. This is because your body’s insulin level will remain low and your net caloric intake will be less than it has in the past. This works for weight loss every single time.
Five. Increase your protein intake. This is especially important as you add the habit of daily exercise to your life. Many people, as they get older, eat less protein. This is exactly the opposite of what should happen. As we age, our muscles begin to atrophy (shrink and go away). Beginning in our 40s, we can lose up to 7 to 10% of our muscle mass EVERY decade. This occurs because of INADEQUATE PROTEIN INTAKE and LACK OF EXERCISE.
As we age, our protein intake should increase not decrease. Protein provides the building blocks (amino acids) needed to maintain and build muscle. As we age, if we don’t consume enough protein and don’t exercise, our muscle mass will steadily shrink away. Decreased muscle mass means decreased metabolic rate as well. A slower metabolic rate means that less calories are burned every day. So, as we age and lose muscle mass, we will gain weight if we continue to eat the same amount of food we’ve always eaten. So, eat at least 2 palm-sized portions of protein daily and start doing some kind of weight training, even if it’s push-ups and squats in your bathroom each morning.
Six. Drink the right fluid during exercise. Exercise is most effective at burning calories when there has been a period of fasting prior to exercise. The body will not burn fat until it has used up its current carbohydrate supply. If you eat or drink carbohydrates before or during exercise, then your body will burn the calories you just consumed for energy instead of burning the fat stored in your body. Conversely, if you eat nothing for several hours before you work out and drink only water before and during exercise, your body WILL burn fat for energy while you are working.
Seven. Don’t consume any drinks that contain sugar (carbohydrates). So many of us consume massive amounts of sugar in the liquids we drink. Fruit drinks are some of the unhealthiest fluids we can take into our bodies. They are NOT good for us and they are NOT a substitute for whole fruit. Fruit juices are full of sugar with a little bit of fruit juice sprinkled in for flavor. Fruit drinks are simply sugar in disguise. Drinking fruit juice or soda is exactly the same as drinking straight sugar.
Nine. Do we really need something sugary after each meal? The SAD diet (standard American diet) has conditioned us to desire something sweet after we eat, especially if the food was salty. The best way to decrease our desire for sweet stuff after meals are to brush our teeth right after we eat. This changes the flavor in our mouths and turns off the association in our brains that something sweet must be followed by a salty or fatty taste in our mouths.
Eleven. When it comes to following a diet, CHEATING IS NORMAL. Do not be discouraged if you find yourself cheating on your diet. This is normal behavior. The key is to reduce the number of times that you cheat to as few as possible. One way to decrease the cheating problem is to plan a few “cheats” each week. When you do cheat, be excited about it! Don’t stress out and worry, because, CHEATING IS NORMAL BEHAVIOR. Instead of feeling guilty, ENJOY the sweet treat when you cheat.
Fourteen. Eat healthy fats. Ensure that your intake of healthy fats is adequate. What are the healthy fats? Omega-3 fatty acids are the very best. About 60% of your brain is composed of fat. Omega-3 fatty acids make up at least 30% of your cerebral cortex, the part of your brain that is responsible for thinking and moving. So, doesn’t it make sense that our omega-3 fatty acid intake should be at least adequate? Where do omega-3 fatty acids come from? They come from fish, nuts, and vegetables like avocados.