Weight Loss Made Simple – avoid fat free labels
The most common pitfall people make when attempting to lose weight is… INCONSISTENCY! If you want to lose weight, or see any results, being consistent is your only option.
If you search the internet for ideas and tips you will find many of the same. Sometimes the tips are helpful and simple, but other times those claims are far too detailed. Too detailed? Yes, too detailed. Completely living by the basics, which is proper nutrition in all aspects of life, is the first step to success. If the basic steps have not been integrated fully into your life then there is no need to go into specific details (i.e. detailed diets).
Before we begin there are a few things you must understand. First, be sure that you understand that these tips are not going to replace hard work and physical exercise. To truly lose weight and become healthier you must start to pay attention to your body composition, which is fat to lean mass ratio. Exercising 4-6 days per week is required. Second, smoking is not cool, so don’t smoke. Third, reduce or STOP the excessive alcohol drinking. Fourth, sugar will always be sugar, no matter how they “sugar coat it,” so avoid drinking sugary juices and sports drinks. Fifth, there is no such thing as a magic weight loss pill. Sixth, fried food tastes better because it makes you fatter, avoid it! With the pre-basics out of the way, let’s get into our first tip.
1. Fat Free leads to a Fatter Me.
Fat free labels have become a popular fad equal to that of skinny jeans. The truth, fat free foods contain far fewer nutrients with far more contaminations. Fat free dairy foods are stripped of the fat burning cancer fighting ingredient conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which are found in animal fats. CLA is often only found in organic foods that are less processed (i.e. organic milk). CLA is primarily responsible for promoting lean body mass, fat burning, and combating cancers such as prostate and breast.
As we look beyond CLA we find other reasons to eat healthier fats. Our body’s cells are comprised of two layers of lipids or fats. The types of fats that we consume dictate if our cells are comprised of healthy or unhealthy lipids. If our cells are unhealthy, due to our diet (i.e. trans fats) and lifestyle, than we will become more resistant to the hormone insulin. Resistance to insulin leads to diabetes and excessive fat gain. On the other hand, if our cells are made up of healthy fats than they will become more sensitive to the hormone insulin. Insulin sensitivity allows for glucose to be used as energy rather than being stored as fat. Insulin sensitivity will also promote a healthy metabolism. In short, healthy fats lead to greater levels of fat loss.
Fats are still fats, so even too much healthy fat is a bad thing. Therefore, balancing your fat intake is vital yet simple. Choose Omega-3 enriched foods such as fish and grass fed beef / wild meats. My personal favorite is Bison meat that is packed with antioxidants. Avoid consuming mass quantities of vegetable oils that contain high amounts of Omega-6’s. Your diet should consist of both omega-6 and omega-3. Most people get way too much omega-6 and herein lies a major problem. Solution, supplement with Omega-3 fatty acids. Fish oil can contain superior Omega-3’s as long as it is from a wild organic source. Start by supplementing 1 gram of Omega-3’s with every meal to stabilize blood sugar levels.
Long end short of it, eating healthy fats (Omega-3’s balanced with Omega-6’s) while avoiding fat-free and unhealthy fats (trans fats) will keep your cells sensitive to insulin, which will result in greater fat / weight loss and health.