Reality Test Weight Loss Success – What Really Works!

When I was a kid, I would insist that my parents buy these specific shoes that I thought would make me run faster and jump higher. In my teens I wanted to wear certain clothes that would make me part of the crowd. Some adults today believe that driving a certain car will make them more popular and increase their chances of dating the right person. As an adult, I realize many of us are using these same types of media-driven magical/wishing thoughts when choosing how to lose weight. Somehow we believe there is a quick fix for years of inactivity and careless eating habits.

I’ve been in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years, and I continue to be amazed at how easily so many of us are led into the profit-driven hype that the media feeds us. By telling us how the use of philosophy ‘X’ or product ‘Y’ will lead to rapid and successful weight loss. Drawing from my experiences wrestling in high school; at the National Level of Weightlifting; I currently practice Mixed Martial Arts, as well as having been a psychotherapist, I know what works and what doesn’t, as well as the struggles it takes to get there. I have witnessed the frustration of 100 if not thousands of clients who came to me after trying the latest diet trend and getting little to no results. I know what works in the real world. I know how to help you get there because I have helped 100 if not 1,000’s of clients achieve their weight loss goals. And there is no magic involved.

The process is quite simple, eat more calories than you burn and weight gain. Eat fewer calories than you burn and you’ll have lose weight. The trick, of course, is not to deprive yourself so much that you feel hungry while consuming fewer calories.

There have been numerous approaches to weight loss ranging from philosophies that encourage certain foods to be eaten together, to cabbage soup diets, eating foods specific to your blood type, and eating as much fat and protein as you want. Yet through all these trends, the same fact remains. Eat fewer calories than you burn and you will lose weight.. There are no quick fixes and, at the same time, there is no need to suffer excessively when modifying your nutritional intake.

So what works? You must be wondering by now. What can I eat and how can I lose those unwanted pounds that are not only unattractive to me, but inhibit my quality of life? The answer is pretty simple..

Let me tell you why.

The unfortunate truth is that most of us don’t really know what we eat on a day to day basis. We get hungry and we put something in our mouths. Part of any successful weight loss program is first keeping track of what you eat. I have my clients keep a 5-day food journal to start the process. This gives each of us an idea of ​​the modifications that need to be made to get from point A to point B. I rely on old, real-life, scientifically-based truths about how the body works and what gets results for my clients. .

In June 2002, Consumer Reports published an article called The truth about diet. In it, they effectively and accurately present the guidelines/strategies that I have been advocating for my clientele for years to achieve successful weight loss. Consumer Reports conducted the largest survey ever conducted on long-term weight loss maintenance, 32,213 respondents. From this group they found 5 key points necessary for successful long-term weight loss. And in August 2002, LA Health News published an article using information reviewed by the iVillage.com website, which reviewed several of the top diet plans for their hunger (whether they left you feeling hungry), health (do you get the nutrients you need), ease (it’s easy to follow), and cost (this diet will break your bank).

I could go on listing volumes of references to all the information available to guide you to success, but the key elements are pretty simple. And probably not that different from the ideas your mother used to tell you. Simply put, unless otherwise directed by a doctor, she should have one protein, one carbohydrate, and one fat at each meal. Meals should be spaced approximately every two and a half to three and a half hours. This could be three typical meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner, with two snacks (one mid-morning snack and one late afternoon snack), or five small meals throughout the day. Because? Because your body needs consistent nutrition throughout the day to stay alert, maintain energy levels, and keep your body burning fat instead of storing it.

1) Carbohydrates: According to the Consumer Reports article, Area by Barry Sears, and many other diet plans. One of the most important keys to a successful weight loss program is controlling your blood sugar level. The body’s use of carbohydrates is the key to success and is a regular part of diets. There are essentially two types of carbohydrates: low glycemic index such as vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and high-fiber foods, and high glycemic index, which include foods such as white rice, pasta, refined flour, bread, potatoes, and sugar. During digestion, carbohydrates are broken down into sugar (glucose) molecules. When they reach the bloodstream, the pancreas releases insulin, which is the only way cells can take up glucose and therefore use glucose for energy. However, high-glycemic carbohydrates that work on an empty stomach create a spike in blood sugar that is uncomfortable for the body (not to mention stored as triglycerides (an indicator of heart disease risk)). In response, the body releases a surge of insulin that often drives blood sugar levels below normal and therefore increases the desire for more (often high-glycemic) carbohydrates. It’s important to note that your brain is the second largest consumer of carbohydrates in the body, so drastically cutting back, or worse, omitting carbs entirely, is an easy way to affect your clear thinking, not to mention your energy levels. .

The key is to minimize the amount of high-glycemic carbohydrates you eat at each meal. If you have a high-glycemic carb in your meal, be sure to include about twice that amount of low-glycemic carbs. That way, you can control your insulin levels and therefore your energy levels.

2) Protein: Other than the Atkins dietMany traditional reducing diets restrict protein intake. However, recent research has shown that protein actually helps slow down the absorption of food. For example, if you eat a serving of fish with some white rice, even though I suggest brown rice, your blood sugar will rise more slowly than if you eat the same number of calories with just white rice. Therefore, protein can help in a low glycemic diet, as well as help you control your insulin. Protein also serves to fuel muscles. Without the amino acids present in protein, your muscles would starve. Maintaining your muscle (often referred to as lean mass) is what allows you to keep your metabolism up and therefore burn more calories.

The key is to choose lean proteins, such as lean cuts of beef, pork, egg whites, fish, chicken, turkey, and reduced-fat dairy products.

3) Fat: Although we have been led to believe that fat is bad for some time, recent research encourages the use of fat for weight loss and good health. Fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated vegetable oils, olive oil, avocados, nuts, and fish oil seem to protect people against heart disease. Also, adding fat to your food reduces the rate of absorption of food, allowing you to feel full longer. In addition, this slower rate of absorption slows the rise in blood sugar that would occur if fats were not included in meals containing high-glycemic carbohydrates.

The key is to use healthy fats to maintain complete nutrition and health.

4) Consistency: It seems like it’s not so much what you do in your weight loss strategy but how often you do it. Those who are most successful at losing weight and keeping it off do so by making better food choices and exercising regularly.

Again, the idea is to meet your nutritional requirements while lowering your total calories and not feeling hungry. One of the best ways to do this is to choose foods high in fiber and water. The idea is to make your body feel full before you’ve consumed too many calories. The easiest way to do this is to choose foods that are high in fiber and water, such as vegetables, grains, and lean meats. Simply drinking water after a meal, while helpful, does not create the same feeling of satiety as when water is part of the meal. An example used by Consumer Reports is having chicken noodle soup versus having chicken and noodles side by side on one plate.

To sum up, eat every three and a half to four hours, include one protein, one high-glycemic carbohydrate, and about twice as many of one low-glycemic carbohydrate, and be sure to include fat at each meal. Exercise regularly and POW watch the unwanted pounds fall off and disappear!

Now, if all of this still sounds too complicated to get results AND if you’re ready to have the body you’ve always wanted, contact me at [email protected] and I can help you create a nutrition program that won’t break the bank and will. get results fast! Call me now at (310) 397-0089.

NOTE:

In the spring of 2000, the US Public Health Services Centers for Disease Control declared obesity an epidemic among all segments of the population, in all regions of the country. In 2001, the CDC officially recognized obesity as the #1 epidemic in the United States. According to the CDC, one in five American adults is obese, defined as 30 percent over the ideal weight for height. Obesity has risen among American adults by nearly 60 percent in the past decade, and about half of Americans are overweight.

These extra pounds are known to increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and are associated with several types of cancer, including breast, colon, kidney, liver, pancreatic, and rectal.