Truestar Offers Excellent Weight Loss Advice

This Christian Post column gives some pretty good weight loss advice from a group called Truestar Health that I thought was worth sharing with you.

The article notes as I did in this earlier blog post that recent studies confirm skipping breakfast makes you four times more likely to be obese than if you ate breakfast regularly and that mindlessly ordering off restaurant menus can cost you in your waistline.

Four food guidelines that are "guaranteed" to help you lose and maintain your weight are provided in the story:

1. Eat a moderate size breakfast, a larger lunch and a small dinner. In addition, include one small snack daily either in the morning or in the afternoon. By doing so, your blood sugar will be regulated all day long making you crave less and lose weight.

I like this suggestion because it gets your day started right and keeps your metabolism fueled for energy throughout the day. This mirrors my own eating plan of having a lot of meals throughout the day so you ward off hunger and allow your body to function at the highest level of energy and productivity. Just stay away from the sugar, white flour, and starches!

2. If possible, stop eating by 7 PM. By practicing this step and this step alone, you will quickly drop five pounds. If you must munch in the evening, make it a healthy balanced snack such as hummus (chickpea dip), veggies, yogurt, fruits and nuts.

I don't eat much after 7pm unless I am just particularly hungry or if I work late at my part-time job and hadn't eaten since lunch that day. It is better if you can stop eating early to give your body time while you are sleeping to burn fat while you are in ketosis. But sometimes life doesn't afford you that luxury, so try to eat a light to moderate low-carb snack after 7pm.

3. Make sure all of your meals and snacks contain all three macronutrients - proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Most people “overdo it” on the carbohydrates and are deficient in protein. In order to achieve your goal weight, protein is essential.

This is going to come as a shock to people who oppose the low-carb lifestyle, but I agree with this suggestion. GASP! But I thought low-carbers didn't eat carbohydrates?!?!?! Can you believe I still actually have people come up to me and ask how I live without eating any carbs at all?! I look at them like they're crazy and politely explain that I eat lots of carbs, sometimes as many as 100g per day now. They are stunned when I tell them this and I go on to explain that low-carb doesn't mean NO carb. But eliminating unnecessary carbs is what livin' la vida low-carb is all about.

As for protein, I could not agree more with the suggestion to get more in your diet because it helps your body burn fat, increase your bone strength, and be satiated. Protein is the power food of the future if the negative press about meat and low-carb would stop their bias for just a moment to see the wonderful research confirming this fact.

4. Include calorie-light, nutrient-dense foods into your daily diet such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lentils, lean proteins (chicken, fish, soy, egg whites) and good fats (olives, nuts, seeds, flax and fish oils).

While I appreciate that healthy fats and other foods are promoted, you really need to be careful about which fruits, vegetables and lentils you put in your body. Not all of them are low enough in carbs because of their sugar and starch content. Eat up on the meat and better fruit and veggie choices as well as whole grain breads. That's the fun part of livin' la vida low-carb and should be savored bite after delicious bite.

There are some excellent meal suggestions included at the end of this article that are perfect when you are livin' la vida low-carb. It is certainly worth a peek for those of you who struggle with what to eat on your low-carb lifestyle. Get started on the right foot with these suggestions and then tailor it to your own tastes and desires. Enjoy eating right and getting healthy -- the low-carb way!