
Trying to eat to lose weight is a veritable minefield. Granted, some of it is basic common sense, even though we ignore the obvious - that we will never lose weight Weight Loss we lounge about all day and eat cheeseburgers and pizza for every meal. Sad but true! Even if you are one of those people who remain thin as a lath, you won't Diet Program healthy on that kind of regime, and you won't feel energized and full of vitality as you should.
So is there really a "best" way to diet? Some method of eating reasonably healthily to lose fat and still enjoy some of the treats we all love? Actually, there is. There is a growing body of evidence to show that glycemic index diets may be the way to go.
Now I'm no saint Fat Loss Expert it comes to eating what I should, as opposed to what I want. In my case it's fresh bread; Weight Loss cheese (the stinkier the better!), and tortilla chips with guacamole. And I haven't even mentioned the good wine yet. If I had to give those up altogether for the rest of my life, I think I'd shoot myself and destroy the world right now.
So the common sense approach has to be the middle ground - not 50/50, but 80/20. Eat as you should 80% of the time, and eat what you'd like for the rest. That way any cravings get satisfied, and you'll still lose weight without feeling too hard-done-to.
A diet that I think is full of common sense is the GI Diet. GI stands for Glycemic Index, which is a measure of how quickly foods containing carbohydrate are absorbed by the body and turned into fuel.
Foods with a high GI listing are absorbed quickly and cause blood sugar levels to rise sharply, which prompts the body to release insulin to bring levels down. Insulin release is linked to fat storage, so basically, the slower food is absorbed, the better. And it is no surprise that most high GI foods are processed foods such as white bread and sugary foods like cornflakes. It is not difficult to make the substitution here to wholegrain bread and a bran-based cereal - or even better - porridge oats (oatmeal). These latter are low GI, largely unprocessed, don't contain much sugar and are full of fiber. Because they are absorbed slowly, they give sustained energy, fill you up for longer so you're tempted to snack less, and are fairly low in calories.
The GI Diet gives you a list of all commonly-used carbohydrates, ranging from French bread to watermelon, puffed rice to parsnips. High GI foods are coded red (best avoided), amber (medium - have occasionally) and green (low GI - eat regularly and enjoy). Recipes and snack ideas are given, and there's even an eating-out guide. All the calculations on how much of what to eat per day are made for you.
The best meals are those made up of protein, carbs and small quantities of "good" fats, such as olive oil.
Protein choices should be lean meat such as chicken or turkey with red meat occasionally; fish, or a vegetarian equivalent such as soya - which, interestingly counts as a protein and a carbohydrate choice and has an incredibly low GI value of 15. No wonder Japanese women don't get fat!
If you Fat Loss Expert regular exercise into your life, and follow the good guidelines given in the GI Diet, you can't help but lose weight, and you'll never feel hungry. Fat loss will be steady and sustainable at 1 - 2lb per week, and you'll have the added bonus of knowing you are nourishing your body and helping to protect it from heart disease and some cancers.
And that's about as sensible as it gets.
I'm Carol J Bartram and I hold qualifications in Personal Training, Nutrition and Pilates.I believe that a healthy lifestyle is a balance of exercise, sensible eating and some relaxation - Work, Eat and Play! If you would like to learn how to fit all these into a hectic schedule, please visit my website Natural Weight Loss
If you would like to read more about the GI Diet then please follow this link The GI Diet