I’ve looked at and tried many diets. That doesn’t make me an expert on nutrition but I can share my opinions on those I’ve tried and what works best for me. Over the years I feel like I’ve tried everything – high carb/low fat all the way to little to no carbs and all protein/fat.
In this post I’m not going to discuss the specific of those diets, but I will share what I’ve learned from them.
- Regardless of the carbs/protein/fats weight loss boils down to calories. You can eat all the right things but if you take in more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight. Sure, where you get those calories from can make you feel better, make you less hungry longer, get you feeling fuller faster, and maybe even give you a little bit of an advantage in the battle of calories in vs. out.
- More meals, smaller meals. Our bodies work better this way. Stomachs shrink or adjust to smaller meals and get fuller with less. In addition our bodies can only utilize so much within a given period of time, excess will be stored. Large meals also raise blood sugar which causes our bodies to release insulin which not only helps to regulate the blood sugar it also helps the body store fat and can cause cravings.
- Drink lots of water. I’ve seen estimates from 8 8oz glasses per day, all the way to a gallon per day. This helps our body work more efficiently to flush out toxins and synthesize proteins. It also helps with the weight loss by keeping us hydrated and can even help us to feel full. Staying hydrated also makes sure that we don’t mistake thirst for hunger.
Those three are just a few things that if you started today would have you losing weight in no time. I’ll dig in to more specifics about the different diets and what I’m eating in a later post.What diet works best?
