In the first installment of Fat Loss 1-2-3 (make sure that you read it first if you haven’t already) I told you that the first thing that you have to focus on in your diet if you want to lose weight is get rid of all the excess sugar that you might be consuming.

How did that work for you?

Is the weight falling off?  Great, stick to just step 1 for now and if things start to stall come back here and read on.

Not working for you or your results have stalled.  Well make sure you keep at step 1  and start working at step 2.

What is step 2 of your 3 part weight loss strategy?

Reduce Your Starch Intake.

Starches are found in both the white and 100% whole grain versions of breads, pastas and rices.

Most dietitians, the government and especially the media will tell you that you need more starches in your diet.  Food Guide Pyramid anyone.

Only listen to these people if your goal is to be a fat diabetic with heart disease.

Let me explain.  If you eat a lot of sugars and starches you literally become addicted to them.  This happens when people go too long between meals and their blood sugar gets too low.  When your blood sugar gets low you become tired and/or cranky and crave carbohydrates like a drug addict.  Because of this you eat too much of them.  When you do this your body releases insulin.  Most people’s bodies have a tendency to release too much insulin which causes your blood sugar to get low again.  Ensure viscous cycle.  Hello fat gain, diabetes and heart disease.

Think of carbohydrates  as your drug of choice and insulin as your pusher.

How do you kick this addiction and the fat gain that comes with it?

Limit your intake of starch.

One serving of starch is roughly 20 grams.  This include,

• 1 slice of bread
• 1 cup of cereal (hot and cold)
• 1/2 large potato
• 1/2 cup pasta (cooked)
• 1/2 cup rice (cooked)
• 1/2 cup beans

On days you don’t work out keep your starch intake to zero to 2 serving.  On days you do workout (hard) you can bump your intake up to 2 to 4 servings to give your body the fuel it needs.   Ladies, keep your serving on the lower end.   Guys keep it on the upper end, especially if you weight 200 lbs or more (like I currently do).

Ok if I cut out sugar and starches, what is left for me to eat?

Good question and with today’s american eating a pretty high percentage of their calories for carbs, I understand why you might be worried. So here are some other rules to help you reach your fat loss goals.

1.)  Eat a ton of fruits and vegetables. No one ever got fat from eating produce. Try over eating them, I dare you.  Just make sure you stay away from potatoes, corn, beans and peas.  As thay contain too much starch.

2.)  Have protein with every meal. And no eating too much will not damage  healthy kidneys.  The study everyone keep touting is flawed and proves nothing.  You want to stick to about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. So if you weight 150 lbs eat 150 grams of protein a day. It has been shown in correctly done, scientifically accurate research studies that dieters that eat more protein lose more fat and feel more satisfied.  And staying satisfied will keep you on the right track.  So make sure you have greek yogurt, cheese, milk, meat eggs, nuts or a protein shake at every meals.  Heck have two.

3.) Eat fat if you want to lose fat. Don’t worry it won’t go to your trouble spots unless you are eating too much overall.  And that should happen if you follow these steps.  No junk food = less overall fat and calories.  Like protein fat keeps you fuller longer.  And it is quite tasty.  So eat the fatty meat, cheese, milk, butter, avocados, nuts and olive oil.  Just don’t overdo it.

4.)  Stop when you are satisfied, not stuffed. Cleaning your plate is not necessary. Tell you mom to shush. Since you are now eating the right amounts of protein, fats and fiber, you will fill up faster and stay satisfied longer. This helps regulate your blood sugar which lowers your appetite and the amount of calories you consume.  Hello fat loss.

So now that you are following steps 1 and 2 you should notice that you spare tire is getting flat and that junk keeps disappearing from your trunk.  Keep it up for at least 2 weeks.  And if things start to stall make sure that you check out part 3.

Your friend and trainer,

Paul F. Sweatt.

Tags: beans, bread, fat, pasta, produce, protein, rice, satisfied, starch, starches, weight loss, weight loss strategy

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 at 11:01 pm and is filed under Fitness, Nutrition, Weight Loss Strategies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted by Paul | in Fitness, Nutrition, Weight Loss Strategies | 1 Comment