10 Tips To Help You Lose Weight While Still Eating Carbohydrates
Here are 10 tips to help keep your carbohydrate intake from affecting your waistline:
1.- Educate Yourself. Get a book or chart detailing the glycemic index of the foods that you eat along with their macronutrient and fiber makeup. Choose carbohydrate sources that have a low glycemic index and if you do eat a food with a high index, combine it with a protein source with fat to lower the rate of digestion, which in turn will ultimately reduce the overall insulin response to the food. A good example of this would be steak and potatoes- on its own, potatoes create a rapid rise in blood sugar, however the fat present in steak serves to significantly reduce the insulin response. A look at foods like ice cream which has a glycemic index of is a good example of this, however you should not eat ice cream under any circumstances.
2.- Eat mainly fruits and vegetables with a relatively low glycemic index of under 50- (all fruits are not created equal- and so moderate your intake of high glycemic level fruits such as grapes and mangoes).
3.- Avoid processed and refined carbohydrates - Check labels for high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar, and partially hydrogenated oils.- and stay away from them! You cannot eat something that is inherently bad for your body in moderation.
4.- Make sure that the carbohydrates that you eat are in as natural a state as possible . The first and most important test for your carb sources, is to simply ask yourself if it would exist without the presence of food processing. If you would not be able to eat it if you were stranded in the wild, far away from supermarkets, fast food restaurants and convenience stores, then it is most likely not a good choice.
5.- Eat only carb sources that are high in fiber -(since fiber is not digested if you eat a food with 15 grams of carbs and 8 grams of fiber you are only really getting 7 grams of carbs.)
6.- If you have to eat things like cold cereal pasta or a bread product make sure it has over 3 grams of fiber per serving and is low in simple sugars- (that eliminates a lot on the market but if you look hard enough you can them out there)
7.- Remember that milk contains a significant amount of sugar.- and stay away from it! You also don't need it for its calcium. Milk is also a poor source of calcium in comparison to foods such as kelp and sardines. Trust me- you don't need it!
8.- Don't eat a lot of carbohydrates and a lot of fats at the same time. Fettucine Alfredo, donuts and French Fries are all exercises in weight gain.
9.- Consume an adequate supply of water at all times.
10.- Eat 5 to 6 small meals daily, always eating before you get hungry! If you wait until you are starving you are going crave everything that is bad for you!
Now everyone is different and as such each individual must determine exactly how much carbohydrates that you need. If you feel sleepy after a carb meal- you've eaten too much. Remember this is not a natural process and feeling sluggish after a meal isn't something to enjoy, it's a hint that you are doing something wrong. Spread out your carbohydrate intake throughout the day, taking in most of it earlier in the day and eating less and less as the day winds down. Even though carbohydrates are an essential part of a balanced diet the idea is not to overdo it. Good luck!
Author, personal trainer
NYC and champion natural bodybuilder, Kevin Richardson is the
founder of the Naturally Intense System of Diet & Exercise. Read
his blogs, download Kevin's free ebooks and learn more about his
unique NYC personal training service
at his official website.
Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Weight Loss Articles Via RSS!
