There are about a thousand different books covering hundreds of ways to lose weight but it seems so difficult to actually do. How can there be so many ways to accomplish the same task when, in reality, there is only one real way to lose weight without surgery? Balance your calorie intake based on your bodies needs. So, what is YOUR best way to lose weight?
In my mind, most of this comes down to food preferences. For most meat loving Americans, men in particular, weight loss tips that involve high protein and low carb meals seem to work best. That’s because we THINK it fits best into our taste in food. If I offered the typical guy the choice between a T-bone steak for lunch and a bowl of lettuce, they would almost always choose the steak. Heck, for most women the choice would be the same. The truth is, even though we think we don’t need the carbs, anybody who has tried doing it for more than a few days will tell you, it isn’t easy.
We all seem to forget about the bottomless basket of chips we enjoy with salsa at our favorite Mexican restaurant. There are almost 20 grams of carbs in a typical serving of tortilla chips and most of us are eating about 4 or 5 servings before we get our meal (which usually includes more tortillas). Now think about all the sugar, the worst form of carbs, in that Snickers bar you had between lunch and dinner. Once you get home and crack open a beer (or two) you’ve just added even more carbs to your diet without really thinking about it.
Considering one of the many low-fat diets? This may become even more difficult even without eating a piece of fried food. Most cakes and pastries are loaded with fat and typically it’s in the very unhealthy form of shortening. That boiled egg you just ate probably has enough fat in it to consume more than half of your allowable grams for most low fat diets. Cheese, milk, ice cream and most other dairy items are loaded down with hidden fats.
So what’s the solution? For most people it’s a healthy combination of both items. This way you don’t have to deny yourself all of the good foods you enjoy that may be higher in fat and you don’t have to completely wipe out all of the carbohydrates that provide your body with energy. Two of the most popular diets that take this approach are The Zone Diet and The South Beach Diet.
The most important thing for you to remember is, you’re not going on a diet. When you go on a diet, you typically follow that up with going OFF of a diet. Make this a lifestyle change and give yourself the chance to cheat from time-to-time. Birthday cake isn’t a problem when you have it on your birthday. It’s a problem when you have it everyday.
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