Who Wants to Lose Weight? Part Two

I trust that after reading part one last week you have already increased your water consumption, improved your digestion and are taking a quality multivitamin to assist in nutrient uptake. If you did not read part one, please read this for yourself soon.

In part two we are going to address some of the simple first nutritional steps to assist in losing weight.

It is always important to include all your macronutrients at every meal. Your macronutrients are your proteins, fats and carbohydrates. If you leave any of these out from your snack or meal this will likely lead to a poor conversion of energy in your body and ultimately lead to cravings and the need for more food. The unfortunate reality is that this often leads to some poor quality of snacks or stimulants to “quick fix” your energy.

In regard to protein, it has been shown that increasing dietary protein intake to an amount that equals 25% of total calorie intake facilitates weight loss and white adipose tissue reduction in persons afflicted with obesity. When consuming your protein, be sure to include a source that is as close to natural as possible and use processed proteins only in a pinch. Flesh protein itself is a great source but you want to be sure to use grass fed, free range, wild caught and organically fed as much as possible. If it is difficult to find this high quality in the area you live, please visit www.DepkeWellness.com and click on the Preferred Health Partner page. There you will find links to Blackwing Meats and Vital Choice Seafood, for the highest of quality you are looking for. I just received my shipment of Vital Choice Seafood yesterday at my home and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into the salmon that is out of this world.

You could also include eggs, nuts, seeds, nut butters and raw cheese. The best protein source nuts would be almonds, cashews and peanuts (peanuts are actually a legume). Seeds are best when sprouted due to the fact that this will increase the protein content and in regard to eggs, please use free range and organic. When using dairy as your protein use raw if available. You can actually purchase raw cheese at markets such as Whole Foods and if you live in California, raw dairy is available in many local markets. For more information on raw dairy go to www.RealMilk.com.

As far as fat is concerned, you do not want to exclude this macronutrient. I know that our culture has been fat phobic for about thirty years but my question is, “How’s that been working for us?” The reality is that since we have reduced fat consumption in our culture, we have actually gotten fatter. Please use health fats such as avocado, raw nuts, raw seeds, coconut oil, raw butter, olive oil and when cooking your eggs, cook sunny side up to hold maintain the integrity of the fat in the yolk. It is also best to consume your fat raw due to the damage created by heating fat. Definitely stay away from cooked vegetable oils since the heat will damage the molecules and create hydrogenated oils.

Now with carbohydrates; if you really want to lose weight, you will only eat low glycemic carbs. Understand that the trigger for weight gain is insulin and insulin is increased when we consume high glycemic carbs due to the fact that this raises blood sugar levels. Blood sugar stability is such a key to optimal weight and the consumption of low glycemic carbs along with proper protein and fat will assist in maintaining optimal blood sugar stability.

So for carb consumption, I would recommend including an above ground vegetable with every meal, since the above ground veggies are typically lower on the glycemic scale. Replace the bread on your sandwich with a large romaine lettuce leaf and create a wrap. Instead of pasta, steam some green beans or use spaghetti squash as the vehicle for your favorite pasta sauce with grated cheese.

I would recommend restricting any flour products and even fruit when you are trying to loose weight. Yes, I know, there are a lot of nutrients in fruit, but there is also quite a bit of sugar that challenges the blood glucose. If you do have an occasional flour product or fruit, be sure to eat it directly with added fat, as the fat will slow down the release of glucose.

These tips along with what you implemented last week should get you well on your way to the weight loss or general health that you are looking to achieve. Next week in part three we will address some common misconceptions in regard to exercise and weight loss.

If you have any questions or comments in regard to this article please leave them below.