Weight loss does not have to be so complicated,

but I know with all the Health Magazines, TV Advertisements, and popular Celebrity diet plans etc. we are bombarded with maybe too much information and it can get very confusing….

especially when the information changes so often!

 

What are we to eat?...

A no carb diet?

A low fat, high carbohydrate diet?

Maybe a juice fast will help? Or perhaps a cleanse? 

 

I have tried many diets over past 20 years and I found that one extreme lead to another; that is if I went on a "no fat diet" (which was really popular awhile back) I quickly craved nothing but fat within no time! And when I went on a "no carb diet" I desperately wanted sugar in it’s most simplest forms!! I finally realized that the proper balance of nutritious healthful foods was the natural way to go.

 

First things first,

Fat Loss begins with proper exercise for example get your DAILY HIIT WORKOUTS in at least 3-5 times a week! Gotta turn your body into a Fat-Burning Machine!

I add in 2 50 minute jog/walk days outside with Yoga stretches as well to relax muscles, assist recovery and more fat burning.

Secondly, is Diet...

of course diet is not only what fuels your workouts, but what regenerates your body after training. If you are looking for weight loss, fat loss, AND youthfulness, energy, and Longevity what you eat is going to make all the difference!

 

The healthiest and best way to lose weight, I believe, is with an alkaline diet, 60-80% raw, living, natural green alkaline foods and 20-40% cooked foods which would include cooked meat, fish, eggs, whole grain or sprouted breads, whole wheat pasta, beans, brown rice, cheeses, & milk products.

 

Almost all foods that we eat, after being digested, absorbed, and metabolized, release either an acid or an alkaline base (bicarbonate) into the blood. Grains, fish, meat, poultry, shellfish, cheese, milk, and salt all produce acid. Consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables has decreased over the years, which has made the Western diet acid-producing.

 

Our blood is slightly alkaline, with a normal pH level of between 7.35 and 7.45. The theory behind the alkaline diet is that our diet should reflect this pH level (as it did in the past) and be slightly alkaline.  A diet high in acid-producing foods disrupts this balance and promotes the loss of essential minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium, as the body tries to restore equilibrium it pulls minerals from the body. Calcium for example is very alkaline and is pulled from the bones to alkalize the blood this is not good as we want to have good bone density to prevent osteoporosis later in life.

I know I have veered off the topic of weight loss but it is only because I want to emphasize that losing weight at the sacrifice of health is not the answer. A low calorie diet devoid of any nutrition is going to catch up with you, yes, you may get skinny and look ‘perfect’ on the outside, but who knows what it has done to you on the inside. I tend not to focus on calories too much, because of this reason. Reduce, limit, or wean yourself off processed foods because ingredients with names you can’t pronounce are toxic and will hinder your weight loss & health success. Second, take a good look at your portion sizes of meat, pastas, cheeses, bread, white rice and reduce that as well eg. If you normally have 1.5 cups white pasta …start to reduce with 1 cup & add more veggies to your plate, then reduce to 3/4 cup moving forward, but keep adding veggies! Alternatively, you can substitute with quinoa, squashes, yams, or wild rice and brown rice increasing your nutrition but lowering your calories. This would be a good healthy example of reducing your caloric intake. Third, half your plate should consist of vegetables, raw, steamed, roasted, or sautéed.  And fourth would include a small portion of protein, about the size of a deck of cards (3 ounces) or a little more for men (4 ounces). Many grocery stores have a great selection of pre – packaged vegetables including my favourites snap peas, snow peas, butternut squash, green beans, carrots, even broccoli, baby bok choy, kale, zucchini, cauliflower, mushrooms, asparagus, cilantro, celery….the list goes on….. Maybe you should consider the investment in convenience until you are doing it on your own. You have to start somewhere right? And your health and well-being is worth it!

You might find this transition difficult, but try not to get overwhelmed. If you take just one step towards health everyday a little change here, a little change there, pretty soon you’ll find it was worth the effort because YOU are worth the effort!