Kick the Calorie Count
Long term and sustainable weight loss is very difficult to for women to achieve. This is because it is often linked to complex and underlying metabolic imbalances. Too often a weight loss programme focuses on calorie restriction as it aims to balance calories in with calories used.
This is one of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to weight loss as it is not so much about calories as about what type of calories you are consuming and how they are processed. Simply carbohydrates and glucose trigger insulin which stops stored fat from being utilized as energy, and insulin is responsible for unlocking the door to allow energy from carbs, fat and protein to be stored as fat. If you minimize insulin production, excess energy intake cannot access fat cells.
The fact is that when you eat a diet low in carbs and sugar you don’t just make fat storage very difficult, but you increase the nutrient density of your dietary intake and boost your metabolism. You rev up your metabolism and you keep full for longer.
What does a simple guide look like? Meals should be based on plenty of protein foods – meat, chicken, fish, eggs and dairy; plenty of vegetables and fruit, and don’t forget fibre from great sources such as raw vegetables and fruit, nuts, pulses and wholegrains.
Fats should be heavier on the omega 3’s – fish oil, walnuts, flaxseeds and canola oil, use olive oil cold, cook with a little canola or bran oil and increase saturated fats such as butter for cooking, egg yolks, raw coconut. Dietary cholesterol provides the backbone for hormones, connective tissue, energy and to make vitamin D.
Consuming a diet low in carbohydrates does not leave you short of usable energy. The body is a powerhouse for burning fats if only it gets a chance. Consuming carbs doesn’t allow for this as the muscles will use carbs in preference to making its own.
Research shows that low starchy carb eating is the most effective way to lose weight, improve insulin function, improve blood sugar levels, prevent certain cancers, and improve cardiovascular health.
Book you appointment with Stephanie Karl to get the underlining reason why you struggle with weight loss. Being overweight is not always caused by what you eat, but is often affected by various other factors preventing you from shaking off that extra wobble.
By Stephanie Karl
Nutritionist,
Dubai London Clinic
