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Glycemic Index & Glycemic Load:
Not all carbs behave badly. Some carbs have a large impact on blood
sugar or insulin and some have a much smaller impact on it. Generally
you want carbs that are going to have the least impact on your blood
sugar levels and therefore your weight. Below we have grouped foods that
have low to high effects on blood sugar levels. The way that these
levels are measured is with the glycemic index that uses glucose as a
benchmark at a value of 100. Generally, you want foods that are as low
as possible so that you can maintain a healthy lifestyle and an
appropriate weight. Each person reacts differently to different glycemic
values so you can start at one end of the spectrum and go up as far as
possible to see at what point the foods start to add to your overall
weight and try to stay below that level. The glycemic load is a way to
measure both the quality (glycemic index) as well as the quantity of a
carb in a meal. Below are some guidelines for the the glycemic index
and range:
Glycemic Index Range:
Low: 55 or less
Medium: 56-69
High: 70+
Glycemic Load Range:
Low: 10 or less
Medium: 11-19
High: 20+
Click here for full chart.
Water, Water, Water,
You must drink at least 64 ounces of water per day plus an extra 8 ounces of water for each 25 pounds you are overweight
Don't skip meals
People
who do have higher fat levels and tend to have difficulty losing
weight. Meal skipping also tends to slow down your metabolism, which
means your body will hang on to the fat.
Eat breakfast every day
You will feel more energized and will eat less during the day.
At parties and dinners out, avoid eating while you're talking, to avoid eating too much without realizing it.
Eat before you shop
Don't be hungry when you go shopping for food; you will have fewer temptations.
Shop the outside aisles
Shop
the outside supermarket aisles; they are the ones that usually carry
the fresh and frozen produce, and meat! The inner aisles are packed
with sugar loaded snacks and foods.
Try to buy fresh food
The more processed a food item is, the less nutritious it is.
Stay away from sugar substitutes
Don't
use too many sugar substitutes. Discover the natural taste and
sweetness of food without additives. When you eat out, ask how the food
you want is prepared, and if necessary request a low carb version. If
possible, find diet buddies, especially in your family.
Cut down on caffeine
Mainly from coffee, tea, and sodas the caffeine tends to make you
hungry and cause stalls. The same goes for cigarettes: they tend to
make you feel peckish, and they also make your skin age prematurely.
Potassium
Some people find they get tired very easy and have leg or muscle cramps
the first week or two. This is due to the loss of potassium because it
is flushed from the body with the initial water loss that comes from
switching to low carb. To avoid this, take a potassium supplement (99mg
three times a day) for the first several weeks. If you take any type of
potassium sparing "water pill" for blood pressure, check with your Dr
first as this may not be compatible with the blood pressure medicine.
If you aren't taking any BP meds then it's safe to take the potassium.
Weighing in
Don't weigh everyday unless you can handle it. Scale weight measures
water and waste in the body as well as fat so there can be several
pounds of fluctuation from day to day especially in women. Weekly or
monthly weighing is more recommended. Measuring is a better tool of
reference. But since muscle takes up less space than fat you can show a
loss in inches while never seeing the scale change. Also use the same
scale through out as scales slightly vary.
Exercise
Everyone knows that exercise is the most important thing when trying to
lose weight and will help raise your metabolism. For novices you can
start off with just a 20 minute walk a few times a week, then gradually
add in some weights. This is a good starting point until you feel you
are ready to take on more.
Support:
The best way to start out every diet is to have a buddy. And keep a
log, if you know you are going to have to write it down you might think
twice about that extra snack or might add a few more reps to your
workout.
Supplements:
Many people find it helpful to take fat metabolizing supplements like
CLA, chromium picolinate, carnitine, selenium, B-complex and others.
Flaxseed oil is high in omega 3s and can actually help your body burn fat.
Variety:
It's very important (especially on this way of eating) to vary your
daily diet with new and interesting foods. If you don't, you may get
bored with the same old foods and be tempted to go back to your old
fare. There are thousands of wonderful low carb recipes and meal
ideas available. Additionally, rotating through your foods will help
prevent you from developing food intolerances or allergies. These
happen when you eat the same thing over and over without variation and
intolerances to foods can cause stalls in weight loss among other
health problems.
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