Are you tired of yoyo-ing with your weight? Then, quit cutting carbs out of your meals everytime you try to lose weight! This issue never seems to go away and people continue time and time again to get suckered into thinking that if they eliminate their carbs, they will get the weight loss they desire. Many people think this idea is "scientific" and "cutting edge." However, this idea has been around for decades and is only supported by very shaky science. The idea actually died for many years because it plain and simple doesn't work LONG-TERM. Eventually, the idea was brought back to life because enough time had passed that many people forgot it didn't work and then you throw in a clever marketing scheme to back up the old idea and it seems like a new idea.
Unfortuneately, when it comes to weight loss, people are easily fooled. They don't understand how the body actually works and buy into eating plans that give them quick results, but set them up for failure in the long-term. I like to say, "If the scale is dropping too fast, the weight loss won't last." Rapid weight loss is always a red flag in my book. People often approach me and brag about their weight loss. "I have lost 20 lbs in 3 weeks." My words back to them aren't, "that is great, keep up the good work." What I am thinking is, "I can't believe that they are starving themselves and/or cutting carbs to lose weight. They are going to gain it all back as fast as they took it off." I will never give someone praise for weight loss until I know how they are losing weight. There are a lot of ways to lose weight, but only 1 way to keep it off. Part of that 1 way is EAT CARBS!
To give you a statement that shows you how important carbs are for weight loss I will tell you this...
I went to a nutrition seminar a couple years back that was lead by several NUTRITION PH D's. They said,
"The fat gets burned on the flames of the carbs." So, if you are not putting carbs in, your metabolic fire will eventually burn out and you will then begin to store fat like a bear preparing for hibernation. The deception is that it usually takes around 3 months or so before the metabolic fire dies. What this means is that during that 3 months of very limited or no carbs, your body will burn a little fat, but a lot of muscle. Your muscles have thousands of calories of stored carbs in them called glycogen. If you don't put carbs in your body, your body WILL pull carbs out of your muscle and use them for energy...that is plain and simple science. As your muscle gets burned (this is very bad), you will lose weight because muscle makes up more than half your bodyweight in most individuals. Yes, you will be temporarily happy because the scale is going down and cloths are starting to fit better, but that happiness will turn into great disappointment and frustration when you hit what I call the metabolic WALL. This is the point when your body says, "I've had enough of this." Your body then goes into preservation mode and holds onto fat like that hibernating bear and turns the metabolism off.
So now, you have flushed muscle down the toilet for 3 months which means that you burn way less calories everyday than before AND you have put your body into fat-storing mode. The weight you did lose comes back with a vengence and your bodyfat % actually goes higher from the carb restriction in the long run because you now have less muscle and more fat. It is a vicious cycle that has claimed countless victims.
The truth is that all these people had to do to avoid the failure was not eliminate carbs, but change the carbs they were eating and eat the carbs at the right time. Taking whole grains out of your diet to lose weight is like trying to reduce your monthly cashflow output by using a credit card. There will be a debt to pay back...a big FAT debt. It will now take you months to regain the muscle you lost and begin retraining your metabolism. Save yourself from this disaster and eat AT LEAST 5 servings (preferrably 7) of REAL whole grains everyday. Feed your muscles so they burn fat for you. Your fat metabolism LOVES whole grains. God even tells us to eat whole grains...check out Ezekial 4:9 among other verses that talk about eating grains and fruits. You want to make sure that the fruit is organic and grown in nutrient-rich soil. The farmer's market is a great place to find this kind of fruit. And for the whole grain, make sure it is sprouted whole grains like Ezekial grain products for example. If you eat rice, it should be whole grain. You should see whole grain as the first ingredient to ensure that it is a true whole grain or just eat the grain itself like Quinoa or unprocessed Steel Cut Oats.
I will leave you with my food pyramid since they have now thrown the food pyramid out the window and come up with a new system called the food plate that is still wrong. Once you get the focus off of losing weight and onto lifestyle, you will then see long-term success. Here you go...
8 glasses of purified/filtered water
7 servings of TRUE whole grains
6 servings of lean and clean protein
5 servings of healthy fats
4 servings of nutrient-rich veggies
3 servings of nutrient-rich fruits
2 natural protein shakes
1 small treat of whatever you want
There you have it! There can be slight alterations made to this, but the core of it remains the same for everyone. People try 100 different things to lose weight, but the fact is that if you want real, lasting results, follow this plan, do metabolic exercise and supplement with plant-based products. There is a reason why I stay less than 10% bodyfat year-round. CONSISTENCY of doing all of this including eating loads of fat-burning carbs EVERYDAY. I am not trying to brag...it's just that I have been in the trenches of this for over 10 years and have worked with hundreds of people and I see what works long-term and what doesn't. What kind of results do you want?
