You Don't Need To Cut Out Carbs To Lose Weight Permanently!
Whether you should cut out carbs altogether or reduce them
substantially has caused serious debate in the weight loss industry.
Many people claim that you need to cut out carbohydrates entirely in
order to lose weight rapidly. I am sure you are all aware of one
extremely popular diet system that advocates a substantial reduction
in carbs. Well you won't be surprised to know that peddlers of this
system have made millions of dollars out of unsuspecting weight
losers.
The truth is, not only should you not cut out carbs completely; it's
actually dangerous to do so. First of let us analyze why you don't
need to cut out carbs. Contrary to what the so called "diet gurus" tell
you, carbohydrates are not fattening. Just stop for a while and think
about what I just said. Now I realise that this information is contrary to
what you are being told by many "experts" but it's the absolutely truth.
It is one big lie to say that carbohydrates are fattening.
What will cause you put on weight is if you consume more calories
than you burn. It's that simple. A calorie is just a calorie, nothing
more. It doesn't matter whether you get your calories from protein,
carbohydrates or fat. What matters is that you are active enough to
burn more calories than you consume.
There are many reasons why carbohydrates have been singled out
as the food that contributes to weight gain. First of all it is what we
add to many of our carb based foods that lead people to believe that
carbs cause weight gain.
Copyright©2009 www.HowToThinkSlim.com
Think about the large dollops of margarine or butter you put on your
piece of toast. Or what about the rich cheese or tomato sauce that
you add to your bowl of pasta. It's these additions that are sneakily
causing you to pile on the pounds, not the carbs themselves. So if
you want to lose weight, cut down these fats not the carbs.
Secondly you need to understand a little diet history to see why carbs
have become so controversial. During the 60's and 70's scientists
discovered a clear link between animal fat (i.e fatty meat, butter,
cheese) and coronary heart disease. As result low fat diets became
extremely popular. In attempt to cater for this (and profit) the food
industry started to produce a huge range of low-fibre white flower
products (muffins, doughnuts, bagels and cookies), lots of carb snack
food (popcorn, nachos etc) and a lot of different high carb toppings.
Note that most of these foods are "refined carbs", that is carbs with
most of the natural fibre removed. This low fat approach led to a
significant increase in the consumption of refined carbohydrates. Fast
forward to the 80's and 90's and the developed world is in the midst
of an obesity epidemic. Dieticians suddenly started to question
whether the high-carb low-fat diet was contributing to this weight
gain. Some clinical studies linked a high consumption of refined carbs
with metabolic problems (eg Type 2 diabetes), digestive disorders
(IBS) and heart disease. To further exacerbate the problem, popular
diet systems were released claiming all carbohydrates led to weight
gain. It didn't take long before the general public started to believe
that in order to lose weight you needed to cut out carbs.
Why You Need To Eat Good Carbohydrates
Now that we have established why carbs got their bad name, it is
important to point out that you need to eat good carbohydrates. In
fact consuming good carbohydrates is essentially for long term weight
control and healthy nutrition. While it is true that over consumption off
refined carbs have been linked to an increase in disorders such as
type 2 diabetes, not all carbs are bad.
Copyright©2009 www.HowToThinkSlim.com
You must eat good carbohydrates as part of a balanced diet,
otherwise you risk missing out on nourishing your body with essential
nutrients. Furthermore, carbohydrates give us energy to keep us
going, without carbs you'll feel sluggish and tired.
So how do find out what carbohydrates you should eat? Detailed
below are sources of good carbohydrates.
1. Fruit and Vegetables – Fruit and veg are generally low in
calories and are packed with nutrients like vitamins and
minerals. They are a healthy addition to any diet especially if
you are trying to lose weight.
2. Whole Grains – For example wholegrain rice, wholemeal
breads, porridge oats, wholewheat pasta, beans, lentils,
breakfast cereals (although be careful of which ones you
choose).
3. Potatoes – These are fat free healthy foods that provide useful
amounts of vitamin C, Potassium and fibre. Try and choose
Sweet Potatoes as these are the most nutritious.
So now you know the truth about carbohydrates, you can consume
the good ones with piece of mind.
substantially has caused serious debate in the weight loss industry.
Many people claim that you need to cut out carbohydrates entirely in
order to lose weight rapidly. I am sure you are all aware of one
extremely popular diet system that advocates a substantial reduction
in carbs. Well you won't be surprised to know that peddlers of this
system have made millions of dollars out of unsuspecting weight
losers.
The truth is, not only should you not cut out carbs completely; it's
actually dangerous to do so. First of let us analyze why you don't
need to cut out carbs. Contrary to what the so called "diet gurus" tell
you, carbohydrates are not fattening. Just stop for a while and think
about what I just said. Now I realise that this information is contrary to
what you are being told by many "experts" but it's the absolutely truth.
It is one big lie to say that carbohydrates are fattening.
What will cause you put on weight is if you consume more calories
than you burn. It's that simple. A calorie is just a calorie, nothing
more. It doesn't matter whether you get your calories from protein,
carbohydrates or fat. What matters is that you are active enough to
burn more calories than you consume.
There are many reasons why carbohydrates have been singled out
as the food that contributes to weight gain. First of all it is what we
add to many of our carb based foods that lead people to believe that
carbs cause weight gain.
Copyright©2009 www.HowToThinkSlim.com
Think about the large dollops of margarine or butter you put on your
piece of toast. Or what about the rich cheese or tomato sauce that
you add to your bowl of pasta. It's these additions that are sneakily
causing you to pile on the pounds, not the carbs themselves. So if
you want to lose weight, cut down these fats not the carbs.
Secondly you need to understand a little diet history to see why carbs
have become so controversial. During the 60's and 70's scientists
discovered a clear link between animal fat (i.e fatty meat, butter,
cheese) and coronary heart disease. As result low fat diets became
extremely popular. In attempt to cater for this (and profit) the food
industry started to produce a huge range of low-fibre white flower
products (muffins, doughnuts, bagels and cookies), lots of carb snack
food (popcorn, nachos etc) and a lot of different high carb toppings.
Note that most of these foods are "refined carbs", that is carbs with
most of the natural fibre removed. This low fat approach led to a
significant increase in the consumption of refined carbohydrates. Fast
forward to the 80's and 90's and the developed world is in the midst
of an obesity epidemic. Dieticians suddenly started to question
whether the high-carb low-fat diet was contributing to this weight
gain. Some clinical studies linked a high consumption of refined carbs
with metabolic problems (eg Type 2 diabetes), digestive disorders
(IBS) and heart disease. To further exacerbate the problem, popular
diet systems were released claiming all carbohydrates led to weight
gain. It didn't take long before the general public started to believe
that in order to lose weight you needed to cut out carbs.
Why You Need To Eat Good Carbohydrates
Now that we have established why carbs got their bad name, it is
important to point out that you need to eat good carbohydrates. In
fact consuming good carbohydrates is essentially for long term weight
control and healthy nutrition. While it is true that over consumption off
refined carbs have been linked to an increase in disorders such as
type 2 diabetes, not all carbs are bad.
Copyright©2009 www.HowToThinkSlim.com
You must eat good carbohydrates as part of a balanced diet,
otherwise you risk missing out on nourishing your body with essential
nutrients. Furthermore, carbohydrates give us energy to keep us
going, without carbs you'll feel sluggish and tired.
So how do find out what carbohydrates you should eat? Detailed
below are sources of good carbohydrates.
1. Fruit and Vegetables – Fruit and veg are generally low in
calories and are packed with nutrients like vitamins and
minerals. They are a healthy addition to any diet especially if
you are trying to lose weight.
2. Whole Grains – For example wholegrain rice, wholemeal
breads, porridge oats, wholewheat pasta, beans, lentils,
breakfast cereals (although be careful of which ones you
choose).
3. Potatoes – These are fat free healthy foods that provide useful
amounts of vitamin C, Potassium and fibre. Try and choose
Sweet Potatoes as these are the most nutritious.
So now you know the truth about carbohydrates, you can consume
the good ones with piece of mind.