Let me start this by saying I love donuts, pizza, cookies, brownies, tacos, burgers, fried chicken…and that’s just to name a few. So I’m not going to make a bold statement like “do you deserve to lose weight?” without admitting that, as a personal trainer, I would personally frown upon my very own favorite foods if my clients told me that’s what they were eating. That being said I am also the most realistic when stepping on the scale that despite the brutal things I put myself through in the gym, the scale may not move. I had to let out that little bit of honesty before stepping on my soapbox to let you know that I’m guilty of food weaknesses just like everyone else.

I find that most people looking to lose weight tend to avoid these types of food and eat “healthy.” Oatmeal for breakfast, a turkey sandwich for lunch, brown rice and chicken for dinner and then they are surprised when they step on the scale and nothing changes.

So let me ask you this: Do you deserve to lose weight?

You see the sad truth is that at least 70% of any body changes you make is the direct result of what you are putting in to your body. Your food choices.  The old saying “Abs are made in the kitchen” is not just a funny quip. Its practically gospel.Everyone would like to think that a morning walk every day, an aerobics class here and there and some random weights are all it takes to get the body burning those extra pounds. I’m here to tell you that you can do far more damage in a few minutes of eating that no amount of exercise that day will be able to offset. Even the most disciplined “healthy” eater gets frustrated after a couple weeks of eating “good” when the scale doesn’t move.

Are you storing fat and don’t know it?

Chances are that’s a big YES.

Most of us grew up with the almighty Food Pyramid which says we need to eat a huge amount of grains, pasta, rice, bread, potatoes etc as the staple of our diet. Let’s just look at why this is going to completely sabotage your weight loss efforts.

First of all, these foods trigger your body to release insulin. Just like candy. Its a neccessary hormone to help you deal with carbohydrates that break down into sugars for energy. The problem with a diet that is high in starches is that your body can take more and more insulin to do the same amount of work. This is called insulin resistance.

Why is this bad? Insulin is a storage hormone. It is used to help us store nutrients so we have a reserve. When insulin is released another hormone, glucagon, is shut down. Glucagon is the hormone your body has to help us run on fats. Insulin ON, Glucagon OFF. So basically you shut down any chance you have of burning fat when you spike your insulin levels. When you are insulin resistant you dump huge amounts of insulin into your system. How could you possibly ever turn that off and start burning fat again?!

So how do you fix it?

Cut out starches. They react almost exactly like sugars when they hit your system so best bet is to cut them out. Stick with low sugar, fibrous veggies like broccoli, spinach, peppers, mushrooms, etc. Eat foods as close to their natural state as possible. Avoid processed foods. An easy rule of thumb is to shop on the outside edge of the grocery store. Thats where you will find meats, produce, etc. Everything in the aisles are boxed or canned and highly processed.

Some people choose to follow what is called a Paleo type of diet. This means they basically eat how our ancient ancestors ate before they could bake bread or fry french fries. Foods that are as close to natural as you can get.

The emphasis is on proteins and vegetable which not only have a lighter impact on insulin levels but also take more calories just to digest! Lean meats can take up to 30% of the calories they yield just to be absorbed.

A good place to start to learn more about the Paleo Lifestyle is Mark’s Daily Apple. He has some great tips and guides to making it a very easy lifestyle change that sets you up to be a fat burning furnace around the clock.

One more added benefit to cutting out starches: No more afternoon dip in energy! Which is actually a result of your body going hypoglycemic from that sandwich (bread) you ate. Want to stay alert? Have some veggies and protein at lunch.

Your homework is to take a look at your current diet and see where you are spiking insulin and shutting down fat loss. Strive to cut sugars as much as you can in your daily life (this includes artificial sweeteners….they trick the body into releasing insulin as well!) Try to minimize starches as much as you can. I believe Crossfit says it best

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.

In Part Two we are going to look at your workout and see if its effective in helping you change your body the way you want and more importantly if you are getting any FITTER!

For more info on Paleo Diets visit Mark’s Daily Apple