As a follow on from the previous post, I wanted to give a bit of clarity around the type of “low carb” diet plan I follow and recommend.
There is always a new diet around to try, or a new book on the shelves claiming to be the most effective way to lose weight. It’s tempting to fall for these claims when trying to lose weight and feel good about yourself. What I have done is adapt several of these popular diets into something I feel is both realistic to maintain, and gets results. I would never recommend something like this if I hadn’t attempted it myself to see what it’s effects were-so I’m living proof that it is easy to follow!
Having read Dr Atkins book and his theories on “Low carb”, it all made a lot of sense to me in terms of reducing the amount of sugar and processed foods we eat. What didn’t appeal so much was the high amount of fat that can be eaten when using his plan. So this I adapted.
What I basically recommend is to eat mostly “natural” foods where possible – foods that aren’t overly processed. This includes salads, vegetables (excluding potato), lean meats, fish, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds etc. This should, in my mind, make up the majority of your diet. On top of this I encourage people to eat reduced fat dairy products, or full fat dairy if they are minimally processed (natural Greek yoghurt is an example). These provide lots of calcium, protein, and help people feel full and satisfied. I also supplement with a protein shake 1-2 times per day-simply as a convenient, calorie controlled meal, that helps me feel full, gives me protein for muscle repair (particularly important after a workout).
Initially you may look at this list and think “I couldn’t live like that” or “what would I eat from that list?”, but with a bit of creativity there are literally hundreds of meal and snack ideas with this mix. Quiches, frittatas, chicken salads, beef stir fries, roasted vegetables, fish & Greek salad….the list goes on. The Detox Weekends that I run every month are the place to learn some of these recipes, to see just how many meals can be made from this list of healthy, nutritious and pure foods. Try it, you will lose body fat, you will feel “cleansed”, lighter, less bloated and more energetic. It’s amazing the change I see in people after only a few days on this type of diet plan-and they too are surprised how great they feel. They no longer want their sugary snacks as they want to feel this good all the time. That’s worth sacrificing your morning toast for I think 🙂