Are you consumed by wanting to lose weight? Do you think you do everything right but nothing seems to work? The following are a few reasons why you may be struggling:
1) You may be eating too much fruit. What?! Yes, fruit has a lot of things our bodies need including antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber but it can pack a punch to your liver because of the amount of sugar it contains. Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist, writes about this in his book Wheat Belly. If you had the choice between an apple and a Little Debbie, by all means eat the apple. Just don’t think of fruits in the same category as vegetables, as in “eat more fruits & vegetables” like it is one food group. When choosing fruits, opt for fruits high in antioxidants such as berries which are also lower in sugar.
2) You may not be eating enough vegetables. That’s probably a no-brainer but getting away from the idea that fruits & vegetables are one in the same may take some changes in your way of thinking. Vegetables also contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants but they also contain A LOT less sugar. So, try adding more to your diet. Start by adding it to one meal you normally wouldn’t and go from there.
3) You may not be eating enough fat. Yes! There is a reason why our bodies tend to want fatty foods. First of all, it makes our other foods taste better (as in vegetables with butter). Second, it helps us actually absorb our fat-soluble vitamins in the foods we eat. Third, it helps with satiety – keeps us full and satisfied longer. And lastly, it makes our food taste better; oops, already said that…
What you need to know – do not eat hydrogenated fats (trans fats) or other so-called vegetable oils such as soybean and corn oil (which often times is labeled vegetable oil – soybeans are a BEAN and corn is a GRAIN). Instead choose real fats such as butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and nut butters, grapeseed oil and use them at every snack and meal.
4) You may be drinking a little too much alcohol. This could be a major culprit especially during the summer months. Again, alcohol basically is a sugar and puts the burden on your liver for processing. The liver than may not be able to help with the process of weight loss; it will be too busy processing the alcohol versus the calories you’re eating or the stored fat in your body. Also, many of us have a lot less control when drinking alcohol with regard to food choices.
So, take this into consideration if you struggle with weight loss and/or keeping the weight off. Look for Part 2 in an upcoming post.
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