reader question{s)…

{this reader question is from last march!!! so sorry about the delay!!!}

hi, i’ve just recently come across your delightful blog and well today i noticed your diet, so i’m wondering if you could give me advice?

i’ve dieted in the past and usually just do the fruit, veggies, yogurt, special k thing. well my mom bought me a low carb book much like atkins. it’s hard because its totally opposite of what i’ve been doing! no milk, fruits, yogurt, cereal. i get six servings of carbs & 15 grams of sugar… this book is telling me to eat cheese, mayo, sausage, ect. things i’m not use to eating when trying to lose weight!

so is it better to have fat opposed to carbs?

i did this diet for a week and i struggled, my energy was down and was having major cravings!
any advice? i’m ten pounds away from wearing all my summer shorts, any advice would be appreciated! also what do you do about going out to eat? we frequent a mexican restraunt a lot, what would be my best option? thanks again!

-jaclyn

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jaclyn~

remember that a calorie is always a calorie whether it comes from fat or carbohydrate. reducing fat and saturated fat in your diet is important to maintaining heart health and reducing calories.

however, frequent (daily) consumption of sugar means that your body is constantly releasing the hormone insulin (to manage and store the sugar). one of insulin’s primary jobs is to store fat. as well as adding to your waistline, excess sugar will cause tooth decay, iron and magnesium deficiencies, arthritis, disruption to your sleep patterns, and digestive dysfunction. these are just a few outcomes of a high sugar diet. sugar adds calories without filling you up or giving lasting satisfaction, meaning it provides nothing but a ‘you-ll-pay-for-it-later’ pick me up.

why fat is a better choice:

although fat contains more calories per gram than sugar, it is extremely nutrient dense. this means that a small amount (such as 20% of your daily diet), will result in satisfaction. the result? when you add (good) fat to your diet, you’ll notice you can drastically reduce portion sizes, and will no longer need to snack as frequently between meals.

your body needs fat for healthy function. fat allows your brain to work well, it supports and protects your heart and vital organs, and eating it actually helps you lose weight. fat fuels your metabolism and enables your body to release stored fat for energy.

good fats are natural foods. refined sugar is basically a man-made food. can you really argue that we know better than nature? we evolved living off the land, not living off chocolate and cookies. or chocolate dipped cinnamon bears, or cake bites…darn!

rich foods taste good and keep you doing all that work, rest and play with some extra oomph!

so what kind of fat is best?

i’m sure you have an idea! certainly not chips and pizza!

still – this may surprise you. meat and saturated fats are now being considered by both holistic and conventional medicine to be good for your health. Not only this, they’ll actually help your body mobilise and burn off excess fat.

in your diet, include fat from animals (only eat the fat from organic meat, as conventional meat fat holds toxins which will then go straight to your fat cells). if you don’t eat much meat, or can’t access organic meat, include coconut oil. other good sources of fat include raw organic nuts, avocados, extra virgin olive oil, some dairy, and seeds.

the key here, is choosing the correct mix of proteins, fats and carbs for your body, and learning to use (real) food for real results. this is what i always refer to as ‘good carbs’

and when in doubt? always, always, always choose fat over sugar.

there is definitely an introduction period where the body needs time to adjust to a low-sugar diet. be patient. your energy will pick up. but remember, if you are tired, get more sleep. 8-10 hours of sleep a night is crucial to healthy weight loss.

and lastly, when dining out, make good choices. i find, it’s not challenging to find ‘healthy choices’ but it’s challenging to say no to the foods we may be craving. if you are dining at a mexican restaurant, choose a taco salad. go easy on the tomatoes and salsa. use dressing. and you’re set. even indulge in a few chips, if you keep it within about 12 chips per serving.

good luck!