Low Carb Diets and Fat Loss

When it comes to losing body fat, you will have to cut your carbs in order to do so. Now to be clear, if you are a female who does not weight that much as a very little muscle, cutting carbs will actually make you gain more fat.  The art of cutting carbs in order to lose body fat its that, it's an art. However, if you work out and trying to drop body fat and are still having a hard time then eliminated the refined carbs, alcohols and sugars so that you total carb intake is between 100 to 100grams per day is a great to help the body break body fat down. And here lies the art, knowing how to cut the carbs, when and for how long. I would suggest going three days in a row on a low carb diet and then doubling your carb intake on day 3 or 4 to help replenish glycogen up and keep metabolic function normal. When done for too long, low carb diets can and will have the opposite affect.

Here are a few rules:

Low Carb Carrot Banana Muffins

Low Carb Carrot Banana Muffins

Recipe by Michael Stebner, True Food Kitchen’s Executive Chef

 2 - cups almond flour

2 - teaspoons baking soda

1/2 - teaspoon salt

1 - tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 - cup unsweetened shredded coconut

3 - large eggs

3 - bananas mashed

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed and softened

2 - tablespoons raw honey

1 - teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 1/4 - cups pitted and chopped dates

2 - medium carrots, shredded

3/4 - cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly oil a 12 cup muffin plan with expeller pressed canola oil or line with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, mis together the almond four, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and coconut. I another bowl, whisk the eggs, bananas, butter, honey and vinegar. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Fold in the dates, carrots, and walnuts. Divid the batter amend the muffins cups.

3. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown or a skewer inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Since there no actual four , the muffins will not rise significantly. Coll the pan on a wire reach for 5 minutes, then turn out the muffins onto the racks anklet cool to warm or room temperature.

Fat Los Part II

Don’t!

Don’t eat high fructose corn syrup, trans fatty acids and stay away from the word enriched

• Why? They make you fat, cause cancers and are not good for you. Enriched means many of the nutrients have been taken out and need to be added back in.

Do!

Drink 3 to 4 cups of Green Tea a day

• Why? Green Tea has be proven to increase fat loss. Green tea contains a substance called Catechins that stimulate the body to burn calories and rev up your metabolism. They also have anti-inflammatory effects and anti-cancer properties.

Don’t!

Don’t eat fruit or drink fruit juices for 7 days (except apples).

• Why? Fructose raises insulin levels which makes it easier for the body to store fat.

Do!

Eat an apple for a snack.

• Why?Apple have pectin which is an appetite suppressant.

Don’t!

Don’t do steady state cardio. Steady state cardio is the slowest and least effective way to burn fat. What is steady state cardio? Sitting on a bike, jogging on a treadmill or using an elliptical machine for a comfortable pace and a time duration of 30 to 45 minutes.

• Why? It makes you fat. How? By raising cortisol levels. What really matters is the amount of calories you burn after you workout which is why resistance training and interval training are so effective at burning fat. They elevate your metabolism for up to 36 hours. Steady state cardio does NOT!

Do!

Do Interval or HITT training.

• Why? Interval training can increase the metabolism for up to 36 hours after you have finished.

Examples: • In a Gym: Get on a bike or a treadmill and warm up for 3 minutes. Then work hard for 2 minutes and easy for 1 minute. Repeat 4 times. • What is hard, a rate of perceived exertion of 7 or 8. Meaning if I were right next to you and asked you how hard you were working from a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the hardest, you wold say 7 or 8. Your breathing when working hard would be Deep and forceful inhalation, labored breathing and can not talk.

Note: If you are on treadmill, the easiest way to do this to raise the incline 3 to 4 levels). • Outside: Run hard for 2 minutes ( sprinting as fast as you can) and walking for 4 minutes or light jogging if you can handle it. Repeat 4 times.

Do Take Fish Oil!

Take 4 to 6 grams of fish oil every day.

• Why? It stops inflammation, lowers heart disease, lowers blood pressure, helps with joint pain, helps prevent cancer, raises serotonin which is the happy feeling hormone (depression) and turns ON the fat burning cells and turns OFF the fat storing cells.

Do's and Don'ts for Fat Loss - Part 1

Don’t!

• Don’t eat breakfast!   Huh! Why? Cortisol is the hormone that wakes you up and so it is highest in the morning. It is also the hormone that breaks down fat so you don’t want to interrupt it with food.  Try it for 7 days and see if I am not right. Make your first meal 2 to 3 hours after you wake up.

Do!

• Drink coffee in the morning with a tablespoon of whole cream (or half and half). And eat a tablespoon of organic coconut shavings. Why? The fat in the cream and coconut will speed up your metabolism and stop your hunger cravings. Try it. If you don't like coconut then just have the whole cream with your coffee but no sugar.

Don’t!

• Don’t eat cheeses, white breads, white rices and white pastas, pastry of any kind or drink beer for 7 days. Why? It raises insulin levels which increases belly FAT.  Drink a glass or two of red wine with dinner, if you want a drink. I do!

Do!

• Make your sandwiches using lettuce leaves instead of bread.  If you use mayo, use canola mayo or veganaise as it does not have high fructose corn syrup.  Replace pasta with broccoli (boiled, steamed or even sautéed) for pasta dishes.   Why? The less breads, grains and sugars you have in your system, the faster you drop body fat!

Do!

• Add lime juice to your water. Why? While limes and lemons are acidic, they leave an alkaline residue in your system which helps the body break down more fat. They also increase the production of hydrochloric acid which is very good for your digestive system.