In last weeks blog we talked about what Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat does in our body (if you didn't read if you can check out the blog here)
But here was the overview:
Carbohydrates spike insulin levels.
Insulin triggers the body to store blood sugars as glycogen.
Excess glycogen is stored as fat.
Protein produces glucagon.
Glucagon tells the body to release stored glycogen into the system, and
healthy fats trigger the full system in your brain.
So how do I use this knowledge to my advantage, to aid in fat loss?
Below I have listed the three main principles I do:
1) I limit Starchy Carbohydrates
Notice I said limit NOT remove.
Remember in the last blog we talked about Carbs being required by the body, but also the body can only store a certain amount of glycogen (before it gets stored as fat).
So whilst Keto diets and the Atkins work very well in the short-term if you are wanting to build muscle and function properly you do need some carbs. To keep my levels in check I carb cycle (one low carb day, one higher carb day) but I limit my starchy carb intake on the high carb day to 2-3 servings.
2) I do a modified version of fasting
I am sure you have all heard about the "health" benefits of fasting for 22-24 hours once or twice a week.
And whilst there is some science behind it, I didn't find it helped at all in fat or weight loss for me personally.
However, I have found benefit of a modified version of fasting.
A longer break from eating gives the body a chance to stop secreting insulin and puts you into a fat burning mode.
I do this by making sure I have a 12 hour break from eating over night. So if my evening meal is at 6:30pm I make sure I eat my breakfast later than 6:30am. NOW that doesn't always work with schedules but I do that as often as I can, to help my body get into a fat burning mode.
3) Include a healthy fat and protein at every meal
This is especially important when you are eating a carbohydrate at that meal.
This will slow the absorption of carbs down and keep you full longer.
I hope this helps, and as always please comment if you have any questions and if this article helped you please share with others.