Essential Weight Loss Steps
A new report from the Trust for America’s Health makes it painfully clear that the obesity epidemic has gotten much worse over the past year, threatening the lives of millions. The problem is the result of too much junk food and fast food consumed in excessive quantities and at the wrong time of day. Compounding the problem is the lack of regular physical activity to spur the fat burning cycle.
Our body has evolved over countless generations to run efficiently on the type of diet and eating patterns as our caveman ancestors. Specific hormones in the body known as ghrelin and leptin control our appetite, and how and where fat is stored and burned.
For most people, the perfect hormonal balance has been disrupted, resulting in the obesity problem we face today. To achieve permanent weight loss, it’s necessary to follow a plan which restores natural hormonal balance, and proper fat metabolism.
Step 1: Cut Portion Size at Each Meal
We’ve heard it all before, but the fact is most people eat nearly twice the number of calories they require each day. Americans are addicted to foods which have been scientifically modified in a lab to appeal directly to our sense of taste, forcing the consumption of more calories than we can accommodate at a given meal. Eat three well balanced meals a day, and limit the portion size. Unless you are an extremely active man, limit each meal to no more than 600 calories; women should target 400 to 500 calories, depending on daily activity level.
Step 2: Cut the Sugar and Refined Carbs
The American Heart Association has declared that our nation is on a sugar binge, and is the main reason that one-third of adults now fall into the obese category. Sugar, and it’s derivative cousin, refined carbs (breads, pasta, pastries and most snack foods), cause blood sugar levels to spike quickly and then drop.
This rapid surge cycle is not normal, and ultimately leads to metabolic disorders such as diabetes and high triglycerides (fats) in the blood. The body is unable to clear excessive amounts from the blood before the next meal, and stores the excess as fat. Eliminating sugar-laden foods and wheat products from your diet will have an immediate effect, allowing the body to release stored fat as metabolism returns to normal.
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