Nutrition for Weight Loss

In my previous article, I mentioned that nutrition is 80% of your total weight loss, while exercising is only 20%. In this article, I want to cover more deeper basis of fat loss process - what kind of food one should eat to experience successful fat loss. There are various approaches to weight loss, but, in this article, I will cover only one approach - "calories in vs. calories out". When dieting, one needs to pay particular attention to the macro nutrients one consumes. There are three different kinds of macro nutrients: carbohydrate, fat, and protein. All have different functions, and have many subcategories of each. Let's see the difference between them, and what to consume!

Carbohydrates is the main source of fuel for human body - they are what gives you energy to deal with your daily tasks. Additionally, carbohydrates are what gives you insulin spikes. Insulin spikes give your brain the message that it is time to store the fat in your body. So does that mean that you should avoid carbs, whatsoever? Not necessarily - there are three different types of carbs: simple, comple, and fibrous carbs; and some of them are what your body actually needs.

Simple Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates is the type of carbs that you must avoid, in order to lose weight. Usually, simple carbs are the type of carbohydrates that have sweet taste, and also extremely high glycemic index (GI). The higher the glycemic index the more of an insulin increase the food will give you. I am attaching the link to the website, where you can search GI of any product. Some high GI foods are sugar, sodas, candy, etc. Also, although they have low to moderate GI, fruits are also considered to be simple carbs. Why? Because fruits are mostly made of sugar and water.

Not only do simple carbohydrates give insulin spikes, they also give short term energy bursts (couple of minutes). Short term energy bursts result in you craving more sweets and overeating. Try to avoid simple carbohydrates at all costs!

Complex Carbohydrates

The difference between complex and simple carbs is mainly that complex carbs have lower GIs and give long term energy (couple of hours). Long term energy is why you need carbs in the first place, what makes complex carbohydrates a desirable type of food. In general, complex carbohydrates do not have sweet taste. Some examples of complex carbs are brown rice, sweet potatoes, whole grain pasta, etc. I highly recommend including complex carbs into your diet!

Fibrous Carbohydrates

Green vegetables, some fruits, and skin of other vegetables fall into this category. The name of the category comes from a word "fiber", meaning that this kind of carbs have plenty of fiber in it. What does fiber do? Fiber helps your digestive system and lets the food move more easily in your system. Your diet should definitely have some fiber in it.

There are many myths about how fats are bad for you and et cetera. That is not entirely true! Yes, there are some fats that make your heart overwhelmed, and clog your blood vessel, but not all fats are like this. Some fats make your brain work properly, providing it with nutrients, and other kind of fats make your hormonal system work properly. Fats is the reason why your body produces hormones.

Trans Fatty Acids

These fats are not your friends. Trans fatty acids can become part of your cells and is major contributor to cell malformation and malfunction. Additionally, trans fatty acids raise the LDL cholesterol levels in your body, resulting in a possibility of developing a cardiovascular disease. They are mostly found in margarine, vegetable oils, fried foods, salad dressing, etc. Fortunately, you can easily find out how many trans fats the product has, because the U.S. government has passed the law that requires food manufactures to put the amount of trans fatty acids contained in a product. When you see a label, look for saturated fat, and, if there is asterisk, the explanation of the asterisk should contain the amount of trans fats in the product (I included the picture with an example of this).

Cholesterol

Yes, cholesterol consumed from foods is bad for you. It clogs your blood vessels, what might lead to heart attack, or heart stroke. However, your body, in particularly, your liver, produces cholesterol, what keeps hormones working properly, and helps processing food. You should not freak out about cholesterol, but try not to consume it.

Saturated Fatty Acids

Saturated fats raise LDL cholesterol levels. In addition, it has been scientifically proven that high levels of saturated fats can cause cancer. It is easy to find out how much saturated fatty acids a product has, since it is displayed on a label.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA)

EFA is a general name for Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. These fats are what you want to aim for, when consuming fats. EFAs help your body to keep your insulin production balanced and your blood vessels clean. What is more, essential fatty acids reduce the risk of coronary heart diseases. There are plenty of EFAs in various kind of fish, such as sardines, cod, salmon. You should not avoid these fats at any costs, as they are the only kind of fats worth eating!

Protein is what builds your muscle mass and keeps your muscle from breaking down. Most of the There are not any different kinds of proteins, but there are different sources that protein come from. Each source has different benefits for you. Let's break it down and see what kind of protein you should consume!

Whey

Whey protein is derived from milk, as milk consists about 80% casein, and 20% whey. However, you would not be able to get much whey from milk. That's why most of the bodybuilding protein supplements are different forms of whey. Why is whey good? Whey is digested really quickly, what makes it a perfect post-workout drink. Additionally, it's fairly cheap, so you do not have to be rich to afford whey. However, some people experience bloating and having gas, after consuming whey.

Casein

Casein, as is whey, is derived from milk, and there's plenty of it in milk and it's products, such as cottage cheese. If you are fan of milk and its products, you do not need to supplement casein. Why is casein good? It takes up to 7 hours to fully digest casein, what makes it a perfect pre-bed drink, to preserve your muscle and keep your body's metabolism firing! Feel free to use casein during the day as well to keep your body supplied with protein.

Hydrolysate

Hydrolysate is the fastest absorbed protein available in the market. Usually, it is whey that has been hydrolyzed. It is the best post-workout protein source, since it is fastest absorbed and it helps your muscle recover. Moreover, it is easy on your stomach, so you should not experience bloating or gas, while consume it. However, it is the most expensive form of protein, and I do not think that it is worth paying that amount, while you can get whey way cheaper.

Soy Protein

It is a vegetarian source of protein, so, if you are vegan or vegetarian, it's the way to go. Soy protein supports healthy cholesterol levels, and increases metabolism, contributing to the weight loss. You can find it in soy products, or just simply buy soy protein supplements. Be aware that, in men, soy might cause gynecomastia, what is growing of breasts.

Other sources of protein

There are many other sources of protein that you can get protein from: eggs whites, beef, chicken, other meats, tuna, salmon, etc. All of them area really good for you. Actually, you can even find egg and beef proteins to buy as supplements. I do not recommend, however, to consume most of your protein intake from supplements. You should try eat as much protein-full foods as possible, and only use supplements, if you cannot reach your protein goal for the day.

Now, hopefully, you understand what each of macronutrients do to you and how they differ. If you haven't read my previous article Keys To Successful Weight Loss, I highly encourage you reading it. As I mentioned in that article, your diet should consist of mostly protein. I would really appreciate it, if you could leave me a feedback or just comment your opinion about this article. Thank you for reading!