Have you ever wondered what diet (or, ahem, lifestyle change) is the right one for you? I do. In fact, it's something I think about often, ever since I lost 100 pounds with a gastric bypass, because I am absolutely determined to keep the weight off.
Now a study has determined which, out of three diets, is the best for burning the most calories. Science has proven in the past that the calories that you consume do matter, so which calories are the ones that help you burn the most fat to maintain a healthy weight for life? You might be a bit surprised
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It turns out that something like the Mediterranean diet is the best.
The new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, followed people who adhered to a low-fat ("about 20% of total calories from fat, 60% from carbohydrates and 20% from protein"), low-carb ("modeled after the Atkins diet, with 10% of total calories from carbs, 30% from protein and 60% from fat") and a low-glycemic index diet ("similar to the Mediterranean diet, with 40% of total calories from carbs, 40% from fat and 20% from protein).
They found that those on the low-carb diet burned the most calories but also saw an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. Meanwhile, those on the low-glycemic index diet burned more calories each day than the low-fat group while that group showed lower levels of good cholesterol. So, basically, the two other diets had side effects while the Mediterranean-style diet burned plenty of calories and helped people maintain the weight loss.
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What I really like about the Mediterranean-style diet is that it's easy for us Latinos to adhere to. That way of eating is all about emphasizing whole grains (like brown rice and quinoa), low-fat meats like fish (which should be good news for those of us who love to fish, though we do have to cut down on the red meat), fruits and vegetables (we all know we need more of these, right?), beans (hooray for beans!) and healthy fats from olive oil and nuts. I know following a diet isn't easy, but I'm glad that I know the general guidelines for healthy eating for weight loss.
Do you follow any kind of diet? Have you tried to eat a Mediterranean-style diet? Share with us in the comments below!
Image via Sifu Renka/flickr
