If you've ever tried to lose weight, then you probably found yourself confused along the way. Even weight loss experts rarely agree on what's effective and their opinions can be drastically different when it comes to the topic of carbohydrates! Well, I'm going to clear up the carbohydrate confusion once and for all.
Carbohydrates aren't the "evil foods" that the low-carb diet "gurus" say they are. Actually, the exact opposite is true! I'm going to prove to you why you MUST eat carbs if you ever want to get slim and sexy. Read on!
There are two reasons why.
The first reason is: Carbohydrates are your body's primary source of energy. They're needed to carry you throughout the day. That's why low-carb diets make you feel tired and worn down. Without enough carbs, your body doesn't get the fuel it needs to burn fat. You won't have the energy to push through your fat-blasting workouts.
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The second reason: It has to do with your hormones. Your hormones play a huge role in keeping your metabolism high. And one hormone in particular makes a huge difference in your body's ability to burn fat. It's called leptin and here's how it works:
Leptin is like your body's "smoke detector." It's there to protect you from starving yourself. When your leptin levels get too low, it sends a signal to your brain that you're starving and your body responds by bringing your fat burning to a screeching halt.
With low leptin levels, many experts agree that no matter how strictly you stick to your diet, you'll find it almost impossible to burn fat. And these leptin levels drop when you don't eat enough carbs. Once your leptin levels drop, the fat-burning shuts off, and you hit one of those
frustrating plateaus.
To prevent this from happening__, you NEED to get enough carbohydrates each day!__ You just have to make sure you're eating the right carbohydrates, at the right times. The majority of the carbohydrates you eat each day should come from complex carbohydrates. These carbs provide constant and sustained energy to carry you through your day without
any of the fat-storing insulin spikes you get by eating junk food.
Some delicious options are: whole meal and multi-grain breads, brown rice, wild rice, all types of beans (kidney, garbanzo, pinto, black), lentils, sweet potatoes, and oatmeal. Since these foods are such good sources of energy, eat them earlier in the day so you can burn that energy off.
There's also another special kind of complex carbohydrates that can be eaten at any time of the day. These are called fibrous carbs, because they're rich in fiber. They're packed full of nutrients, yet remain low in calories, so you can keep eating them until you're full, without having to worry about packing on the pounds! These carbs also help regulate your blood sugar levels, eliminating those nasty sugar cravings and making it easier for you to stick to your plan.
You have a bunch of colorful choices to add to your diet here: Apples, apricots, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, grapefruit, oranges, pears, plums, prunes, spinach, strawberries, yams and zucchini.
Then of course, there are the simple carohydrates: The sugars, the breads, the sodas, the pastas. These foods cause insulin spikes, which send your body into fat storage mode. You should avoid them in your daily diet and only eat them once a week as part of your "cheat day."
So a quick recap: Make sure you eat complex and fibrous carbs every day to keep your leptin levels high so your body keeps burning fat. Then, one day a week have a "cheat day" where you eat those "forbidden" simple carbs.
Follow this advice and those pounds and inches will start melting off.
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