Low Fat Weight Loss Diets For Men

The following post is an article I wrote on low fat diets. I have followed these with much sucess but hate being on them. There is a better way. I now eat whatever I want and can still lose weight at will.

>==See How I Lose Weight Eating Potato Chips and Ice Cream==<

And here’s the low fat alternative:

The Traditional Weight Loss For Men Diet - In times past whenever a man said they were going “on a diet” they usually meant one of two things:

• Counting Their Calories
• Watching Their Fat Intake

Both result in the same turn out: less body fat. But how is this accomplished?

Low fat diets cause you to lose weight simply because you are usually lowering your caloric intake. The process is simple: if your body requires more energy (calories) then you are taking in, it will be forced to use stored energy (body fat) too make up for the difference, hence you lose weight!.

Fat contains over twice as many calories per gram as either Protein or Carbohydrates, so it doesn’t take much fat restriction to cause weight loss. And generally one who is counting calories tends to reduce the more fatty foods from their diet as this results in the biggest caloric reductions.

Foods To Avoid:

• Fried Foods - ALL fried foods including fried snack foods such as potato chips should be avoided.
• Lunch meats - Luncheon meats contain high concentrates of marbled fat that can’t be avoided.
• Doughnuts and other such pastries - The deep fried doughnut is an obvious food to avoid, but many don’t realize how much fat goes into the making of most pastries.
• Any food that says “Reduced Fat” on it’s label - This a scam! Read the labels, most foods with the “Reduced Fat” label still contain almost as much fat as their “regular” counterparts.
• Canned soup - Not very healthy, way too much fat!
• Processed foods in general - Most prepared foods, including things like macaroni and cheese or frozen entrees contain high amounts of fat. Even the innocent looking cracker has hidden fats in it.

Foods That You Should Eat

• Fresh vegetables - Of course, you knew that!
• Meat - Trim the fat and skin , and eat as much meat as you want. Besides being very good for you meat also is a very filling food, which causes you to eat less.
• Potatoes, pasta and rice - All good in moderation, provided they are not covered with fatty sauces or butter. Here’s a hint: salsa makes an excellent condiment for these. My personal rule of thumb is to never eat portions of potatoes, pasta or rice that exceed my portion of meat. Keeping them in equal proportions seems to work great. That means one portion of meat with one portion of one of the three, not one portion of each.

Protein/Fat/Carb Ratios - The problem with most traditional low fat diets is that they still contain way too many carbohydrates which is counter productive to losing the fat and they contain too little protein which can result in muscle loss right along side of the fat loss. As a percentage of calories, I believe the ideal ratios to be 45% Protein - 45% Carbohydrates -10% Fats. This goes against “old school” thinking but I have to base this on my own personal experiences as the diet that works best.

Planning Meals - The first thing that we need to do when planning meals is to figure out what’s ok to eat. Using the guidelines listed above, protein sources can include lean turkey, chicken and beef; fish (at least twice a week), low fat cheeses and egg whites. For our carbohydrates considerations: potatoes, sweet potatoes,brown rice, corn, beans, low-fat yogurt, fresh fruit and pasta. Avoid processed foods at all costs and if you insist on bread, make it whole wheat or multi grain and only one piece per day. Allowable fats include any light colored “liquid” fat such as sesame oil, canola oil and safflower oil, in very small portions only when needed.

Meals And Portions - After having tried many diets I am 100% convinced that 6 small meals a day is the most effective method of eating there is. Besides the constant influx of food keeping your appetite down, it also keeps your metabolism up. The trick is to actually keep these meals small.

In Bill Phillips book “Body For Life“, he gives us the simplest method for determining portion sizes. For proteins, we only eat a portion that is the size of our palm. And for carbohydrates only eat a portion the size of your fist. While this may not seem like a lot of food, I can assure you that after getting accustomed to eating these small meals 6 times a day you will find yourself having to actually force a meal or two in on occasion. You will not be hungry. In addition to these portions eat a portion of vegetables twice a day. Green leafy ones are preferred, especially spinach (yuk!).

Meal Preparation - Very simple rules here. Meats: broil, grilled or roasted. Boil or poach your egg whites. Bake your potatoes, steam both your rice and vegetables. Allowable condiments are salsa, hot sauce, lemon juice, crushed and whole peppers. I have found that experimenting with spices can make bland meals very tasty while allowing you to get away from the butter and margarine.

Try a baked potato with salsa, it’s delicious. I even put salsa on my turkey breast. Or how about a little “Old Bay” seasoning on your vegetables. Be creative, just watch the salt! Some finely chopped onions and tomatoes can make an excellent topping for just about anything. I think you get the idea.

Above all else, do not fry anything. You can enjoy foods that aren’t fried, trust me. To stick with your meal plans, always plan ahead each meal the day before so you aren’t impulse eating. Plan some cheating days here and there each month also. If you truly want to stick with this diet and find that you have a willpower problem, then by all means 2 or 3 days a month just pig out.

The positive mental effect is phenomenal. My personal experience has been that these “free” days usually make me feel physically drained, almost ill and eventually the act of allowing these free days will put you into a mental state where you don’t even want them anymore because you feel so good when you’re eating healthy.

>==See How I Lose Weight Eating Potato Chips and Ice Cream==<