Chapter 10 – Avoiding processed foods, high-fat foods, saturated fats and sugars
Eliminate from your diet those foods which contain moderate-to-high levels of fat, in particular foods which are high in saturated fats or artificial, hydrogenated, trans fatty acids.
Aim to reduce your intake of refined and processed foods also, especially sugars. Instead, you should try to replace high fat, sugary, refined and processed foods with a variety of low fat, sugar-free, natural and unrefined foods and try to get plenty of fibre into your diet also.
Although you can expect to lose weight overall on a calorie deficit, this does not excuse eating anything you want. As discussed in the previous chapter, the composition of the foods you eat is extremely important. You can be on a calorie deficit overall and still gain fat if all you’re eating is junk food. Even if you’re making a net weight loss by having an overall deficit, unhealthy eating is still liable to cause your body to increase its fat percentage levels, rendering your overall weight loss pointless and counter-productive. You may be getting lighter but the reality is you will also be getting fatter and less lean than you were before.
Over time, the composition of foods you eat will start to reflect your overall body composition – a fact no doubt borne out by the hackneyed (but no less true for being so) line, “You are what you eat!” So if a large proportion of the food you eat is made up of fat and refined carbohydrates, or sugars that quickly convert to fat in the body, then a large proportion of your body will likewise start to constitute a large and undesirable fat content.
A calorie is not just a calorie. The quality of the calories you consume, and their composition in terms of carbs, protein and fat, matters greatly.
Finally, with regards my entreaty to greater fibre consumption, the health benefits should not be ignored or trivialised. Fibre gives bulk to the intestinal contents, promotes healthy digestion, speeds the transit time of food through the digestive tract and provides protection from gastrointestinal diseases. It also slows the digestion of carbohydrates and, in so doing, helps to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels which is crucial for any fat burning program.
Inspirational quote: Energy and persistence conquer all things….. Benjamin Franklin