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Weight loss diet for man and women

What to eat on a high protein low carb diet?

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What is considered a healthy high protein diet?

High protein, low carbohydrate diets are all the rage at the moment, with literally hundreds of different diets promoting this concept.   However, there is a huge amount of variation in the amounts of protein, carbs and other foods included from diet to diet, with some recommending high protein meal replacements, others excluding all forms of carbs including fruit and some that recommend certain combinations of carbs and protein.  With such variation between diets, it is understandably confusing as to what we should really be eating on a healthy high protein diet.

Who can follow a high protein, low carb diet?

A high protein, low carb diet is not for everybody and is by no means proven as the best way to lose weight.  However, studies have suggested that for some people, this type of diet is an effective way to reduce fat and weight, particularly to kick start weight loss in those who are morbidly obese.  High protein diets may contribute to weight loss in a variety of ways, for example it has been suggested that by reducing carbohydrates, the brain may receive less hunger stimulating hormones, resulting in a reduced appetite.

Hint: Try the CalorieSecrets Diet (1200 calories balanced diet)

High protein diets work because…

High protein diets have been shown to increase satiety, and result in the consumption of less calories in followers, which in turn leads to weight loss.  Initial weight loss on a low carb diet may be due to water loss, which can be caused by a high protein intake.  In many people, weight loss may also be seen simply due to a reduction in calories when carbohydrates are eliminated from the diet.  Often people do not replace carbohydrate parts of a meal, but simply skip them, which of course results in a lower calorie intake.  This can be a substantial reduction, as high carb foods such as pasta, potatoes and rice are often eaten in large portion sizes.

How much protein do we need?

Most people have no problem achieving sufficient protein in their diet.  The Recommended Dietary Allowance for men is 56 grams per day and 46 grams for women, values that the majority of Americans already exceed.  For weight loss benefit however, it is thought that around 120g of protein should be eaten daily.  For best results, consult with a health professional as to your individual needs and how protein fits into your daily energy requirements.

Low carb doesn’t mean no carb

There are many diets that totally eliminate carbohydrates in all their forms and others that suggest a reduction to dangerously low levels.  It is important to remember that carbohydrates do have a function in our body and are essential in a healthy diet.  Carbohydrates are necessary for energy in the body, particularly for those doing a lot of exercise.  A carbohydrate dense fruit such as a banana can give you the fuel you need to increase the intensity of your workout, hence burning more calories.  Carbohydrates, particularly whole grain varieties, also provide valuable nutrients such as B vitamins, so those who reduce carbohydrate intake to very low levels are at risk of deficiencies. See also: Carb cycling for weight loss

Reduce your portion sizes

Carbohydrate foods are often overeaten and most people would benefit by reducing portion sizes.  A high protein, low carb diet can be a healthy option, if you are still eating enough carbs to obtain the nutrients you need and fuel your body.  When choosing your low carb diet, it is best to consult with a dietician to determine what your energy requirements are and what level it is safe to reduce carbohydrate intake to.

Healthy proteins

When embarking on a high protein diet, it is important to obtain your protein from healthy sources.  Some high protein diets, most notably the Atkins diet, promote a diet that is high in protein and low in carbs, but also very high in saturated fat.  There is no doubt that saturated fat should be limited in our diets as it has been shown to have a variety of negative effects on the body, including increasing the risk of heart disease, raising blood pressure, increasing risk of diabetes and causing weight gain.

It is therefore important to choose protein sources that are low in saturated fat for the healthiest high protein diet.

Good low fat, high protein foods include

Ask and Answer

What can I replace my rice and pasta with if I want to go low-carb?

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Ask:

I normally use rice, pasta and bread A LOT in my cooking, but now I want to lose weight and cut back on carbohydrates. However, I have no idea what I can replace these ingredients with. To me, a meal without anything starchy just doesn’t feel very filling!
I am so used to eating these ingredients at every meal that I just don’t know where to start …
Has anyone else gone low-carb and what have you used to fill the gap?

Answer:

Low carb creates a natural appetite suppression after 3 days of minimal carbs. Fat is used to fill the gaps (I know it sounds strange) because there is not enough calories in vegs. but you are burning fat as fuel with low carb so it becomes as filling as carbs.
Change your mindset just adapt it to low carb –
replace bread with lettuce
replace pasta with cabbage
replace rice with cauliflower
replace potatoes with brocolli

The core of Atkins program is converting the body from glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) to ketosis (burning fat as fuel). Dietary fat levels need to be at >65% of total calories, if not, the body will still remain in glycolysis by converting 58% of excess protein into glucose (via gluconeogenesis).

Simple carbs are addictive & can be disastrous to health. The best way to break the addiction is NO carbs for 3 days. Make a huge batch of deviled eggs, eat one every time you want “something” – have huge omelets with bacon, sausage, peppers, mushrooms & cheese. Pork chops smothered with peppers, mushrooms & cheese – pork rinds & dip or tuna/chicken/turkey/egg salad – steaks – a huge sugar free cheese cake. Eat so much you won’t feel deprived of anything. By the 4th day, the addiction will be gone & you can start making healthy choices.

You can lose more body fat eating protein & fat (don’t eat protein alone) than not eating AT ALL. To lose weight fast, eat all you want, but nothing but meat, eggs, healthy oils, mayo, butter & half an avocado a day (for added potassium). Keep the calories high & the fat percentage high, at least 65% of calories. Green vegetables & some cheese will continue weight loss but at a slower pace.

The first 2 weeks eat several cups a day of (mostly) lettuce & celery, cucumbers, radishes, mushrooms, peppers & more variety of vegetables thereafter – add 5 grams per day additional every week (20 grams day first 2 weeks, 25grams 3rd week, 30grams 4th week etc) til you gain weight, then subtract 10grams. That will be your personal carb level (everyone is different & depends on how active you are.)

Start with meat, fats & salads for 2 weeks and then slowly add in more green veg, wk4 fresh cheeses, wk5 nuts & seeds, wk6 berries, wk7 legumes, wk8 other fruits, wk9 starchy veg, wk10 whole grains. You will learn how your body reacts to different foods.

The first week is just water weight but fat is lost thereafter if you keep your calories high enough. Otherwise the body will strip it’s own lean tissue for nutrition. Although that may look great on a scale it will make it MUCH easier to accumulate fat in the future (since all that pesky lean tissue burning up calories will be gone). The body won’t release fat stores if you lower calories below what it needs. It will slow metabolism to compensate & store every spare ounce as fat. If you continue lowering calories, it will continue lowering the set point, til it can survive off nothing & store fat on anything. The body will only release it’s fat stores if it knows there is plenty of nutritious food.

Eating carbs while trying to lose body fat is terribly inefficient. When in glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) you have to lower your calories (which slows your metabolism) & exercise heavily to deplete your glycogen stores before burning body fat.

It takes minimum of 3 days to convert a body to ketosis, (but only one bite to convert back to glycolysis). People feel sluggish the first week but most feel better than ever thereafter.

Simple carbohydrates (sugar, flour, bread, cereal, pasta, potatoes, rice) trigger the fat storage hormone insulin. The more protein the more the fat burning hormone glucagon is released. Continue reading What can I replace my rice and pasta with if I want to go low-carb? →

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What can you eat/drink on a low carb, high protein diet?

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Ask:

I would like a list of what you can eat and drink on a low carb, high protein diet. Something like the Atkins diet. A link would be great or just you typing a list. Thanks. Also if and what needs to moderated.

Answer:

During the first 2 weeks, you can have several cups of salads. Jicama, cucumber, celery & radish marinated in sesame oil & hot pepper flakes with rice wine vinegar & artificial sweetener. Make a stir fry with Bok Choy, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, celery, mushrooms, shirataki noodles & your fav meats. I love eggs and could eat deviled eggs every day. You can smother omelets & meats with mushrooms & peppers & cheese. Meatzza – Meatloaf with pizza toppings (pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, mozzarella) I prefer very thin sausage patties fried crispy with pizza toppings. Pork rinds & celery sticks are great crunch and can be eaten with dips (avocado/mayo/cayenne is my fav) & tuna/chicken/turkey/egg salads. I love love love my rotisserie and it makes the meats extra tasty. I cook a turkey every couple of months and make soup with the bones (add vinegar to leach minerals) and turkey salads. I’ll cube up some turkey meat mix in a couple of raw eggs add cheese (and broccoli after induction) with cayenne powder & nuke a couple of minutes for nearly instant meal. Flax seed should be eaten 2T daily even in induction.

Ground flax seed (2-3 Tbsp) 1/4 cup of water, cinnamon, artificial sweetener, mix in a raw egg – let sit 10 min to absorb liquid, put some cream cheese in the middle and nuke for 1.5 min. for hot cereal or 2 min. for more of a muffin type thing. Great low carb, high fiber treat.

After the 2 week induction, you add 5 grams of carbs per day every week and add a much greater variety of non starchy vegetables. Change your mindset – eat what you like to eat, just adapt it to low carb –
replace bread with lettuce
replace pasta with cabbage
replace rice with cauliflower
replace potatoes with brocolli
I eat all my favorite Chinese, Italian, even Mexican foods with low carb foods. Cabbage makes an excellent pasta substitute (for me) Make a lasagna with blanched cabbage leaves & thinly fried eggplant instead of noodles. Sugar free pasta sauce over fried cabbage. My fav is chicken cacciatore, I add greens & flaxseed or chia seed for body and also add pizza toppings – pepperoni, mushrooms, lots of mozzarrella. Alfredo sauce is also low carb.

I don’t cook often. I usually make huge batches of food & freeze most of it. I cook meats 20-30# at a time (for just me) I have gone into the forums for recipes (especially when I first started low carb) I was shocked that fried “rice” made with grated cauliflower tasted just like it’s name sake. Shirataki noodles are traditional in Japanese sukiyaki and low carb. I’ve heard faux mashed “taters” made with cauliflower & cream cheese can fool non low carbers. “potato” salad using cauliflower instead. Continue reading What can you eat/drink on a low carb, high protein diet? →

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How do I get my dad to lose weight?

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Ask:

My dad is very overweight, probably obese and I am desperately trying to get him to lose weight. He does not have any motivation whatsoever to lose weight and has gone to the gym but always get hurt and nothing ever goes anywhere. I think the problem is that he eats a ton of bread which is full of carbs and he sleeps quite a bit. How do I get him to lose weight?? This is becoming a huge problem because he lives in Japan where everyone is on the thinner side so he cannot even find pants to fit him. PLEASE HELP!!!!

Answers:

Answer 1:

The MOST important thing is to eat naturally..without medicines, chemicals, “starving” your self etc.

first, it would be best for you to eat as healthy as possible..this will also help you considerably to lose weight gradually and naturally..

eat fresh fruits, vegetables, drink plenty of WATER..avoid all cokes, caffeines, smoking, alchohol etc. as these also add weight as well as they contain chemicals which disturb your natural bio rythmns as well as brain chemistry. try not to eat too much meat, and the meat you should eat should be “lean meat” such as steamed chicken and rice, or steamed fish with rice..and vegetables,, this should be your staple diet rice and vegetables with fruits..AVOID “JUNK FOOD” and “Fast Food” as this type of food is very unhealthy, lacking in vitamins really and has plenty of fattening molecules which make one gain weight and is very bad for overall health.

if you snack,, try fruits with yogurt or fruit yogurt and nuts.. nuts are very healthy for your body .and contain proteins.

go for walks every evening or morning or whenever you get time each day for 1 hour or 2 hours..make this somewhere you enjoy walking even if you have to drive a bit to there..and make this a daily routine..you will enjoy it once you get into it ..and it makes you feel great after..just walking for 1 hour or 2 hours.

if you do this..every day for one month ..you should lose around 10 pounds (.714 stone) per month until you get to your natural healthy weight.. look up on the internet for an idea of what your weight for your height should be ..and when you get to this weight,,your body will look very nice and you will feel very good.

10 pounds (.714 stone ) each month in 3 months you should lose 30 pounds (2 stones, 2 pounds)..for sure…but no junk food and dont drink alcohol or smoke, dont eat junk..just healthy food with vitamins and walking 1 hour or 2 hours every day..and drink plenty of water..this is guaranteed way to lose weight naturally and for good, if you stick to this, which you should,,as it makes you feel so much more positive due to the vitamins and lack of chemicals making you feel depressed…

btw, forgot to mention,,just in case you dont know how to really make healthy meals..buy a “food steamer” at your local deparment store..they are very cheap and work very well..as well as buy a “rice cooker” which is also very cheap..eating rice is a great way to get your necessary carbs “healthy carbs” to lose weight and has lots of natural energy inside. you can buy asian rice at most large supermarkets or if you have a local oriental market..they sale quality asian rice.. thai or indian rice is good “jasmine rice”.. buy corn or canola oil to sprinkle on vegetables or rice before steaming to add to taste as well as you can buy several nice spices like “cumin” or “Curry powders”, etc.just sprinkle on the vegetables before steaming to give nice taste.

drink “Green Tea” as this is very healthy and helps burn extra fat faster…you can buy quality green tea at most oriental shops or large supermarkets as well

Answer 2:

Do something fun if he does not have motivation. When I was in Japan I enjoy going to swimming. Many older people were just walking on the side of pool. Also, they have sauna and it really helps u to lose weight.  Continue reading How do I get my dad to lose weight? →

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Can you have a balanced vegetarian diet without nuts?

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Ask:

I have two daughters, one hates meat and the other has said for some while that she would like to be a vegetarian because she can’t bear the thought of eating animals. I really like vegetarian food so it would be no problem for me.

But the daughter who hates meat (and also most vegetables) is very allergic to nuts, both peanuts and some tree nuts. Does anyone know if it would still be possible for her to have a balanced diet, and how?

Answers:

Answer 1:

Yes, easily. Nuts are a fairly good source of protein but they mostly get their calories from fat. They’re a good snack but shouldn’t be the staple source of protein in anyone’s diet – too high in fat and calories.

Try switching all the white and refined grains (white bread, white rice) to whole grains and brown rice. Try new types of whole grains like barley or quinoa. Whole grains are made from the entire grain – most white pasta is made from wheat that has been stripped of the most nutritious, high fiber and high protein layers. In fact, it’s so unhealthy that there are mandates for companies that use white flour to refortify it after the processing takes place. Whole grains are naturally high in protein and fiber and are the natural state of the grain and are head and shoulders above refined grains and “white” bread and pasta products.

Beans and legumes are VERY high in protein, fiber and nutrients. Try different kinds – kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, split peas. Make soups, stews, chili. You can make burger-like patties out of black beans. They are so versatile and wonderful.

Try soy products – soy is a complete protein that the USDA and FDA both admit to being as substantial and nutritious as animal protein. Buy a few trays of tofu, or go to Whole Foods or another natural foods store and try tempeh (which is a brick of fermented soybeans).

Look up recipes – this is vital to learn how to work with these foods. Just like someone that has never cooked with chicken breast before or has no idea what to do with it would probably cook something that’s a total, hideous mess, the same would happen with never finding out how to use tofu or tempeh. If used properly you can have a huge range of delicious meals – I make tempeh stroganoff, tofu and veggie stir fry, tofu nuggets, etc.

Answer 2:

Yes. Absolutely yes. I have several freinds who have been vegetarian for life who are simillarly afflicted with allergies to nuts. No problem. Simply avoid them.
Whole grains and legumes and beans are foundational to a plant based diet along with complex carbohydrates. These will not only give you a sense of saitity but also give you great energy. You need to eat widely on the vegetable and fruit spectrum also.

Protein Drinks can also help for a quick breakfast boost to get your family set up for a great day.

You need to drink half of your body weight in ounces each day! So if you were to weigh 120 pounds you would need to drink 60 ounces of water daily and no, not all at once. 5 – 12ounce glasses of water will do it perfectly.

Here is a list of definitions and acceptable things to eat in each category which may help you understand the perameters of each.

Lacto Vegetarians — and I am one — eat no eggs and no egg products knowing that left to their own devices eggs are embryonic chickens and would become one once hatched. Even unfertilized eggs are categorized as flesh foods. Egg White or Yolk — neither part of the egg is acceptable.

Dairy, in other words milk, rennet-less cheeses, yogurt, kefir, buttermilk and butter are all acceptable because it didn’t hurt the animal. In fact if the cow, or goat, or sheep isn’t milked she is in pain; and it didn’t take the animal’s life to produce the product.

All other fruit and vegetables, whole grains rather than refined flours, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds are acceptable and on the table for everyone of these categories.

Sweeteners include Vegan Cane Sugar
(all other refined granulated sugars are subjected to a process including charred bone) Turbinado Sugar, Raw Sugar or Ghur, Maple Syrup, Agave, Honey (not acceptable to Vegans) Stevia. Barley Malt, Fructose, Brown Rice Syrup and Molasses.

Also as vegetarians we are likely to use sea salt rather than table salt. Organic spices and herbs, nutritional yeast, baking yeast, baking soda and aluminum free baking powder. Eggless Mayonnaise and other condiments are also available to us. There is even a Vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce (one without anchovies)

There are also a multitude of faux meat products from Tofu Pups to Lightlife Gimme Lean Breakfast Sausage, to Tofurky Italian Sausage and Bratwurst, there is Morningstar Meal Starters and Boca Burgers not to mention the faux meat products from Taiwan which are available in ethnic grocery stores — Veggie Beef Chunk, Veggie Fish, Veggie Shrimp, Veggie Crab etc.
But you need to lean to read labels to be sure that there are no egg whites often called ‘albumen’ in any of them. So the obvious point I am trying to make is eat widely on the above list and enjoy whole foods rather than the American penchant for White Flour and White Sugar and stay away from Diet anything — it is loaded with ASPARTAME which is pure poison and deadly — ask anyone suffering from GULF WAR SYNDROME.

Vegans eat no eggs, no dairy, no honey and do not wear leather or exploit animals in any way for any reason.

Lacto Ovo people include eggs in their list of acceptable foods.

No other definition is, strictly speaking, Vegetarian — and personally, I hesitate to include the ovo ones to the club — but then salmonella poisoning and eating flesh foods of any variety are real deterrents for me.

For exceptional recipes for main dishes and even an exceptional collection of eggless desserts (more than 2 dozen eggless cakes, and pies, cookies and eggless froen treats too) and great menu ideas and important information check out this website
Actually, were I you I would invovle your daughters in the kitchen fun. I did that with my four sons and they are all terrific cooks, two of them professionally! And one of them married another Vegetarian Chef. Have fun and enjoy the journey.