Step #5

Ok so we all know that these fad diets don't work right? We're all on the same page with that? I mean really- eat only grapefruit and peanuts or cut out carbs entirely. Can I just clear something up? Cutting out carbs will actually make your body start eating away at itself. Instead of loosing pounds of fat, you'll start loosing your muscle and other important things which you NEED! So if we're agreed that the fad dieting doesn't work.... what does?

I and my mom are living proof that doing it the hard slow way is the ultimate key to success. The message is one you've heard a thousand times: eat right and exercise. But no one teaches you how to really go about those HUGE changes. I mean for my mom, that was something way foreign to her. She used to be overweight (most of you don't remember this), but she really was at one point. She chose to start counting calories and measuring everything while keeping a journal of all of her intake. That worked for her- for most of us though, that seems very overwhelming and so we just don't do anything. I lost 30 lbs by just monitoring what i put in my mouth and exercising. I wasn't quite as stringent as my mom but I did start looking at nutrition labels. Ok so really I should only be having a cup of pasta... didn't know that before! Haha. Then i would be soo hungry because it was way less food then I was used to, so here's the trick... fill in that void with the healthy stuff! So instead of garlic bread and pasta, try some steamed broccoli, or a big old salad with lots of veggies on top and a LITTLE dressing.

Dressing is the killer man. Most people think if they have a few pieces of lettuce and drown it in Ranch it's now healthy WRONG. Sorry but true. Dressing is virtually alllll FAT so if you want some flavoring on your salad try those Wishbone Spritzers. You spray the dressing on and each spray is like 2 calories or something. As long as you don't do 50 sprays you're good! Also vinegar with a tiny bit of oil is acceptable. Remember that fat isn't the enemy it's just the type of fat we're trying to keep a handle on.

I actually think the best thing you can do is eliminate the fats you don't really need. Like using butter to sautee things- use pam! It's like 5 calories as opposed to 150! Also try extra virgin olive oil instead of other oils for cooking. It's got unsaturated fats- which pretty much means that your body can digest these. In chemistry you learn that saturated fats have all of these double bonds which get caught in your system allowing the fat to just chill there. If you consume unsaturated fats these have single bonds which your body can handle. So chem aside, UNSATURATED is the way to go. And PLEASE don't consume anything with TRANS fat. This is your enemy. It's rarely found in much except butter and a few processed snacks. But you might as well just stick that directly on yourself before you eat it because it will NOT be digested properly= fat buildup!

So i know this was a lot of random facts but to sum up, skip the fad dieting make lifestyle changes. These are what will last you. Also find what works for you, if it's calorie counting or just trying to choose healthy foods one day at a time go for it! And try to stick with the healthy fats as much as possible. Saturated and Trans= BAD, Unsaturated= GOOD!