Interested in Becoming
Certified as a Personal Trainer?
Should I be counting my grams of fat, sugar, and calories?
..................................................................................
Eugene
Thong:
In a word – nope! Counting specific grams or calories is
not only downright boring, but if you’re
eating correctly for fat loss,
you shouldn’t have to! We outline our basic nutrition tenets and
offer you a
list of the best 75 foods to eat, but here’s a quick
primer:
1) Focus on those foods that maximize nutrient value and minimize insulin release. That would be Meat, Leaves, and Berries.
Meat refers to anything that has eyes – beef, chicken, fish, shellfish,
pork, etc.
Leaves refers to non-starchy carbohydrates – essentially, any vegetable except for corn and potatoes.
Berries refers to low-sugar, high fiber fruit – berries are best, but other options like apples, grapefruit, kiwi, etc. are great too.
2) Minimize
consumption of foods that supply little to no nutrient value and/or
raise insulin levels. That would be Grains, Sweets, and Starches.
Grains are corn, wheat, rice, sorghum, etc.
Sweets are refined sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, etc.
Starches are potatoes, flour, pasta, etc.
3) Eat food that’s minimally processed. In general, if it comes in a shrink-wrapped box with a free toy inside, don’t eat it.
There are certain situations where keeping track of specific calorie counts or nutrient counts is warranted: If you’re eating “healthfully” but still not losing weight, if you’re a world-class athlete looking to peak performance, or if you’ve got food allergies or specific nutritional concerns.
For the average Joe and Jane, keeping a food journal for the first week or so should be the deepest level of scrutiny needed. A quick review of your week’s meals will very quickly reveal the sub-optimal food choices that need correcting.
P.S. If you're a first time reader of MCNewsletters, sign up for our weekly newsletter below. You also get our Special Report on weight loss- The Dark Side of Dieting: 21 Mistakes to Avoid, a free "fat burning foods" list that you can print out and take with you for reference and much more.
