HOW TO ENJOY YOUR CARBS WHILE STILL LOSING FAT

Here are four secrets to enjoying your favorite carbs while accelerating your fat loss.

Why does everyone think carbs are the enemy in the pursuit of of a lean body and washboard abs? We have been brainwashed for years by Dr. Atkins and the cult of the low carb – no carb eating style. I don’t know about you, but I have been on extremely low carb diets before entering bodybuilding shows and was totally miserable. I lasted for about 6 weeks and held out until the show was over, but boy was I glad to get back to eating my carbs.

Yes it’s true – the low carb eating works beautifully – for a while- and then it starts to break down. It’s one of the most difficult things in the world to maintain.  I have yet to meet anyone who has been able to stick with the  super low carb eating style for more than a year.

I believe there is a lot of merit in reducing the amount of starchy carbs for health and appearance reasons. But you need to find a balance between eating pork rinds and heavy cream and downing sugar breads and pastas with abandon.

As always the best way is the middle road. Having a few smart strategies like the ones I am going to share with you here will keep you happy and looking good .

Secret #1

Pair your starchy carbs with protein.

If you eat starchy carbs alone you will most likely wind up storing it as excess fat. So if you are craving a nice hunk of Italian bread, first eat an appetizer of grilled shrimp or make a sandwich with low fat tuna salad. Adding the protein( shrimp or Chicken) slows down the absorption of the sugars in the bloodstream and keeps your insulin levels nice and low avoiding any chance of fat storage.

Secret #2

  Eat your starchy carbs with fiber.

Consuming high fiber foods like beans, barley, oatmeal and vegetables will also keep the insulin levels low. Fiber acts as a barrier to the absorption of excess carbs  in the small intestine. If you know you are going to have a dessert with dinner eat the beans and the broccoli with dinner and skip the mashed potatoes. Fiber is your friend in the fight against fat.

Secret # 3

Eat your starchy carbs with good fats

By adding peanut butter, olive oil, butter, fish oils avocado, nuts, and nut butters you can also slow down the harmful effects of excess starchy carbs.

Spread peanut butter on a low cal cracker. Add avocado to your burrito, eat a 100 calorie bag of nuts with dried apricots, spread reduced fat butter on waffles or toast.

Secret #4

Ask yourself two questions before you eat.”What is my protien and what is my carb?” Your goal is one serving of protein, one serving of starchy carbs and one serving of fiberous carbs like vegetables,beans or apples. This is the ideal portion ratio that will prevent blood sugar spikes and keep the body in a fat burning mode not a fat storing mode.

This is a simple way to enjoy the foods  you love without all the deprivation and teeth gritting will power that is unsustainable in the long run. Try this for a few days and see what happens.