Macronutrient Basics - If You Want to Lose Weight, Know What You Are Putting in Your Mouth
Much of the available information about weight loss is contradictory and confusing. Bring up any 5 websites on weight loss and you'll get at least 5 completely different views. It is no wonder that the average overweight person doesn't know which way to turn. It's also not surprising that most people have so much difficulty actually losing weight and keeping it off.
The most helpful thing you can do first is to understand macro-nutrients (i.e. carbohydrate, protein and fat) and their impact on body weight. To dispel some common myths you should know that fat on its own does not make you fat and carbohydrates alone don't make you gain weight. In almost all cases, consuming more calories than the body burns over a long period of time is the only thing that causes a person to become overweight. Burn more calories than you consume each day and that caloric deficit will cause you body to burn stored fat for the energy it needs.
Understanding food components isn't complicated and it doesn't need to be. Many over complicate the relationship between food and diet because it is profitable for them to do so. This is everything you need to know about macro-nutrients for the purpose of losing weight:
Fat contains more calories per gram consumed than do carbohydrates and protein. At 9 calories per gram for fat and 4 calories each per gram of protein and carbohydrate, fat consumption should be monitored because those fat calories will otherwise add up quickly. Dietary fat is necessary for the body and brain to function properly. Healthy fats come from vegetable sources like olives, olive oil and avocado. Nuts are mostly fat and the healthiest are walnuts, macadamia and pistachio in that order. Use fats sparingly because of the higher calorie content.
Carbohydrates provide the primary source of fuel in the modern human diet so carb intake must be monitored as well. Too much will provide the body with an unlimited source of easily converted energy and the body will have no reason to burn the stored fat. Carb intake above what your body needs for energy are converted to fat and that converted fat is deposited in places where you don't want it to be. The best carbohydrate choices are found in vegetables and fruits. These are nutrient dense, high in fiber and low in calories. These should become the central part of the diet when attempting to lose weight. Higher starch carbs like wheat based products, sugar, potatoes, corn and rice should be avoided.
Dietary protein supplies necessary amino acids that the body requires and that it cannot produce on its own. Protein assists in maintaining muscle tissue among other benefits. Complete protein can only be assured when obtained through animal sources or Soy. Some studies have shown possible health concerns related to Soy consumption so animal protein is by far your best choice. Lower fat, or lean animal protein are recommended because it reduces the amount of saturated fat consumed.
Diets that are high in both carbs and fat, in other words the average American diet are a terrible problem because your body is being placed into the worst possible situation. Some of the carbs you eat are being converted to fuel with the excess being converted to fat. At the same time the fat calories you eat also being converted to body fat because your body is already in a state of calorie excess so it doesn't need these.
A healthy diet that promotes weight loss must contain the right selections of all three macro-nutrients in appropriate amounts. Consume fewer calories. Burn more calories. Lose Weight. It honestly is just that simple.
The most helpful thing you can do first is to understand macro-nutrients (i.e. carbohydrate, protein and fat) and their impact on body weight. To dispel some common myths you should know that fat on its own does not make you fat and carbohydrates alone don't make you gain weight. In almost all cases, consuming more calories than the body burns over a long period of time is the only thing that causes a person to become overweight. Burn more calories than you consume each day and that caloric deficit will cause you body to burn stored fat for the energy it needs.
Understanding food components isn't complicated and it doesn't need to be. Many over complicate the relationship between food and diet because it is profitable for them to do so. This is everything you need to know about macro-nutrients for the purpose of losing weight:
Fat contains more calories per gram consumed than do carbohydrates and protein. At 9 calories per gram for fat and 4 calories each per gram of protein and carbohydrate, fat consumption should be monitored because those fat calories will otherwise add up quickly. Dietary fat is necessary for the body and brain to function properly. Healthy fats come from vegetable sources like olives, olive oil and avocado. Nuts are mostly fat and the healthiest are walnuts, macadamia and pistachio in that order. Use fats sparingly because of the higher calorie content.
Carbohydrates provide the primary source of fuel in the modern human diet so carb intake must be monitored as well. Too much will provide the body with an unlimited source of easily converted energy and the body will have no reason to burn the stored fat. Carb intake above what your body needs for energy are converted to fat and that converted fat is deposited in places where you don't want it to be. The best carbohydrate choices are found in vegetables and fruits. These are nutrient dense, high in fiber and low in calories. These should become the central part of the diet when attempting to lose weight. Higher starch carbs like wheat based products, sugar, potatoes, corn and rice should be avoided.
Dietary protein supplies necessary amino acids that the body requires and that it cannot produce on its own. Protein assists in maintaining muscle tissue among other benefits. Complete protein can only be assured when obtained through animal sources or Soy. Some studies have shown possible health concerns related to Soy consumption so animal protein is by far your best choice. Lower fat, or lean animal protein are recommended because it reduces the amount of saturated fat consumed.
Diets that are high in both carbs and fat, in other words the average American diet are a terrible problem because your body is being placed into the worst possible situation. Some of the carbs you eat are being converted to fuel with the excess being converted to fat. At the same time the fat calories you eat also being converted to body fat because your body is already in a state of calorie excess so it doesn't need these.
A healthy diet that promotes weight loss must contain the right selections of all three macro-nutrients in appropriate amounts. Consume fewer calories. Burn more calories. Lose Weight. It honestly is just that simple.
