This is both for optimal weight loss and optimal health.
Keeping insulin low and staying healthy is more about what you DON’T do. Staying away from sugary drinks is an example of something you don’t do. By keeping the rest of your day the same while skipping this treat, you are doing less of something. Bear with me here.
By contrast, drinking the most nutritionally dense, antioxidant rich, green smoothie is something you do do. You have your normal daily routine, and then you read an article about the benefits of this power smoothie that cures erectile difficulties, and are deciding to add something new to your day.
Now as good as that smoothie is for your health, doing nothing (i.e. putting less things into your body) will have a far greater impact on your health and weight loss. That’s because by doing nothing your insulin stays low and your body gets a chance to repair and heal. You’ll see what I mean below.
For now, think of it this way, it’s far, far better for your weight and health to eat a couple of pizza pockets and a Twinkie everyday (even though they are junky), than it is for you to eat a lot of food all day long like breads, pastas and desserts but making sure you include a pound of spinach and other mixed greens in, hoping that the incredibly healthy greens offset the less than optimal rest-of-your-day-diet.
1- WHAT YOU (DON’T) EAT
So the first way to keep insulin low is to manage what you eat. By now it’s clear that a low carb diet is what does the trick. So by choosing to not eat certain foods but keeping the rest like meat, eggs, fish, nuts, vegetables, fruit etc., you are exercising the first and most common way to keep insulin low.
2- WHEN YOU (DON’T) EAT
When you eat is just as important in managing your insulin level as what you eat. This is where intermittent fasting or time restricted feeding comes into play. This approach allows you to eat carbs if you want, but asks that you eat only within a certain window of time every 24 hour day. The most common is a 6 hour window where people eat lunch and dinner only between 12-6pm. That leaves 18 hours out of 24 in a fasting state. Some people even do 23/1 where they only have a huge, satisfying dinner each day.
This is great for creating the weight loss and health adaptations we want in our bodies.
3- HOW MUCH WE (DON’T) EAT
Pretty straightforward. More food means more insulin released and also more strain on our bodies as digestion takes a lot of energy out of us. The message here is basically not to gorge everyday, even if you are using one or both of the principals above. Eat a feast and enjoy yourself at times, eat normally most of the time and eat less or even fast every now and then.
CREATE YOUR PLAN
The good that comes from this is that you don’t have to be so strict. No need to confine yourself to one narrow path that takes all the fun out of life and requires you to be like your cross-fitting neighbor who looks amazing but brings her own tuna to a BBQ, pretending that she isn’t secretly salivating over the potato salad and chips n dip.
With these 3 approaches, you can choose which ones you want to implement and how much of each one you want to take on. For instance you can eat low carb all day long and that’s all, or, you can eat low carb on some days but then eat anything you want on others, just less. Or you can eat carbs everyday but only have one or two meals within a 6 hour window. Or take that 6 hour window and eat one carb meal and one low-carb.
There are lots of ways to play around with this which makes losing weight easier. You can choose what suits your schedule, temperament, taste, style etc.
Remember, always be using at least one of the approaches with 2 giving the best results to keep your insulin where you want it. And if you find you can’t, go next door and ask your cross-fitting neighbor for her diet tips. I guarantee that these 3 approaches above won’t look so bad after you come back.
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THE EATING LOVE GUIDE (FREE)
The Eating Love Guide has helped many people regain control of their eating patterns, resulting not only in weight loss but also better health and improved self-esteem. To read it online, click here.
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