Wanna Look Good?

Seriously. Do you want to look good?! What a stupid question. Of course we all want to look our best! If you understand these basic principles below, then actually execute them into your life, YOU WILL LOOK GREAT! This is not a diet, this is a healthy way of life and the facts of how your body works.

Even though this information is from a book, Ultra Metabolism, it is not a novel concept or his new idea, I just like the way he puts things all together. But this information is used by registered dietitians and is the real thing, it's not a fad diet. That's why I like the book. I've already written posts on this information, but since there are several posts it could get easy to get lost. Here is a summary of the most important information for you to look your best. If you want to read the whole post explaining each in detail (which I would recommend at some point if you really want it ingrained in your head) then click on the title which is the link that will take you directly to that post.

1. Your Metabolism.

• Your focus should be your metabolism. It shouldn't be, "How many calories can I burn today," or, "How many calories should I eat today," or, "Maybe if I skip a few meals I can eat more tonight and won't gain so much weight." It's not about calorie counting or how many calories you burn when you go for a run. Everything you do effects your metabolism. It's your fat burning machine. YOU determine how good your metabolism works for you. Don't say, "Oh, I have a slow metabolism," because YOU can change that and YOU are responsible for it. Having said that, that is why these next few points are so important, because it's all how it affects your metabolism, which is what will make you look healthy and lean, or...we all know the alternative to that :) So when you read these next points, keep in mind how they affect your metabolism. Instead of asking yourself those questions I began with, ask yourself throughout the day, "How does this affect my metabolism? Does this boost it, or is this damaging it to make it harder for my body to burn fat?"
  

2. Not all calories are created equal.

• All calories are not created equal.
• Food controls information for your genes that controls your metabolism, not just energy in the form of calories.
  
• The information changes your metabolism and can increase or decrease your weight.
• A whole-food diet is the best way to help food communicate to your genes in a language it understands.
• (From Lola) Basically, choose your food wisely because it DOES make a difference if you eat 1,300 calories worth of junk all day, versus 2,000 calories of whole foods. Even though the first is less calories, the effect will be far more harmful to your metabolism (which is our fat burning baby that we want to treat very nicely) rather than the latter, which will help us maintain a smaller waistline. Yup, you heard me. Smaller. Waistline.

3. Stay away from Bad Carbs and Sugar.

• Yes, there are Good carbs and Bad carbs, just as good and bad fats.
  
• If you eat the bad carbs, or as he calls high glycemic load or low in phytonutrients (which are what carbs are for) then your body will process that sugar and everything else you eat with that meal so quickly that it will get stored as fat. Although, if you eat the good carbs, it doesn't get the sugar into your blood stream as fast because of the balance of fiber and protein.
  
• (From Lola) You want to control your insulin level, and that's what eating protein with good carbs does. When your insulin levels get too high it stores the extra energy into fat because you can't possibly burn off that much energy in the amount of time you ate it.
• When you eat bad carbs, such as simple sugars, i.e. crackers, white bread, cookies, etc. imagine yourself eating CARDBOARD because it basically has that same effect on your body. Only, it'd probably be better if you did eat cardboard because at least it doesn't have sugar in it :) But that's how empty the nutrients are in Bad Carbs.

4. There are Good Fats and Bad Fats. Learn what they are and stay with the Good.

• Good fats turn on the genes in your DNA that increase your metabolism, help you burn fat more quickly, and become healthier.
  
• Bad fats are the ones that affect your metabolism adversely, making it difficult to burn the weight you would like to.
• Ugly fats (trans fats) are a different animal entirely. These are man-made fats that simply cannot be properly digested by your body at all. These fats interrupt the natural operation of your cells and have the capacity to affect your health in radically negative ways.
• It is not a question of eating low-fat versus a high-fat diet: it's a question of the type of fat you eat.
  
• Essential Omega-3 fats are good fats. They come from fish, flaxseeds, and nuts, enhance and improve your metabolism, and promote weight loss. Eat more of them.
  
• Trans fats are ugly fats that cause weight gain, impaired metabolism, inflammation, and diabetes. NEVER eat them.
• (From Lola) Basically, it's not that fat makes you fat, it's the TYPE of fat that makes you fat. So eat the good fat, and stay away from the bad. That means not buying fat free food everywhere you go, but instead avoiding foods with trans fats, i.e. Oreos, Crisco, frosting, etc. These foods are killers. Put Crisco out on the counter and see if the flies will touch it. They won't. They know better.
  

So you might ask, "What does this mean for me?!" Hopefully once you understand WHY it's so important it will be easier to make those healthy decisions instead of poor food choices and you'll be on the road to slimming down. If you need help knowing exactly what foods are out there that are healthy to eat and which ones to stay away from, here are three complete lists of foods to enjoy and avoid:

Foods to Enjoy- Phase I (Detox phase for 2 weeks)
Foods to Avoid- Phase I

Foods to Enjoy- Phase II (Simply adds back the dairy and some grains. They are first eliminated to see if you are allergic to them and if they are causing inflammation you weren't aware of. I always still include them in my diet anyways. Phase II is for the rest of your life basically, whereas Phase I is only for 2 weeks to clean your system out.)