Turns out, not all carbs are created equal. When you eat simple or refined types, these break down into sugar quickly within your system and cause blood sugar levels to spike rapidly. When your blood sugar levels spike up, insulin is released and then pushes the glucose (another name for blood sugar) out of your blood and into your fat cells. But if you choose to eat the "slow-digesting" carbs, then the sugar will be digested and released into your bloodstream slowly over time, which will keep your blood sugar levels STABLE, and give your body a sustained level of energy that your body can use instead of storing it away in your fat cells (which is really what gaining weight is, right?). You may be wondering what carbs are best to eat. Here's how you can eat MORE of those healthy, slow-burning carbs and still lose weight.
Step 1
Eat oatmeal for breakfast. Oatmeal is a very healthy carbohydrate that will give you a great burst of energy first thing in the morning and satisfy your taste buds desire for something "nutty" and delicious. It's important to eat only the 100% WHOLE ROLLED OATS without any chemicals or added flavors. The microwavable, instant oatmeal is NOT a healthy carb because it's been processed by machines (which means it digests quickly in your system and causes the inspulin spike and fat storage) and then loaded with chemicals (which are NOT healthy for you or your body).
Many people prefer the 5-minute oatmeal because it tastes better, but if you are really short on time in the mornings, the 1-minute version is just fine. Just be sure to ONLY get the oatmeal that you have to actually cook with boiling water over the stove because eating instant oatmeal is as bad as eating cake for breakfast! Start your day with a healthy, slow-burning bowl of whole oatmeal and you will get your day started off the right way.
Step 2
Choose brown rice instead of bread. Brown rice is another whole grain (meaning that NONE of the grain has been processed or removed by a machine) and therefore it burns very slowly as you digest it. This will give you a sustained level of energy over time instead of having that burst of energy and then a crash like what you get when you eat sugar, bread or processed carbs.
Brown rice still has the outer shell on, which gives it the brown color, and this is where you get fiber, vitamins and minerals. When you remove the outer shell, the underlying white grain is just a pure carbohydrate without any fiber to slow down the digestion process. This is why white rice converts to sugar in your system right away and causes that insulin spike and fat storage.
And instead of using bread for sandwiches or crackers for soups... use brown rice cakes! They are a delicious and healthy slow-burning, NON-processed carb that give you that satisfying crunch and nutty flavor without spiking your blood sugar and causing fat storage on your hips, butt, tummy and thighs.
Step 3
Eat yams throughout the year. Many of us eat yams for Thanksgiving, but this is a healthy, slow-burning carb that you can enjoy all yearlong. Yams are so good for you and so naturally sweet that you don't need to put all that butter, sugar and marshmallows on top to make it taste good. It's so easy to just poke a few holes in the yam with a fork, roll it in foil and bake it in the oven for about an hour at 350 degrees. Then add a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg and VOILA! It's a delicious and healthy carb that you can eat anytime during the day so that you get your energy fix and still lose weight.
Step 4
Pig out on green vegetables. See this is why it's so unhealthy to cut out carbs completely from your diet. The HEALTHIEST foods are carbs. Green vegetables are the one food that you can never "pig out" on and eat too much of them. Go crazy! Indulge in spinach, kale, green peppers, zuchini, green peas, snap peas, broccoli... anything that is alive with that vibrant, green glowing color you should be eating A LOT of them.
Green vegetables are full of antioxidants which support your immune system (having a healthy immune system is very important for losing weight) and give you lots of fiber, vitamins and minerals that your body's cells NEED in order to get back to it's healthy and natural weight.
Add as many green vegetables as you can to EVERY meal throughout the day. Start your day with an egg white omelet with spinach, mushrooms, green onions and tomato. Eat a salad in the afternoon that's loaded with broccoli, green pepper and avocado. In the evening, sauté garlic and olive oil with collard greens, rapini or kale. Experiment with different spices to make every dish special and different. Soon, you will begin to CRAVE eating green vegetables every day because you will become addicted to the amazing energy, the vibrant life pulsing through you, and watching your body get thinner and thinner as the fat melts off your body.
These weight loss tips will help you know what carbs are best to eat. Eating healthy carbs can help you lose weight. As a weight loss coach and weight loss survivor, I've seen time and again that when you give your body the TOOLS that it needs, it will heal itself and return back to its healthy and natural weight. And the best tools to give your body are the right foods from Mother Nature. You don't need any kind of special diet pill or potion; the perfect medicine comes from our natural diet of natural, healthy foods. Gaining weight is a sign that your body is struggling to heal itself. Give your body what it needs to do its job and you will watch as the extra weight falls off of you. And when you learn how to ENJOY the bliss of living a healthy life and eating healthy, natural foods... then you are guaranteed to KEEP the weight off and never get fat again.