How to Lose Weight with the High-Protein Approach
July 12th, 2009 by users
Over the years, one of the most effectual ways to lose weight has been high-protein consumption. Lately, it has been popularized by diets for instance Atkins and The Zone, but it’s in point of fact a much older approach to weight loss, having been around for at least twenty years or more.
High protein eating is a bit controversial, because some critics claim that it can be too high in saturated fat and cholesterol. This can be exact, depending on how you approach the program. It is possible to lose weight on Atkins even if you consume a lot of bacon, butter and eggs, but if there’s a history of heart disease in your family, that’s not wise. The standard Atkins diet is not nearly as high in fat – it stresses healthier sources or protein for example chicken or fish.
A high protein diet limits your consumption of carbohydrates, for instance bread, rice and pasta. Most of us consume too much of these foods anyway; actually, some experts argue that some of us are even addicted to them. It’s true that when you get used to eating these foods, it can be hard to give them up. The Atkins diet forces you to do so during the early stages of the diet. In fact, even fruits and vegetables are limited. In the later stages of following the diet, fruits and vegetables are added back in, so you don’t end up deprived of vitamins and minerals. Another common criticism of the Atkins diet is that it deprives you of fruits and vegetables (which everyone agrees are healthy), but this just isn’t true in the long term.
Why does eating a high protein, low carbohydrate diet make you lose weight? The reasons are complex, and related to personal body chemistry. The truth is that eating a lot of processed carbohydrates is a huge difficulty for lots of of us, because they raise the body’s glycemic index. Cutting out or limiting carbohydrates reverses this process, switching your body in a different gear – it turns into a fat-burning machine. The fact is that the high protein approach is one way in which lots of people have lost large amounts of weight. Some of these are individuals who have been unable to lose weight using any other diet or weight loss program.
The Zone is a gentler approach to high protein consumption, but it is based on the same rule. Unlike Atkins, the Zone allows you to consume a balanced diet of protein and ‘good’ carbohydrates at every stage. Like Atkins, it limits or eliminates processed carbohydrates for instance bread, pasta and baked goods. Over time, the Zone is perhaps as efficient as Atkins, though Atkins can have some quick, fantastic results when you first start following the diet.
Both of these approaches to weight loss should be lifetime changes, rather than diets that you ‘go on’ for a short period of time. Atkins has a ‘maintenance’ phase that allows you to consume a balanced diet, but maintain the eating habits that you have learned so that you don’t gain the weight back. Some experts advise that if you start to notice your eating habits slipping and pounds creeping back on, you should go back to the initial stages of Atkins for a while, and a consume a more restricted diet until you get back on track. The majority of the experts encourage you to stop thinking about the old-fashioned idea of ‘going on a diet’ for a short period of time, and then going back to your old habits. That generally doesn’t work in the long term.
Working out is also a incredibly principal part of this and any weight loss program. You can do any type of exercise you like. The best thing seems to be walking, if you do enough of it. Actually, walking for an hour every day might be a better way to lose weight than running two or three times a week. If you make exercise a part of your life, day in and day out, you have the best chances of controlling your weight for a lifetime.
High protein consumption plans are not for everyone, but the fact is that they have worked for thousands of people in the past, even those with extreme or stubborn weight problems. Try Atkins or the Zone, or read about them online, to learn the fundamentals and make a decision whether this diet is for you.
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