The 5 Guidelines

Article extracted from: Is This the Way to Lose Weight? Reader's Digest October 2011 edition and below was written by Beth Dreher.

Dr Eric Westman, who directs the Duke Lifestyle Medicine Clinic in Durham, North Carolina, and who co-wrote the The New Atkins For a New You (photo insert), has been studying low-carb diets for 12 years. His 5 guidelines:

1. Dont try to limit fat.

"Eating high-fat foods keeps you from feeling deprived." says Dr. Westman. Cheese, heavy cream, sour cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise, butter and oil are all healthy parts of a low-carb diet.

2. Say goodbye to pasta, bread and rice.

To lose weight, most people have to stay under 20 grams of "net" carbs per day (net carbs is the number of grams of carbs minus grams of fibre, because fibre doesn't send blood sugar spiking). The rules out bread (two slices contain about 24 grams of net carbs), rice (over 40 grams per cup). Once you hit your goal, you can slowly add in more carbs that don't have a big impact on blood sugar.

3. Be picky about vegetables.

Starchy (carb-heavy) vegetables - most of the ones that grow underground, as well as corn - are off-limits. But you can have up to four cups daily of leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach. Limit broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, okra, and brussels sprouts to two cups per day.

I think my next posting will be about starchy fruits and vegetables!

4. Say NO to hidden sugars.

Fruit, that legendarily healthful food is packed which sugar, aka carbohydrates. So are fruit juies. Other concentrated sources include soda, cakes and candy. You may be able to keep diet sodas, light beer, dry wine and sugar-free sweets on the menu and still lose weight.

5. Eat as much as you want.

When it comes to protein and fat, "you don't have to use portion control." says Dr. Westman. "Your hunger will go down automatically when you start eating this way - all you have to do is stop eating when you're full."

Again, I begin to understand why the food plan recommended me to follow some guidelines which eventually was effective for me on my weight loss adventures. There are some answers here but there are some other things I need to research on. Thank goodness for the internet!

And this morning, I had two eggs and a bowl of vegetables (celery, cabbage & green capsicum). Definitely low-carb. Yummy!