A diet that cuts out all refined carbohydrates is without a doubt the best diet to lose weight fast and keep it off for good.
Reducing your refined carbohydrate load is one of the most effective ways to reduce body fat percentage. We’re talking belly fat specifically, which is the most dangerous and disease causing kind. Unfortunately, for the sweet toothed among us, this type of fat around the middle is usually the type of fat laid down more readily when you over consume sugary treats.
When it comes to weight loss, there are no end of different diets out there all promising you the world and usually not delivering. Or, only delivering in the short term. This is obviously not ideal, especially as the ultimate aim for all of us is to be slim for life without having to think too much about it.
Cut out Sugar and you will GLOW!
When I first did a two week sugar detox, I was struck by how quickly my skin responded. I seriously looked the best I could ever remember. I was glowing and fresh. We have no idea what sugar is actually doing to our poor, over-taxed bodies until we actual cut it out.
By cutting out refined sugars and refined carbohydrates in general you will lose your sugar cravings very quickly (surprisingly, way more quickly than you may think), which means initially fast weight loss.
In fact, you should not only lose excess flab, but your skin will literally glow too. Too many refined carbs and sugars, not only make your skin listless and dull, but also sap you of your energy and enthusiasm for life. Which is yet another major reason why cutting down on sugar is vital to your health.
The fastest way to get this energy and vitality back, is to not only cut out sugar, but also get lots of antioxidant rich superfoods into your diet in the form of fruits and veggies. Upping your consumption of plant foods will leave you less space to fill up on junk. Plus, your body will feel more satisfied due to it receiving lots of nutrients, in turn helping banish those dreaded food cravings.
How to get a flatter stomach in one week
Yes, this is very doable WITHOUT having to go hungry, as nobody wants to feel like they are starving themselves OR missing out on anything. Being hungry makes you miserable and saps you of your energy. We all know how horrible it is to feel hangry – an urban dictionary word explaining a mixture of hunger that triggers anger. Or, feeling short tempered due to lack of food, which then causes your blood sugar to drop.
So, without further ado, let’s dive straight in and we will show you what needs to be done in order for you to not only feel good about yourself, but also be the best version of you that you can be. Yes, food can honesty be that powerful when you use it in the right way.
There are no strict diet rules here. Life’s too short!
It really is true when they say “diets don’t work!” Yes, you may lose weight initially, but statistics show that unless you actually change your thought patterns around food AND the way you eat for life also, then you will simply pile it all back on again. Plus, more on top!
Thus prompting you to go on yet another diet only to start the whole process all over again. Oh, the misery…
The yoyo dieting trap!
And so begins that pattern commonly known in the diet world as yoyo dieting, which can eventually mess up your metabolism completely. And that is something that you definitely don’t want to do because you will start to find it impossible to lose weight, no matter how hard you try.
This problem could make you gain more weight and trigger your health to spiral downwards. This could possibly leading to all manner of weight related problems including obesity, metabolic syndrome, adrenal burn out and type 2 diabetes.
So, to get you on the right track, you should keep things as simple as possible. More importantly, don’t think of these changes as a ‘diet, rather a change of your conditioned habits around food for life. You needn’t say adios forever to all the treats you love as this is a negative and depressing thought and will mean sure-fire failure.
I like to stick to the 90/10 rule. This means eating healthily 90% of the time and leaving 10% for those treats that give your life meaning (phew). And, I don’t know about you, but my personal meaning is homemade dark chocolate.
YOUR 5 EASY WEIGHT LOSS TIPS
The aim here is to eat a diet rich in plant foods to ensure you take in LOTS of antioxidants. Eating plenty of these antioxidant rich foods (like those on the list below) will not only help to keep your body detoxifying (which in itself will help to melt excess fat), but may in the long term help to slow down the aging process of your entire body on both the inside and out.
1. Add These Foods Into Your Diet
- FRUITS – of all kinds. But go easy on the high sugar, tropical fruits such as pineapple, mango, papaya and over-ripe bananas. Also, grapes are high in sugar too, even though they are not classed as a tropical fruit. Try making this delicious, blender ice-cream for your breakfast.
- VEGETABLES – Eat a rainbow of colours such as dark green leafy veggies of all kinds, salad, beetroot, bell peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes and squashes. Try to eat something from all the colour groups every day. It is the colour pigment that gives a food its antioxidants.
- PULSES – such as lentils, chickpeas, cannellini beans, borlotti beans, butter beans and pinto beans. TIP: They are so much easier to use straight out of the can as they can be added straight into soups, stews and chocolate chilis.
- WHOLEGRAINS – such as quinoa, spelt, barley, oats, oatmeal, millet, amaranth, buckwheat, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, and wholemeal or sourdough bread.
- GOOD QUALITY PROTEIN – It’s good to get the bulk of your protein from plant foods wherever possible. Viable sources of high quality, plant protein comes from quinoa, buckwheat, green peas, all pulses and beans, nuts, seeds, organic, vegan protein powders, sugar free peanut butter (which can be a life saver as it’s high in protein, healthy fats, and is so versatile and easy to add to any snack or smoothie). Make sure you go easy on nuts and seeds, as they are very high in fat.
- HEALTHY FATS – in moderation of course. These include good quality, virgin organic coconut oil, avocados and avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, flax oil, sesame oil and grape seed oil.
- NUTS AND SEEDS – Not only a source of protein, but full of healthy fats, nutrients and antioxidants. They also make an easily transportable on the go snack.
- GREEN SUPERFOOD POWDERS – These are great if you feel like you just can’t get enough green leafy vegetables into your diet (most people find it a chore). High quality green superfood powders are concentrated forms of nutrients that you can easily take a shot of in some water or juice at any time of day (though you should steer clear of them in the evening due to them being over-stimulating before bed). Green powders boost your energy and noticeably make your skin glow within half an hour of taking them. Proof that your body just LOVES the nutrients they offer. I use these every day, regardless of how many other greens I’ve eaten, just to be sure.
2. Remove These Foods From Your Diet (at least 90%)
- SUGAR – Refined sugars are hidden in many foods, especially fast foods and other junk foods. You should also remove all confectionery, sweets and chocolate (have some dark chocolate if you get a craving as it works just as well).
- REFINED CARBOHYDRATES – such as pastries, white bread, white rice, white pasta and white flours in general that come in the form of donuts, cakes, biscuits and cookies.
- FIZZY DRINKS – These are the kiss of death to any diet as they are just basically sugar water with literally zero fiber or nutrients. Ditch these for good if you want to stay slim for life. Even the ‘diet’ and ‘low sugar’ versions are very bad for you as they are full of synthetic sugars and chemicals. Not good when you want to keep your body detoxified. Swap them for sparkling water with a little squash added. Or try watered down fruit juices, herbal teas, or some of these other great metabolism boosting beverages.
- UNHEALTHY FATS – These are the kind that come in junk foods, deep-fried foods, crisps, chocolate, cakes, and all of those other naughty things you know you shouldn’t have if you wish to stay in tip top health. Oh yes, the list is endless when it comes to foods that contain unhealthy fats, but if you steer clear of junk foods in general then you won’t need to worry about this.
3. Don’t Forget To GET MOVING!
It’s not rocket science. Even the best weight loss diet won’t give you the greatest results possible without a good exercise plan in place.
No matter how you choose to do it, just make sure you get moving every day in some shape or form. It’s easy to power walk to the shops or work, join a gym, or simply follow one of the many thousands of free exercise videos on YouTube in the comfort of your own home.
4. Build Muscle Mass
We can’t stress enough how important it is to have muscle tone on your body. Not just for a myriad of health reasons, but also to help keep your metabolism high and your body in FAT BURNING MODE. Now there’s three little words that we just love to hear!
Muscle mass is metabolic and will help you to burn more calories per day than stagnant fat. So, will therefore help to keep you slim even when you’re not exercising.
The best way to build muscle is through strength training. This includes sports such as gym, HITT, boxing, kettlebells and other resistance exercises. Three sessions a week will be enough to help you build muscle mass and burn fat.
Here is an example of one of the many videos available on YouTube that can be done in the comfort of your own home.
Best of all, they are cost free apart from the initial lay out for any equipment that you may need. Using home videos also allows you to work at your own pace at a time that suits you, providing you have the determination to actually do them.
5. Natural Diet Supplements
We’re not fans of most weight loss supplements for the simple fact that most of them are either a scam or just a complete waste of your hard earned money. We’re especially not a fan of anything unnatural, synthetic or down right dangerous which can be another issue with certain diet pills.
Having said that, there are some very natural types of diet supplements on the market that do actually work to help enhance weight loss, alongside a healthy diet. Don’t expect miracles, but you should see a difference in how much faster you lose excess weight as long as you use them correctly.
If you would like to find out more about these, then please read our list of these proven natural diet supplements and see if they are suitable for you before you use them (this is very important). We have researched and found only the scientifically researched brands that have good customer reviews. But, you should always read labels thoroughly to double check they are ok for you.
CONCLUSION
If you start today with the simple changes on this list, then you can expect to see results pretty quickly.
Our hope is that when you start your healthier diet and lifestyle, you will feel so good that you’ll never want go back. Meaning you will never have to worry about your weight again.
Please check out some other great tips with these easy breakfast recipes post. It will show you ways you can put the best fuel in your body to stat your day off the right way, which makes a huge difference.
Hey Stephanie, Great article! It’s always hard to lose weight if you’re on a diet. I found it’s a lifestyle change that finally does it. Eating healthy foods, exercising, and getting a good night’s sleep is the key.
I got rid of all the unhealthy food choices and really started a change. I do take supplements but not for losing weight. It takes a bit of getting used to but it’s the only way to lose weight and get on the healthy track.
Thanks for some great tips!
Hi Rob, I totally agree with you, in fact sleep is a major key in keeping you slim and also for keeping the body in a state of homeostatis to prevent us from getting sick in the first place!
I’m really glad you have seen how much your food choices can change things as many people are so unaware of what they are putting into their body until they get sick, so I hope I can help prevent that with this website. Thanks
I finally cut out sugar about two weeks ago. I felt my memory was getting worse. I am loving the results. It was a bit hard for the first couple of days, and now I’m watching everything I eat. This is such good advice that if anyone did anything, cutting sugar would make so many people feel better. Keep it up! And I’m losing weight finally!!!!
Hi JB, that’s really great you have cut out sugar and are losing weight. It’s really hard I know as I’ve done it myself, but the results are so worth it. Brain fog is definitely the result of too much sugar and inflammation along with many other nasty symptoms, so it really is worth the effort.
Hey, very impressed with your website it looks great and the content is plentiful. And I couldn’t agree with you more about more natural more better!
Hi there Doc, thanks a lot, I really appreciate the compliment about my website. Sometimes things like that make it all worth it for me. And yes, I always advocate the natural approach to weight loss or any kind of eating plan for that matter as it allows you to make changes you can stick with.
Thank you I really needed to hear that. I have a real challenge with sugar and know that cutting it out will make a really big difference not only to my weight but my life in general. So it is good to get reminders like this.
Hi Jennifer, I understand how you feel. Sugar is just SO addictive it’s crazy. I still struggle with it myself, especially at certain times of the month if you know what I mean lol.
But sugar is the thing that really hinders our weight loss efforts, in fact I believe it’s the worst thing as it promotes belly fat, which is something we need to avoid as much as possible as it ups our chances of type 2 diabetes and other diseases.
Not only that, but cutting out sugar makes you feel good; it really gives you a mental boost, focus, and more energy, so it’s worth the pain.
Awesome article !! There is so much out there when it comes to health and weight loss. You gave some really great ideas for what things to cut out and things to add into your diet. I’m on a weight loss journey myself due to a disease process, but I can definitely apply some of your suggestions to my plan.
Hi Nikki, thanks so much! And I am so glad you have picked up some useful tips from my post. I really hope that applying them helps your weight loss and indeed your disease. I would love to know how you get on and if it helps.
Great advice Stefanie! I really like the kettle ball workout video. I go on a cruise in a week, and I am going do this for a week on top of my diet. Any additional weight lost will be great! Thanks for the great information.
Hey there, how fantastic to go on a cruise! I guess you want to lose a few pounds for that then and a few kettle bell workouts will help you to burn fat fast, quicker than most other exercises anyway. Good luck with it!