{fat-loss friday} protein + fat + carbs

hello everyone and happy first day of the weekend!

it’s friday and it’s time for some fat losing!

how did you do with the water last week? did you drink enough last week? I’m not gonna lie, after those first two days of a gallon each, i didn’t do as good. it was really hard because it got super cold this week and i have such a hard time keeping hydrated when i’m cold! but, i never drank less than 64oz, and i am pretty proud of that. how did you do? need more help? you can always contact me for questions or just moral support!

now let’s get to the next big thing . this might be overwhelming and seem like a lot, but remember that living a healthy life style is a process when you aren’t used to it. take it in steps and try with one meal a day, or whatever you can handle. ready? {be warned… this is a long one!}

each meal should consist of a protein, a fat, and a carbohydrate.

i know what you are thinking: tasmin! really? fat and carbs? that’s not healthy.

guess what? there are good fats and good carbs! did you know that fruits and vegetables are carbs? try going carb free and eating healthy now! ha!

let’s break things down.fats first:

our body needs fat. it keeps us warm, protects organs, and gives us energy. but like i said before, there are good fats {omega 3}… and bad fats {omega 6}. the problem many people face is eating too much of the wrong kind. though we still need omega 6’s too much of them can counteract the effects of omega 3’s. when you see the lists below, you may understand why we eat more of the O6 than O3.

omega 3 fatty foods:
olive oil
coconut oil
coconut milk
raw nuts
avocados
fish

omega 6 fatty foods:
basically any other oils {especially canola}
processed foods- biggest thing ever! {i will pick up more on this next week}

now for carbs. there are simple carbs and complex carbs. simple carbs burn faster because they don’t have as many nutrients and generally should be eaten after workouts. some should be avoided. those would be basically any white bread product. white flour is just super processed wheat flour. it’s bleached and just not normal. if you can throw a piece of bread at someone and it feels like a marshmallow, it probably has the same amount of nutrients as one.

complex carbs have more fiber and nutrients and so our bodies absorb them better and they give us better energy.

simple carbs:
white potatoes {much better with the skin}
white rice
white breads.crackers.etc. – what we should avoid

complex carbs:
fruits
vegetables {more on that below}
sweet potatoes
brown rice
100% whole grain breads

lastly protein. their aren’t as many bad proteins to avoid as the other two categories, but there are a couple that i know. whey protein and soy protein. i am not familiar enough with the details on that to explain it right now, but i will brush up and save it for another fat-lose posting. for now, let’s make a list of some proteins that are really good for you!

proteins:
eggs
beans
dairy {see below}
meats {below again}

now you have an idea of what things you should include in every meal. a protein, a carb, and a fat. our body needs all of them to function properly, but they need to be the better kinds in order for us to function to our best ability.

vegetables: they are so low in carbs that eating a lot of them is not gonna rack up a carb count. that’s why we are encouraged to eat tons of vegetables on diets. not a lot of carbs, but lots of vitamins and nutrients, and they are natural and fresh. just the way they were created to be consumed!

dairy: did dairy surprise anyone being in the protein list? dairy is a really good protein. unfortunately, the FDA has ruined dairy. point blank. if we could all drink or eat unprocessed, unpasteurized, unhomogenized dairy, then full fat would be a good source of fat and protein. but after all the processing of the dairy, all that’s really left is processed fat and that is on the omega 6 side. not what we want. so stick to reduced fat or fat free when choosing dairy, but remember to use it as a protein. i will share some of my dairy using secrets in the future.

meat: obviously a protein. brock and i eat mostly chicken breast and ground turkey. pork is another good choice, but you want to take care to stay away from fatty cuts of meat {especially bacon… gosh dern, i know!}. same goes with beef. beef is good, but when eating it ground, get the least fat you can. sausage is another one you might want to avoid… it’s just been uber processed and  generally has a lot of unnatural additives. like i said, next week i will talk about processed foods.

are you overwhelmed? this may just be a helpful resource for later when we expand off of different things i have talked about today. i hope i make sense and i hope this helps!

disclaimer: i am not certified in any way, shape, or form in the health world. this is all coming from what my husband and i are learning. it comes from several different sources and explains our health style.