Photo: Contributed
As a nutritionist, I hear this a lot from new clients: “I think I eat pretty well, so why can’t I lose weight?”
The answer is quite simple. Although people may be eating healthy foods, most of the time the reason they can’t lose the weight they want or need to lose is because they aren’t eating right.
Most people think that eating healthy food is enough. Choosing healthy foods is fantastic, don’t get me wrong. And fresh is always preferred over processed. Forever. But did you know that unless those foods are eaten correctly, a person can be burning lean muscle and storing fat all day without even realizing it?
So if I asked you which is more correct, an apple or a pizza with chicken, which would you choose? Most would choose the apple because the fruit is healthy, right? True, but pizza (although not necessarily healthier) with chicken is actually a better balance. And healthy without balance you won’t get the results you’re looking for.
Choosing any food without understanding how those macros react in our bodies is where many people stumble. Macronutrients, macros for short, are our proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
Every food on the planet falls into one of these categories. Eating too many carbohydrates, for example, causes our blood sugar levels to spike. And when blood sugar levels rise, our bodies store fat.
On the other hand, adding a healthy protein and fat to those carbs stabilizes blood sugar. When blood sugar stabilizes, the body can release stored fat into the bloodstream where our muscle takes it up and burns it for energy. At this point, your body’s metabolism kicks in, you can begin to lose weight, energy levels increase, and lean muscle mass is protected and can be built.
In addition to balancing meals, frequency is also key. Skipping breakfast, going too long between meals, and restricting eating times all cause blood sugar to drop. When your blood sugar level drops, your body burns its own muscle to send food to your brain. If done continuously, this causes your metabolism to slow down as there is less muscle to burn fat when your body releases it. As you can see, balance is key.
So, enter “PFC every three”.
To better balance your blood sugar levels and prevent fat storage and muscle burning, following these three simple steps is a great starting point.
1. Eat within an hour of waking up. After going all night without eating, our bodies need a balanced meal of PFCs (protein, fat, carbohydrates). I can hear all those moms saying, “I told you breakfast was important!” What can I say, listen to your mom. She is correct.
2. Eat small meals every three to four hours. This gives our bodies a constant supply of portioned nutrients that the body can metabolize and absorb, allowing our bodies to function more efficiently. On the other hand, bingeing on two or three large meals a day causes blood sugar levels to rise and crash throughout the day, creating stress on your body’s systems and adding stored fat around your waistline.
Take a baby as an example. They eat as soon as they wake up, they eat every three to four hours, they only eat when they are hungry, and they stop eating when they are full. And what do babies eat? Breast milk or formula. Both are a balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
The way our bodies metabolize food hasn’t changed, we just became bigger humans, so it makes sense to continue to eat the same way. Eating small meals frequently throughout the day helps keep our blood sugar level stable.
In addition to what we discussed above, stabilizing blood sugar also eliminates sugar cravings, increases metabolism, balances hormones, and allows other body systems to balance and function optimally. Definitely a nice ride!
So now that you know when to eat, what should you eat?
3. Eat three by three: PFC! Imagine your plate divided into three sections, one for proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Balancing your plate in this way provides your body with all the macro, micro, and phytonutrients it needs to nourish itself on a cellular level.
When your cells are nourished, you feel satisfied and have the energy to get through the day without the dreaded mid-afternoon slump. On the contrary, the elimination of food groups (for example, carbohydrates or fats) creates an imbalance in blood sugar, a deficiency of nutrients, sugar cravings, low energy and… the cycle of storing fat and burning fat. muscle starts again.
Along with regular exercise, good balanced nutrition is key to a long and healthy life.
By implementing these three steps, you can begin to stabilize your blood sugar, speed up your body’s metabolism, and begin to release and burn any unwanted stored fat.
To learn more about living the PFC lifestyle, join the 8 weeks is all it takes facebook group
