Slim Down

When it comes to losing weight, there is much too often a big emphasis on calories, saturated fats, and portion sizes.  While these three things can most definitely contribute to weight loss, they are not the things to start with. This guide will hopefully change your mindset as well as the foods you are limiting yourself.

Each step should be integrated with vigorous exercise everyday as well as lots of fruits and vegetables.

Best results are going to be in those who follow the Paleo diet, but if it is too strict to be realistic for you, then start here.

Step 1: Artificial Ingredients and Additives (Go organic or at least all natural)

  • Remove ALL Trans Fats (See the Trans Fat page on how to do so)
  • Remove ALL High Fructose Corn Syrup (See the HFCS page on how to do so)
  • Remove ALL Monosodium Glutamate
  • Remove ALL artificial sugars, food colorings, etc

Just doing these 4 things can often be enough if not, move on to step 2: (All of the following items are recommended even if not needed for weight loss, but to ensure optimal health)

Step 2: White Grains

  • Remove ALL white bread (Leaving only multiwhole grain)
  • Remove ALL white rice (Leaving only brown rice)
  • Remove ALL white pasta (Leaving only whole wheat pasta)

Step 3: Animal Protein (Meat)

  • Switch to leanest of meat (See the good types of meat here)
  • Remove skin from poultry before eating
  • Begin to incorporate lean animal protein at every meal

Step 4: Carbohydrates Part 1(Sugar)

  • Remove sugar from all non sweets and desserts (Bread, jam, salad dressing, pasta sauce,  etc)
  • Remove desserts, sweets, candy, etc

Step 5: Carbohydrates Part 2 (Grains + Tubers)

  • Remove ALL bread, even whole grains
  • Remove ALL rice, even brown
  • Remove ALL pasta, even whole wheat
  • Remove ALL other grains you may be eating
  • Remove white potatoes (leaving sweet potatoes and yams)

Step 6: Carbohydrates Part 3 (Starchy Vegetables)

  • Remove ALL potatoes (normal, sweet, yams)

Step 7: Dairy

  • Remove ALL dairy products (Lactose is sugar! Going low fat / fat free will only leave you with an insulin spike / dump)

Step 8: Carbohydrates Part 4 (Natural Fruit Sugar)

  • Limit fruit to primarily berries (Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc)
  • Remove any fruit juice you may be consuming (contains lots of sugar but little to no fiber)
  • Significantly limit smoothies to treats

Step 9: Go Paleo!

  • Remove all legumes from diet
  • Follow this

By the end of the list your diet should be consisting of mainly lean meats, chicken, fish, berries, vegetables, seeds, and nuts.

If this is not working as fast as you would like, and are exercising as much as possible, consider using the Zone diet to help manage portion sizes