To Shed Pounds, You MUST Eliminate This from What You Eat

To Shed Pounds, You MUST Eliminate This from What You Eat.  As usual, Dr. Joseph Mercola, one of my favorite health writers has a great deal to share in this excellent article on what you need to ditch in your diet in order to lose weight and enhance your overall health.

"One of the most pervasive MYTHS about weight loss is that you can lose weight by just restricting your calories and increasing your exercise. If you believe this and are seeking to lose weight, let me warn you that you will be in for a load of heartache as this is a myth that is not based in reality.
The key is the quality of your calories and exercise. Typically you will need to replace your grain carb and sugar calories with high quality protein and fats and replace cardio exercise with high intensity training like Peak 8. I realize that this might conflict with your previous understanding of a healthy diet, but that is clearly what the bulk of the science and anecdotal evidence supports.
In today's world, filled with 'convenience foods' of all sorts, it's harder than ever to keep your weight under control. In the decades since processed foods took over the market place, people have strayed further and further away from fresh whole foods, and this, I believe, is the main crux of the problem. So let's take a look at what the typical American is eating. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the top nine foods eaten by Americans are:

Whole Cow's milk, White Bread, Refined Sugar, 2 percent milk, White flour, Sodas, primarily colas, Processed American Cheese, White Rolls, Ground beef. 

   "Is it any wonder why we are having health problems when SO MANY are eating foods that are not designed to keep them healthy? This table does not list the foods in any particular order, but soda is the number one source of calories in the US. Once you know that fructose and other sugars, along with refined grains, are the primary culprits behind the obesity epidemic, it's really no wonder that over 2/3 of all American adults are now overweight or obese…"http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/29/foods-that-keep-you-thin.aspx?e_cid=20110729_DNL_art_1


To Lose Weight You MUST Limit Fructose to Less than 15 Grams per Day

It is important to understand that the foods you eat are three times more important for controlling your weight than your exercise. It's very easy to sabotage yourself with sugary foods and beverages; especially beverages containing high fructose corn syrup, which many sports- and energy drinks are chock full of.
Consuming fructose and other sugars just before or during exercise will cause your blood sugar and insulin levels to spike and crash, most likely resulting not in increased hydration, but in reduced athletic performance. Not only that, but consuming fructose after your workout will completely shut down your body's production of HGH! This includes items that are typically viewed as healthy, such as fruit juice or even large amounts of high fructose fruits." 

To Shed Pounds, You MUST Eliminate This from What You Eat.  As a person who is truly addicted to chocolate and scones, it is a hard decision to eliminate these delectable treats from my diet.  Yet, I know that unless I do so, I will gain weight and sabotage my overall health.  I never, ever drink sodas or eat foods with HFCS in them since they taste like metal.  After reading the truth about that toxic substance years ago, I found that I am really, really glad that HFCS is so revolting.  Still, sugar does it's damage. Bummer!