There are many weight loss programs out there. Most common is counting calories --- without paying too much attention to what you eat or, at most, keeping an eye on the USDA "food pyramid." In this case, you are apt to feel hungry all the time. This makes sense; a person following this diet might actually be starving himself. So, ultimately, he will give up and go back to eating what he did in the past (I will note as an aside that it is no fun counting calories either). Then, there is the high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet advocated by Dr. Atkins and others. In this diet you essentially trade one problem food (sweets and starches) for another (fats). This does not make sense at all from the health point of view given the wealth of information available on the adverse effect of saturated fats on the cardiovascular system. In addition, throwing out carbs also implies throwing out all the vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients associated with those delicious fruits you are avoiding.
So, what is the solution? The Paleo Diet! I will confess that I hate this name as it is not a diet; it is a lifestyle. And, lifestyles are what you should be looking for if you are seeking long-range health. Briefly, the Paleo Diet involves trying to eat the food that our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate thousands of years ago. Our genetic make-up has not changed since then and, if we would like to enjoy the health they did (Yes, it is a fact that these people were very healthy!), we should be eating what they ate. What did these people eat? Very simple: fruit, vegetables, and fish or lean meat (Occasionally, I suspect that they ate some eggs or honey for a special treat!). Does this mean that we have to live like cavemen? Not at all! Meals centered on these foods can be just as tasty and satisfying as meals prepared using conventional foods.
Did you catch the fact that this diet does not include grains and dairy products? That is correct. And, no matter what that food pyramid says, they are not essential to your health. They were not a part of the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors and are not eaten by the few hunter-gatherer societies that survive today. I spent many years living in the Pacific islands and these food items are not a part of the traditional diet of people living there. And, I believe that island people are certainly as healthy and attractive as people anywhere else on this planet of ours.
What can you expect to happen if you adopt the Paleo Diet lifestyle? First, you will lose weight --- perhaps a lot at first as many people experience rapid water loss when they start this program. Then, slowly but surely, you will lose pounds as your weight approaches the ideal for your body type. This is not a quick fix. It is a permanent solution that will take a while to happen. But, it will. That is the most important thing. Second, your health will improve. But that is the subject matter for another article!
The Paleo Diet is the natural diet for human beings. It has been tested in nature's laboratory for thousands of years. People --- including me --- that use it feel good and are able to keep their bodyweight where it belongs. If you are overweight and are looking for the top weight loss program, look no further as it turns out that the Paleo Diet lifestyle is a healthy weight loss program too.
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