Fat Loss Plate

Eating a fat loss plate is all about choosing the right combinations of food to even out blood sugar levels and eventually switching your body over to fat burning mode.  This part of the plan is why it is so important to own the plan.  There’s no way I can provide the details and examples they do in the plan.  This is the truly fascinating part.  It looks at everything from how your body processes food to blood sugar to the importance of carbs and so much more!  On just the 2^nd day of this plan, I had the light bulb come on – ding!  It just made sense!

First, our body does one of two things with the food we eat – burns it for energy or stores it for later use as body fat.  To lose weight, we have to burn more food as energy than we store as fat; and what we eat has a huge effect on that.   

A significant factor is the amount of sugar in our bloodstream.  Sugar comes from carbohydrates – anything that once grew in the ground (fruits and vegetables) or is refined from something that once grew in the ground (sugar which comes from sugar cane, corn syrup, etc. or breads and pastas which come from grains or many alcoholic beverages which are distilled or fermented from grains or sugars.

Those poor carbohydrates . . . they are the red headed stepchildren of the food world!  We always joked that my mom (shout out momma!) blamed everything on carbs!  Like, my car broke down because I ate too many carbs.  I’ll let the Food Lover’s Diet people explain why carbs have almost become a 5 letter word:

The reason that carbs are so often blamed as the cause of weight gain is that when carbs are converted into Glucose in your body they can trigger the release of a hormone called “insulin”.  Insulin is your body’s primary fat storing hormone.  It’s known as the fat storing hormone because one of its main duties is to get excess sugar out of your bloodstream as quickly as possible (so it doesn’t damage your arteries.)  And that generally means storing it as fat.

There are two kinds of carbs – fast and slow.  Fast are converted to sugar more quickly; and the faster they are converted to sugar, the more likely they are to spike insulin which leads to the sugars being stored as fat.  Fast carbs are things like breads, potatoes, sweets, and alcohol.  Slow carbs are higher in fiber like greens, beans, berries, and other fibrous vegetables (i.e. not corn, Shirley!).

Making your body burn the fat instead of storing it is all about having the right combination and proportions of protein, fast carbs, and slow carbs.  That’s what the fat loss plate is all about. 

Picture your plate as divided into thirds – 1 is protein, 1 is fast carbs, and 1 is slow carbs.  That’s the combination part.

The other part is the proportion.  I could write an entire book on portion control!  I’m sure you have heard countless health professionals and nutritionists talk about how our meals have become supersized.  A portion of protein should only be about the size and thickness of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards.  That’s about 3-4 ounces.  One of the many things I love about the Food Lovers system is the visual aids.  The book actually tells you what the portion size is for the type of foods then gives you a visual cue.  For example, with lean beef, pork, and game, a portion is 4-5 ounces for males and 3-4 ounces for females then the book shows you a picture of a hand with a circle around the palm.  Another example is yogurt or cottage cheese where a portion is 1 cup or the size of your fist.  A lot of vegetables are 2 cups or 2 fists worth.  A potato (fast carb) should only be 1 cup or 1 fist.  

If you are really OCD about eating healthy, you should have a scale and measuring cups; but you won’t always have those when you’re out to eat at a restaurant or a friend’s house.  That’s why the visual guestimates are so important. 

So, what were my fat loss plates today?

·         Breakfast:  I had a protein shake.  Now, you may be thinking, “Ummm, Amy, where’s the slow carb?  You’ve got the protein in the protein powder and Almond Milk, and you have the fast carb in the fruit you added.  Where’s the slow carb?”  With the plan, you do not ALWAYS have to have the 3 pieces.  You could do a version with no fast carbs where you have a protein and 3 slow carbs like a grilled chicken salad.  You can also have a version with no slow carbs but 1 protein and 1 fast carb like a protein shake or scrambled eggs and toast.

·         Lunch:  4 ounces grilled turkey breast (protein); two ½ inch slices of polenta about 1 cup (fast carb); and 1 ½ cups mixed vegetables of carrots, cauliflower, and sugar snap peas (slow carb)

·         Dinner:  4 ounces grilled pork loin (protein);  two ½ inch slices of polenta about 1 cup (fast carb); and 1 ½ cups green beans

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     Take a look at my Fat Loss Plate!  I like to buy these divided containers for our lunches.  They make things so easy!

I would love to hear your comments and questions!  Remember, the website for purchasing the Food Lover’s Diet is www.tryfoodlovers.com.  I highly recommend it!  AND they do have a money back guarantee!