Most of us struggle with weight loss at some point in our lives, and we are painfully aware of how difficult it is to shed those pounds.  Here is a summary of what we know about losing weight.

1. Calorie counting DOES NOT WORK because the source of the calories is far more important than the amount, as they are not all metabolized equally. Calories from carbohydrates (think sugars and grains) raise your insulin level and turn to body fat, whereas dietary fats and protein have very little impact on your insulin.
2. Have a salad prior to a meal and include a healthy serving of vegetables with each meal.
3. You cannot exercise your way out of a poor diet.
4. Drink enough water. If your urine is dark yellow, you are not drinking enough water.
5. A poor diet is one that is high in processed foods, added, harmful fats (vegetable oils and trans fats, not saturated fats or cholesterol found in whole foods) and artificial ingredients
6. Eat REAL FOOD and ideally cook from scratch. This will automatically reduce your added sugar consumption, which is the root cause of insulin resistance and weight gain.
7. If you buy organic produce, you’ll also cut your exposure to pesticides and genetically engineered ingredients.  If you ditch processed foods you’ll automatically avoid artificial sweeteners and harmful processed fats. If you go to a local farmer’s market, you will find real food at discounted prices.
8. Opt for AGA certified grass fed meats to avoid genetically engineered ingredients, pesticides, hormones antibiotics and other growth promoting drugs.  If you can find a local family farm you can buy ½ to a ¼ cow for example and then you know exactly where the meat is coming from – you might even save a few bucks!
9. Reduce net carbs to under 50 grams a day and restrict protein to 0.5 gram/pound of lean body mass. The remaining calories come from high-quality fat sources like avocados, butter, coconut oil, macadamia and pecans.
10. Cut out artificial sweeteners.
11. Number 11?  That’s right, you get a bonus weight loss fact!  Sugar is evil.  It’s your number one enemy in the fight against excess weight.  Read labels and try to keep sugar below 10g per serving. That includes fruit, smoothies, and juice as well as the usual suspects of cookies, chocolate, and soda.