
How To Lose Weight
Whether at a party, at the gym, or on the phone, the topic of weight loss almost always finds a way to sneak into the conversation. “I’m watching my calories,” “I need to lose a few,” and “I just started a new diet,” are among the most common weight-loss refrains. And then there’s the airwaves transmitting all kinds of diet and exercise programs that promise to help you lose weight and get fit. But how do the promises hold up?
Let’s take a look at the numbers according to US government stats:
- 2/3 of Americans are overweight
- 35-40% of Americans are obese
Worldwide? As measured by World Health Organization (WHO) stats…
- 1.6 billion and counting are overweight!
But we aren’t taking the weight lying down. An estimated 45 million Americans are on a diet…unfortunately, by some estimates more than 80% will gain back any weight lost within two years. In fact, a UCLA meta-analysis of 31 long-term diet studies showed that two-thirds of dieters gained back more weight than they lost within four or five years!
Put all that research together and you’ve got a pretty irrefutable conclusion on your hands: these diets and efforts simply aren’t working.
That’s why the Primal Blueprint’s approach to weight loss rejects “dieting” in favor of permanent dietary changes that will help you lose weight effortlessly and keep it off forever! We do not believe in dieting to lose weight; we believe that you can transform your body into a fit, lean fat-burning machine simply by eating the right foods. (Notice we didn’t say sacrificing all the foods you love! The right foods include juicy meats, healthful fats and even indulgences like dark chocolate!)
The Primal Blueprint eating strategy is based on the very same diet consumed by our primal ancestors. Humans evolved as hunters and gatherers eating mostly meat, vegetables, fruits and nuts. But over time, our diet incorporated more and more grains and processed sugar. And over the past 50 years or so processed foods have become full of grains, high fructose corn syrup and unhealthy industrial seed oils and trans fats…and our diet, which was primarily made up of protein and fat, has become increasingly dominated by carbohydrates and sugars.
How does this affect you? The body is mostly designed to process protein for growth and fat as its main energy source. Our bodies, and especially our minds, enjoy carbs and sugars—they taste good and let our brains know it by sending signals of pleasure with every bite. But there’s a problem. Sugars are absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream to give us an energy boost, but the body is only going to absorb what it needs for its immediate energy purposes. And carbs are like sugars. The body turns carbs into sugars and again only uses what it needs. And that’s the real dilemma—whatever the body doesn’t need, it turns into fat for storage.
Now, back in the day humans were happy to have some stored energy because they didn’t know when their next meal might come. But today, we don’t have that problem. We get plenty to eat and not enough exercise, so we don’t tend to burn our stored fat. Instead, we keep consuming excess carbs and sugars—which are turned into fat…and a few new pounds each year.
Fortunately, there is a way to change this whole dynamic and adjust your diet so that you can achieve your ideal body composition and enjoy lasting results. Just follow the Primal Blueprint guidelines for eating to learn how to successfully eliminate grains and sugars and replace those fat-producing ingredients (ahem, carbs and sugars) with delicious meals that will turn your body into the fat-burning machine it wants to be!