| Are you on the weight-loss yo-yo. You try a new diet | | | | thousand years. Yet this carbohydrate-packed foods |
| and shed a few pounds but the moment your | | | | may be one of the biggest causes of our obesity |
| willpower slips you find that the pounds just sneak | | | | epidemic because our bodies still struggle to cope with |
| back on. Sometimes you even end up heavier than | | | | the jolt of sugar they provide. That causes our insulin |
| you were before. Many of us find ourselves in the | | | | levels to shoot up, grabbing all that sugar in the blood |
| same situation. That is because dieting is a shock to | | | | and turning it to fat. Soon our blood sugar levels will |
| the system. When we cut our calorie intake our bodies | | | | have slumped again causing hunger and sugar |
| go into starvation mode and start trying to conserve | | | | cravings. |
| as much energy as possible. The moment we come | | | | 3. Keep stoking the fires by having many little meals |
| off the diet our bodies quickly pack away as much fat | | | | rather than just one or two big ones. Think of your |
| as they can in preparation for the next cycle of | | | | body as a fire. Instead of sticking on one big log that |
| starvation. | | | | causes flames to flare up and die down, you want to |
| Do not despair. It is possible to break this cycle and | | | | keep adding little logs at regular intervals. That will keep |
| keep the weight off. But to break it you have to | | | | your metabolism ticking over and burning calories. |
| change your whole mindset and attitude. You cannot | | | | 4. Choose foods that satisfy. A lot of research has |
| think about this as depriving yourself or as starving | | | | shown that some foods, especially those that are high |
| yourself. In fact, this is best thought of as not going on | | | | in carbohydrates, leave us only temporarily satiated |
| diet at all because you are not trying to conquer | | | | before leaving us with a raging appetite. Others, such |
| hunger. Instead, what you are trying to do is eat the | | | | as nuts, often leave us feeling satisfied for hours. A big |
| same way our ancestors did thousands of years ago. | | | | bowl of salad for breakfast will help you through the |
| In going back to a more primal way of eating and living | | | | morning far better than a bowl of high-fibre cereal. And |
| we are in fact getting our bodies back in tune with | | | | a handful of nuts eaten half an hour before a meal will |
| millions of years of evolution. Many of the foods we | | | | help stave off food cravings and leave you eating less |
| find in stores today such as bread and pasta are | | | | when you actually sit down to lunch or supper. |
| relatively recent innovations that have only been with | | | | 5. Do not cut to much fat from your diet. Many people |
| us for a few thousand years so little wonder then that | | | | assume that if they are trying to reduce the fat in the |
| our metabolisms have yet to learn to cope with them | | | | bellies that they should also reduce the amount they |
| properly. | | | | eat. In fact that is one of the great weight-loss myths. |
| So here are some tips to help you eat a primal diet | | | | Dietary fat is both satisfying, meaning we want to eat |
| that can help you shift weight and keep it shifted. | | | | less if we have some fat in our meal, and it helps |
| 1. Eat the way your ancestors ate. That means | | | | encourage the body to burn fat. In contrast many of |
| dropping all refined and processed products from your | | | | the low-fat dietary products in stores replace fat with |
| meal plans and go for simple things. Instead of refined | | | | sugar, which may be more harmful over the longer run. |
| starch eat salad. For a snack choose a carrot or | | | | Shedding the extra padding that we may have around |
| some nuts over a baked muffin. Instead of processed | | | | our middles is never easy. No matter what people |
| meats such as sausage and salami go for the more | | | | promise you, know that doing it successfully requires |
| natural form. Try a good steak or some homemade | | | | some effort and willpower on your part. But by |
| meatballs. | | | | adopting a wild or primal strategy of eating the way |
| 2. Avoid grains wherever possible and only consumer | | | | our ancestors did will improve your chances of |
| them in moderation. Grains such as wheat, rice and | | | | success and will help you keep the pounds off without |
| corn have become staples over the past few | | | | tears. |