Dr. Ali Ghahary is a strong advocate of healthy eating, and often helps patients come up with weight-loss management plans in addition to recommending regular exercise habits; and while eating healthier and moving more seems simple enough, weight loss isn’t always easy without following a strict meal plan, with the most effective being a diet that is low in carbohydrates as well as limiting your intake of sugar and alcohol. Similar to sugar, alcohol sets off resistance to insulin, which in turn promotes weight gain. Alcohol is also high in calories and has little to no nutritional benefit.
That being said, being on a diet doesn’t mean you have to cut out carbohydrates all together. It simply means that you should, instead, carefully choose the kinds of carbohydrates that you eat. For example, swapping fast-release carbs (instant rice, white pasta, white bread ice cream) with unreleased, slow-burning carbs (brown basmati rice, multi-grain breads, legumes), as well as having a diet that is rich in vegetables. Soup (vegetable based) also works well as an appetite suppressant as it consists of both liquids and solids, and it can lower your calorie intake by as much as 20%. If you are used to drinking caffeinated, frothy lattes, you should swap those for black coffee, green tea, or herbal tea, as dairy can be another calorie trap.
By making these changes, over time you will notice a difference on the scale, and it will also significantly benefit your health and decrease the risk of developing many different diseases.