The majority of people living in the Western world have poor health. There are many reasons for this, the largest one being apathy and laziness. In addition to apathy and laziness you have a government that promotes something as asinine as the USDA food pyramid along with diets that are horrible for you, such as veganism. Couple this with poor workout habits (if any at all) and you have a population that is heading for disaster.
Before nature would have weaned these people out but now humans can afford to be soft and weak while still surviving. Thanks to the technology and civilization people can live outside the laws of the jungle, at least temporarily or for short periods of time. Yet like violating any law there is consequences to this. Though we may not live in the jungle we should still train and eat like we do. A day is coming soon when physical fitness will be needed. My advice would be to get a head start.
Most people would like to lose a little (or more than a little weight). Both men and women complain about their spare tires around their midsection. For the average person this is very easy and the average person has such a low starting point that doing just about anything will be a step in the right direction. Hell for some people simply walking more is going to be a step in the right direction. Below are the two most damaging things to avoid if you want to keep off the weight as well as have a healthy well functioning body.
Sugar
We’ve all heard about the bad effects of sugar and for good reason. Sugar is put into many things and spikes our insulin levels, which can contribute to gaining fat. While in small amounts sugar isn’t bad the problem is most people do not consume sugar in small amounts. Eating sugar is pleasurable to the human body and even has addictive properties. And like other addicting things such as alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and pornography it’s not good for you.
Dropping sugar from your diet will help even out your insulin levels and keep them from spiking so frequently and harshly which leads to weight (particularly fat) gain. Something that regardless of your goals, you want to avoid. Most people avoid things like cakes and cookies but then will go and drink sports drinks and other flavored beverages that are laden with sugar. Often as much if not more than the cookies and cakes themselves. You should be drinking water and that’s about it. Sugar has a way of being snuck into every beverage out there from teas to “health” waters. Stick to regular water and teas that you brew yourself.
Wheat
According to the USDA’s food pyramid wheat should make up a majority of your diet. If you want to be fat and weak (as I’m sure the government would love to have you) then by all means follow the diet recommendations lain out by good ol uncle sam. However if you want to fit and ready to go drop wheat from your diet. Wheat functions much the same as sugar and often is even worse. It spikes your insulin and has a host of other negative side effects. What was once touted as a super food is in actuality one of the worst foods that you could eat.
Not to mention wheat (or gluten in particular) has been linked to low testosterone (another reason uncle sam pushes it?) as well as a host of other issues. This stuff is poison and not food for a man. Wheat is good for cattle or sheeps not for men or wolves. When the government says red meat is bad for you and wheat is good for you. You should know that something is up. You have been lied to. Like everything else people have their own motivations for pushing the things that are pushed on you. And you well being is not one of them. Do your own research and discover the truth.
Summary
For the man or woman who wants to start losing weight and returning to a healthier better performing body dropping both sugar and wheat is a great first step. For further reading as to the negative effects of wheat (and sugar’s effects on the body) I would recommend you pick up a copy of Dr. William Davis’s Wheat Belly, a very enlightening read. Drop these two things from you diet and you will be amazed at what a difference a period of time as short as four weeks can make. Not only will you feel better but you will look better as well. A win-win for everyone. Start today and record your results.
If you have any questions you would like to see answered in a future post send them to me at charlessledge001 (at) gmail (dot) com. If you found value in this post then I would encourage you to share this site with someone who may need it as well as check out my books here. I appreciate it. You can follow me on Twitter here.
-Charles Sledge
Two solid items to drop for weight loss. I would also add alcohol in addition to that.
Ah thats a good one.