When your weight loss regimen is based on insulin control, you won’t need to starve yourself. Instead, you need to eat five meals a day. When you are hungry, your body needs eating more, but you are still losing weight because you will only eat foods that do not raise insulin. You won’t need to count calories. All you need to do is eat enough protein and green leafy vegetables to keep you full.
Instead of giving you a specific menu, we will show you how to plan your meals as a whole to help you lower your insulin levels. This way, you can combine your favorite foods. Here are general guidelines to help you do this.
+ Breakfast
Protein – such as egg whites, sausage, chicken, etc – or one portion of dairy product, such as plain, nonfat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese.
+ Morning Snack
1 apple or orange or 1 portion of grapes or berries
+ Lunch
At least 1 portion each of protein and vegetables
+ Afternoon Snack
1 portion of nuts
+ Dinner
At least 1 portion each of protein and vegetables
(Note: One portion is equal to the size of your fist).
How eating more but you are still losing weight
a. Breakfast
Some people skip breakfast because they don’t have enough time to eat. Others skip meals because they are trying to lose weight. In the end, this did not work. Because in reality, the opposite is true “eating more on breakfast but losing weight.”
+ Breakfast reduces hunger during the day, helping to avoid overeating later. Eating small meals in large quantities is not good because it causes insulin levels to fluctuate a lot. Eating smaller portions more frequently throughout the day helps stabilize your insulin level and helps your body burn fat more easily.
+ The worst thing is your body goes into starvation mode when you go hours without eating. Especially when you skip breakfast, the body will store whatever is eaten later as fat. You can eat anything for breakfast as long as it doesn’t spike insulin levels.
Boiled egg whites (Source: vinmec)
At different times of the day, our bodies will react differently to the same food. Researchers have reported that the same food eaten for lunch causes less glucose response than when eaten for breakfast. Here’s why you should eat protein for breakfast.
+ You can use soft-boiled, hard-boiled, fried, scrambled, or omelets filled with vegetables. Remember to only eat egg whites and not the yolks.
+ Besides eggs, you can eat a plain, nonfat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for breakfast. Dairy products are generally high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Avoid drinking milk because it contains lactose, which your body will recognize and process as sugar. A great alternative to cow’s milk is unsweetened almond milk, which is unsweetened and contains more calcium.
+ If you are tired of eating eggs, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese, have another protein such as ham, sausage, and turkey. But it’s not prepared with a sugary glaze that will raise your insulin level.
b. Morning Snack
Between breakfast and lunch, your first snack should always be a low-GI fruit, such as an apple, orange, grape, or berry. These fruits contain natural sugars, but eating a portion –the size of your fist– will not spike insulin. However, taking two or more servings per day will cause insulin to spike, which means you won’t be able to lose weight.
You can eat an apple for a snack (Source: giadinhmoi)
c. Lunch and dinner
For both lunch and dinner, you need to eat vegetables and protein like meat, seafood, or tofu.
+ You can eat as many green leafy vegetables and tubers as possible, as long as you avoid potatoes, corn, carrots, and radishes. You are losing weight easily, but your diet needs eating more green vegetables. If we eat a lot of fiber, they are not digested and will expand in the stomach, creating a feeling of fullness. Therefore, we recommend eating green leafy vegetables before eating protein dishes.
+ As a general rule, the greener the vegetables, the more nutritious they are. Green leafy vegetables like asparagus, celery, cucumber, lettuce, or spinach are low in sugar and a great source of fiber. You can also prepare them in different ways. You don’t always have to eat salad greens. Try baking, steaming, or sautéing in oil. Just don’t use corn oil.
Lunch recipes with asparagus and chicken (Source: mealpreponfleek)
+ Dieters often believe that eating little or no meat will lead to weight loss. But, again, the opposite is true because they will feel so hungry that they have to eat snacks like chips, cookies, or snacks.
Be sure to eat at least one serving of meat, poultry, seafood, or tofu for lunch and dinner. When you eat like this, you will feel full for longer. You can eat more than one portion if you are not feeling full. In addition, pork, beef, chicken, or turkey will make you feel full longer than seafood or tofu. With seafood or tofu, you may have to eat more than a portion to get enough.
+ As with vegetables, you can prepare the meat, seafood, or tofu in different ways. You don’t always have to steam and bake. You can use olive oil to saute meat, even eat deep-fried meats or seafood, but avoid eating them often because they’re high in saturated fat. Eating too much saturated fat increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
+ Although white meat like chicken, turkey, and fish are healthy choices, don’t limit yourself to eating only white meat. Mix it up! Don’t repeat the same food dishes every day.
d. Afternoon Snack
Between lunch and dinner, have a handful of raw nuts. Nuts are filling and will help you eat in moderation before dinner. One handful as an afternoon snack has enough protein and fat to keep you full, but not enough carbs to increase your insulin level. You’ll feel full until dinner is ready
Almonds and pistachios both have a GI of zero, making them a great fit. If you are allergic to seeds, try sunflower seeds. Remember to use fruit for your morning snack and nuts for your afternoon snack. Don’t switch the order. Fruit is not enough to fill up until dinner.
The almond and pistachio nuts (Source: skyfish)
Summary: By eating three main meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner with protein and vegetables, and a morning snack with low GI fruit and a few nuts in the afternoon snack. You’re less likely to have to snack while you’re trying to lower your insulin to help your body burn fat and lose weight. So we are eating more but still losing weight.
Remember to always organize foods into five groups – sweets, fruits, whole grains, vegetables, and proteins – and go from there.
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>>> References
Thinsulin – the breakthrough solution to help you lose weight and stay thin – Charles T.Nguyen