High Complex Carbohydrate Diet: Making Your Weight Loss Easier

Why can't Jeannie lose weight?

Let me tell you about a lady named Jeannie. She was 28 years old. She had good genes and a naturally pretty face. But was she happy with the way she looked? No.

Jeannie was overweight and miserable. In high school she played sports and weighed 136 pounds (62 kg). But ten years later a diet of skipped breakfasts, "energy bars," muffins and bagels left her at 183 pounds (83 kg) and still growing.

Her clothes didn't fit, she felt miserable, and she hated the way she looked. She decided "carbohydrates" was the problem (it was) and she decided "no carbohydrates" was the solution (it wasn't.)

So she went on a super-low-carb diet. She lost 18 pounds (8 kg) the first month! Hooray!

She lost 37 pounds in the first 3 months! Wonderful!

And at the end of the year she had gained back every pound. Not good.

And now she didn't have a solution. She thought carbs was the problem, but cutting out carbs didn't help. Now she didn't know what to do. But she knew one thing--diets just didn't work for her.

What are complex carbohydrates? And why should you care?

Oh, boy. Sounds complex. But it's not really. And it is important to you if you want to lose weight.

You know what carbohydrates are, right? Carbohydrate is just a fancy name for sugar.

So what about the "complex" part? The dictionary says that "complex" means "made of many parts." That's why complex problems are complex--they have many parts to them.

And that's why complex carbohydrates are complex--they have many parts to them. They are just lots of little bits of sugar all hooked in a long chain like a string of pearls. And then when you eat complex carbohydrates your body breaks them back down into sugar.

Complex carbohydrates are from the earth. Vegetables. Whole grains. Not fruit. Fruit is simple carbohydrate.

Complex carbohydrates should be about 40-45% of your diet. For a 2000 calorie diet that's about 200 grams per day.

Why do you want a high complex carbohydrate diet?

There are a lot of reasons to eat complex carbohydrates (whole grains, starchy vegetables, and fibrous vegetables) rather than simple carbohydrates (white bread, refined sugar.)

Complex carbohydrates:

If you eat foods with simple sugars, the sugar just pours right into your blood stream. It gives you that quick jolt of energy. You can just feel the sugar rush into your blood.

It is kind of addicting. And it is harmful to you. It gives you a false sense of energy. But then you sag right away.

And then you need some more sugar, because your body actually does need energy. And if you eat too much sugar your body forgets how to make energy on its own from other healthy food.

Sugars make you stressed

Your body just gets stuck on getting energy from sugar. But the more sugary food you eat the weaker you get. Physically you struggle. And it puts a lot of stress on your body.

And when your body gets stressed you get

But when you eat the good carbs -- the oatmeal, whole grains, fresh vegetables -- the sugar is absorbed more slowly. And you have some good vitamins and minerals and fiber in with it. And you are eating some good protein with it. And some healthy fats.

When you have a high complex carbohydrate diet your body starts making it's own energy the way it is supposed to. And you get stronger, healthier, leaner, and your high blood pressure and high cholesterol and diabetes all go away -- at least they do if you act before it is too late.

Notice that fruit is not one of the good carbs. Fruit is ok, if you don't eat too much -- but it is easy to eat too much sugar. And fruit is just simple sugar.

And by the way, eating good, natural starchy carbohydrates and high-fiber carbohydrates is much more important than worrying about the glycemic index.

So eat your veggies, won't you? And finally be happy with your weight!

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