So I know there is this American attitude that goes like:
"You don't need to know what carbs are -- just calories in and calories out." Technically true, in reality that's bullshit. People aren't machines, and need to stay motivated in healthy if they are going to be doing a weight loss program for months, if not over a year.
--Recap of some supposedly unimportant categories that they don't need in France--
Carbs. If you don't eat carbs (and I mean a substantially amount -- not just the amount to stay alive), your body is going to burn protein first, then fat. That's why its good to get some carbs down with your meat. That and most everyone reports feeling more energetic and charged from carbs. But carbs in excess are fattening because they are very efficient energy.
Fats. You need some fat for your skin health and hormone balance. Stay away from transfats -- which are not as common these days. Saturated fat isn't exactly healthfood -- but is ok (meats and cheeses have this fat). Unsaturated fat like in olives, oils, and avocados -- is really good for you. Because fat is easy to intake without trying in my experience, its mostly about avoiding too much if your losing weight.
Protein. Need it for muscle maintenance and growth. You want a lot of protein generally, but you can only take in like 50 grams at once or something. So no reason to way overdo it on protein foods per meal. But it is a good idea to try to eat protein with every meal. You can only absorb something like 25g of protein from liquid at once BTW -- so keep that in mind if your a huge protein shake guy.
Fiber. It's what keeps digestion in order. Empty carbs are basically carbs without fiber. They are less filling and can clog you up without supplemental fiber from other foods or supplements (I'm against supplements unless directed by dr.). This is why salad and beans seems to show up in a lot of healthy people's diet.
Sugar. Sugar is a substance that makes you moody, hungry and fat. That's the best way to think about sugar. Concentrated sugar is worse than simple sugar -- fiber in fruit helps cancel sugar out of it in your diet. But fruit, a little in vinegar or jam (shop around for lower sugar jam, pref with no added sugar) won't kill you.
Vitamins. Just make sure you are getting enough A and C from fruits and veggies -- prevent yourself from getting sick. Might want to think about zinc...fun fact for men-- when you ejaculate you lose zinc.
Micro-nutrients* are a hobby and most cant be proven to do anything. But I do stuff like eat green peppers because I hear it helps muscle growth because of some micro nutrient in it. Cinnamon can help you lose fat supposedly etc. Whatever floats your boat, just don't let it sway you from being generally healthy. I wouldn't start buttering everything ups like crazy because you hear about k-2 for example.
Anyway -- my point is there is a reason even people trying to bulk up don't eat a bunch of pancakes with syrup to do it. And there are reasons why eating junk and losing weight is bad.
*Creatine works for helping muscle build from what I hear -- but I haven't bothered yet. It's not supposed to make a huge difference.
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