Lose the body fat! Change your routine! Eat more vegetables! Cut the sugar! How is a regular girl, like me, who enjoys her pasta going to lose that body fat? The inbox is flooded everyday with lose weight, get your skinny jeans back on…Blah, Blah, Blah…You begin to tune it out after a while. However, I think their is some SERIOUS benefits to really fueling your body appropriately for better performance on the bike, on a run, and chasing kids all day long.

In reference to Shape Magazine’s low carbohydrate meals, I contacted two experts in the field of fitness and nutrition and asked their opinion of the low carb diet. Julie B Fit and Al Lyman are experts in their separate fields of running, cycling, and swimming (Al) and strength training for women (Julie B), both agreed with the idea of Low Gylcemic index foods but for different reasons.

The most important key to losing body fat is probably to limit back-loaded eating, and to “taper” carb (high GI) foods as the day goes on, so that you eat more carbs earlier, and more protein/fat based foods later on in the day. This approach is the best way to balance getting in enough carbs to “fuel” your workouts (running low or depleting glycogen stores on a chronic basis will almost assuredly zap you of energy and make it harder to recover and adapt to workouts) with limiting those calories from carbs that will tend to get stored as BF. Make sense?”

Julie B, analyzed the meal plan based on each meal and offered the following:

I’ve actually followed to a certain extent the low-glycemic plan and think it works well…but I also feel that timing, quantity and combinations are the most important when it comes to eating. If there is no balance between the low-glycemic carb with a solid protein, it loses its value. Looking at the diet plan for WED. that was on the link, it appears that some combinations are missing. For breakfast, the smoothie is ok, but I would add some whey protein powder to that. Also, for snack, I would NEVER just eat nuts (and definitely NOT cashews–which are higher in saturated fat) I ALWAYS guide my clients to eat a palmful (6-8) nuts — mainly almonds or walnuts (least amount of fat, great protein and iron) in combination with a whole piece of fruit (apple, berries, banana). It’s the COMBINATION of the fruit with the nuts that stabilize glucose levels. I do NOT recommend dried fruit (mostly just cranberries) because there’s usually a lot of sugar (which ultimately is stored as fat!!) and it’s also bad for your teeth. Lunch looks good, afternoon snack is good (though I would NEVER take spinach dip…I’d take carrots and hummus) and dinner needs a more complete form of protein (a palmful piece of fish, chicken or lean meat).
Also, I would refrain from chocolate at night as a snack. I agree with taking a square of dark chocolate when you need your “sweet”, but chocolate has caffeine and it may affect sleep.

So now what? Let’s try basic stir-fry recipes at dinner and give the kids the rice. I respect both Al’s and Julie’s opinions and think they are valid. Maybe Chris Carmichael’s plan has too many carbohydrates?

Readers, what’s your opinion?