Although it is common knowledge that you need to eat less than your body burns in order to lose weight, it is often easier said than done. The best diet to lose weight and maintain your desired weight is one that you truly feel you can follow for the rest of your life. Sometimes, simply adhering to a few simple rules is the best way to keep it simple yet effective. For example, eliminating all foods containing flour and sugar is a good way to reduce your calorie intake and help you achieve your goal weight.
Eliminating Sugar
Sugar is present in many foods, most of which are not a good source of nutrition. These include muffins, cookies, breakfast cereals, energy bars, cakes, candies, jams, syrups, soft drinks, punches and other desserts. Other foods you wouldn't suspect contain sugar often do, such as sauces, marinades, soups, frozen entrees and other processed foods. Read the ingredient list and avoid buying any foods containing sugar, sucrose, glucose, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, syrup, molasses, dextrose, fruit juice concentrates or dehydrated cane juice.
Avoiding Flour
Flour, especially wheat flour, is used to prepare so many of the foods that constitute the foundation of the American diet, such as breads, pizza dough, crackers, pasta, couscous, buns, bagels, donuts, muffins and breading. It is also often used as a thickening agent in soups and sauces. Read the ingredient lists carefully to completely eliminate all sources of flour from your diet. Most of these foods provide a lot of calories without supplying your body with the nutrients it really needs. Eliminating flour-based foods will help you focus on whole, unprocessed foods that will give you more nutrition for less calories.
Getting Healthier Carbs
Flour and sugar provide most of the carbohydrates consumed in a typical American diet. If you feel like you need a quick source of fuel, you can replace these foods with healthier carbohydrate options. For example, non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, leafy greens and asparagus, beans, lentils, barley, wild rice, steel-cut oats, sweet potato, butternut squash, whole fruits and plain yogurt all constitute good options to get your carbs packed with an abundance of important nutrients that will satisfy your body's needs.
Completing Your Diet
In addition to your healthier carbohydrate alternatives, your no-flour and no-sugar diet should include the right amount of protein and healthy fats. Protein is the nutrient that will help you feel full throughout the day and will prevent you from feeling hungry and craving foods between meals, according to a May 2008 paper published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Choose fish, seafood, chicken, turkey, pork, beef, eggs, tofu or cheese. Complete each of your meals with a healthy dose of fats, such as olive oil, canola oil, avocado, nuts, nut butter and seeds.
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