Lose Weight, Feel Great By Just Saying "No" to White Carbs for 30 Days

You want a quick and effective way to start losing weight, feel better, and dramatically improve your eating habits?

It is as easy as making a 30-day commitment to yourself not to indulge in any foods containing processed grains, sugars, or corn sweeteners.

More specifically these concentrated carbohydrate bombs:

• Bread, bagels, muffins and other baked goods
• Pasta and instant rice
• Cold and hot breakfast cereals
• White potatoes in any form
• Soda and other cold and hot sugar-infused beverages
• Chips, puffs, doodles...basically, munchies in any form
• Candy and other sugary treats
• Fast food

So what can you eat, right? Whether you agree or not, the good stuff!

• Fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables (excluding potatoes)
• Beans and legumes
• All lean protein sources including eggs, and lowfat dairy products
• Healthy fats from vegetable oils, nuts and seeds

Do not be crazy and think this is bland and boring! There are tons of different types of healthy whole foods to choose from. It's up to you to open your mind, make the effort, and try something new.

Here is an idea of how your daily meals will transform:

Breakfast

Before: Breakfast skipped or muffin and large coffee with 4 sugars and cream

After: Low-fat yogurt mixed with crushed almonds and a water (or coffee with no sugar and milk)

Lunch

Before: Sandwich with mayo, meat and cheese

After: Salad with tons of veggies, grilled chicken breast, and low-fat dressing

Dinner

Before: Pasta with sauce and breadsticks

After: Steamed vegetables with poached salmon

Snacks

Before: Via office vending machine or gas station convenience store

After: Hard-boiled egg and piece of fruit

Following The Three "Be's" is Key!

1. Be prepared

Cutting out white carbs results in losing most of your grab-and-go meal and snack choices. This is great from a nutritional standpoint, but a bummer in the convenience department. So you never leave yourself hanging, stock the fridge and pantry with plenty of good food choices. Pre-pack meals and snacks for work or any activity away from home. When preparing healthy home meals, make extra servings. The leftovers work fantastic as tomorrow's lunch! Nutrition bars and protein shakes are saviors when there is little time to eat, or a situation arises where you cannot get to a whole food meal.

2. Be aware

Avoid cocktails, sports drinks, fancy coffee drinks, fruit smoothies and other beverages that contain high sugar content (anything greater than 10 grams of sugar per serving). They seem innocent enough until you read the Nutrition Facts and realize they are big time contributors to overall daily carb consumption! Lay off whole-grain foods during this 30-day period. They are much better choices than processed grains, but even so, whole-grain foods such as bread and pasta still contain concentrated amounts of carbohydrate. Avoid foods high in saturated fat like fatty meats and whole-fat dairy products. They are low in carbs, but chock full of unfavorable calories!

3. Be active

If you are not active, now is the time to get off your butt and start moving. Regular activity with a favorable diet helps boost metabolism so you can burn more bodyfat. If already exercising, try to slip in an extra 30 minutes per week of aerobic activity.

For additional guidance on what to eat, or how to create a balanced meal, I created a simple meal guideline which is Part 2 of the TLN Just Eat Right Guide. Follow the steps for selecting foods without white carbohydrates and you are covered for every meal at home, restaurant, and even trips to the grocery store!

After 30 days you may be so happy with the results, you can keep rolling on with the eating plan, or decide to reintroduce white carbs back into your diet in a more moderate and controlled manner. Either way, continue to use the healthy meal guideline to help accomplish the next 30 days and beyond!

Please remember that there is no negotiating or compromise when just saying "no" to white carbs for 30 days. You probably chose to read this article because you are interested in losing weight. So why fight it? Just eat right!