A really important lesson that I have learnt about fat burning is the need to increase the amount of protein I was eating in a very carb heavy diet. All of my snacks were carb based like toast or crumpets and maybe even oven chips. The Diet Solution recommends a good healthy source of protein with each meal. You don’t need to over do it but stuck to a sufficient amount.

Your body breaks down protein into amino acides and amino acid is used to help your body build muscle. Protein is also used to repair muscle and your major organs. Your body can not store protein so it is broken down and what isn’t used leaves your body but it can store carbs which is used for energy. When you eat a high carb meal your body will do all it can to remove all the extra flow of carbs (which turns into glucose) out of your body but what is already stored on you will stay behind. It is hard work for your poor body.

Protein is also a blood sugar stabliser which helps to keep your blood sugar stable. if you eat only carbs (e.g. a portion of chips, some toast, etc) your blood sugar levels go up and down if there is no protein to stablise it.

This taught me that eating a plate full of oven chips and following that hours later with a couple of slices of toast and a cup of tea was a bad idea. I began to wonder whether this was the cause of my weight gain problem – a lack of enough protein. My meals used to consist of

breakfast – cereal like rice krispies or Alpen (a little protein from the milk)
snack – 2 slices of toast
lunch – a sandwich with some meat in the middle but very little – eg two slices of ham
dinner – a huge serving of rice/potatoes, some meat and veg

Years and years and years of eating that ways has had an affect on my body, and thanks to the Diet Solution program I have now been re-educated and I understand the importance of eating protein.

The source of protein is also important and so I buy

• organic eggs
• grass fed beef (organic)
• wild fish
• free range poultry
• raw nuts
• nut butter

Now my eating habits include a good healthy natural source of protein served into each meal

2 eggs with an apple as a snack

Raw nuts with a yoghurt

Raw nuts added to my breakfast porridge (sometimes I buy the omega 3 spread)

Nut butter spread on oat cakes

Lunch wild fish or salmon, turkey or poultry

I drink Nikken Barley Grass powder – barley grass is a great source of natural protein and a healthy green drink

I use coconut oil to cook with and I also add some to my porridge

Every single one of your meals must have protein in it and if you are like me and love your carbs you could probably half the amount of carbs you eat right now to help you.  I never gave them up completely but I do my best to eat a lot less than I used to on most days.

You can find out more about the diet solution program here http://www.onlydietsolution.com