I'm eating SO healthy. Why am I not losing weight?

I have met with countless clients who insist that they have a “healthy” diet and can’t understand why they’re not losing weight. They explain how they have an occasional treat but eat healthy most of the time. So, why are these clients then unable to lose weight and struggling to shed the extra fat?

Here’s why: There’s a big difference between eating “healthy” and eating to lose fat. The difference lies in how your body responds to various foods metabolically. You may eat healthy and get all your nutrient needs met, but that doesn’t mean that you will lose fat. Here’s a typical day of one of my recent clients who eats a “healthy diet”:

Breakfast: 1 Cup Kashi Granola Cereal, with 2 cups low-fat milk, 1 glass of orange juice
(Carbs: 76 grams, Protein: 14 grams, Fat: 7grams)

Snack: ½ cup Granola on low-fat vanilla yogurt and 1 banana
(Carbs: 80 grams, Protein: 16 grams, Fat: 7 grams)

Lunch: 2 cups Pasta with red sauce
(Carbs 86 grams, Protein: 16 grams, Fat: 5 grams)

Snack: Mixed fruit cup with 25 raisins
(Carbs: 50 grams, Protein: 2 grams, Fat: 0 grams)

Dinner: 1 cup Brown rice with 4 oz Grilled Chicken
(Carbs: 40 grams, Protein: 30 grams, Fat: 2 grams)

Most of you would probably agree that this seems like a healthy diet. However, when we add up the nutrients, here’s what we get:

Calories: 1829
Carbs: 332 grams
Protein: 78 grams
Fat: 21 grams

This is probably healthier than what the average American eats on a daily basis, especially because it’s a diet low in fat, but let’s take a look at a food diary of someone who eats a fat burning diet:

Breakfast: 4 egg whites, 1 whole egg, scrambled with 1 cup of broccoli
(Carbs: 10 grams, Protein: 26 grams, Fat: 5 grams)

Snack: 20 almonds with Greek Yogurt
(Carbs: 15 grams, Protein: 24 grams, Fat: 15 grams)

Lunch: 4 oz Grilled chicken with grilled veggies
(Carbs: 15 grams, Protein: 35 grams, Fat: 8 grams)

Snack: Whey Protein shake mixed with water and ½ banana
(Carbs: 15 grams, Protein: 25 grams, Fat, 0 grams)

Dinner: 4 oz Trout with 20 spears of asparagus
(Carbs: 12 grams, Protein: 30 grams, Fat: 7 grams)

Total: calories: 1143
Carbs: 67 grams
Protein: 140 grams
Fat: 35 grams

What is the difference?
The healthy plan includes about 700 more calories more than the fat loss plan, but you would still find yourself hungry most of the time. Why? In response to eating processed carbs (sugar, starches), your body makes insulin. Insulin lowers your blood sugar after eating and at the same time tells your body to store fat. Metabolically speaking, as long as you feed your body sugar and starches, you cannot burn fat for energy – only carbs (which won’t change the shape of your body as these come from the liver and muscles).

The fat loss plan includes the best type of carbohydrates for fat burning – the fibrous kind from leafy greens and veggies. Fiber slows down your digestion and  prevents an insulin spike, while giving your body enough energy throughout the day.
Why is fruit kept to a minimum in the fat burning diet? The fruit sugar fructose can quickly add to the carbohydrate count in the liver and prevent fat burning. The best type of fruit are berries and and green apples as they are low in sugar and contains lots of nutrients and antioxidants. However, the less fructose you take in, the faster your fat loss (there's a link between high fructose intake and fatty liver, high triglycerides and obesity).

Notice also the difference in volume of food. Despite the fact that the fat loss plan is lower in calories it contains a lot more food, which means you’ll be eating nutritious foods all the time, which keep you full and satisfied and never sets you up for a binge because you’re feeling deprived.
The protein intake of the fat loss plan is much higher than in the “healthy” plan. It contains an adequate amount of protein as those who exercise need between 1 and 1.5 grams of protein per lb of weight. Protein burns about 30 calories per 100 calories eaten. When combined with a carbohydrate, the impact on the blood sugar is minimized and it also helps build and maintain muscle, which is the most important factor in keeping your metabolism elevated.

What if I exercise a lot?
One important distinction to make is the difference between diet recommendations for athletes versus people looking to get lean and fit. Endurance athletes who exercise more than 2 hours a day need to replenish their carbohydrate (glycogen) stores before, during, and after workouts because they need the energy to power through their workouts and improve their performance. Athletes are typically at their goal weight, so they want to maintain their energy levels and need to refill the carbs they burned with exercise. However, someone who is looking to lose fat should not refuel with carbs since the goal is fat loss.

Those looking to lose fat have plenty of glycogen stores available for at least 1-3 days without having to eat lots of carbohydrates. Keep in mind that when you exercise your body draws from these glycogen stores in the muscles and liver, which last for a good 1-2 hours of exercise. After these stores are depleted, your body switches to burning stored body fat for energy – that’s when your shape changes!

As you can see, there is a big difference between a diet that’s considered “healthy” and once that leads to fat loss. To optimize your fat burning make sure you eat 5 times  a day, cut out sugar, limit your intake of starches – especially after lunch time – and eat a lean protein at every meal with plenty of greens and leafy veggies.