Here's some advice that I gave to a friend and figured it could be useful to others. It's just some diet/nutrition advice that I've racked up in my head from years of consuming my life with living and eating healthier:


Try this on for size (no pun intended... zing!). Anyway, it's somewhat of a diet to follow or to get you started. Basically people will label it as "low-carb" but my approach to it is balance, because essentially that's what nutrition is all about: balance and portion control. You don't have to work out a day in your life (although you'd be much healthier) if you just stick to managing your meal in-take positively.

Complex carbs and simple sugars:
-Complex are foods that give you sustain and long-lasting energy. Focus on complex carbs early in the day, mainly at breakfast: whole wheat bread, oatmeal, or low-sugar cereal. Other types include rice, corn, and other starches. I'll get to those later.
-Simple sugars should be taken only when you need a quick burst of energy that you know you will burn off immediately: apple, banana, orange, etc. Only eat these before or after physical activity, otherwise if you eat a simple sugar and sit on your ass, it WILL spike your insulin and store whatever unused sugars that are left into fat. Avoid smoothies at all costs, a "small" drink alone will provide you your simple sugars to last you two days. An apple is the best simple sugar because it has the lowest glycemic index rating, which means it will enter your bloodstream and a slower rate, therefore less likely to spike your insulin. If you love fruit, keep it to early in the day.

Proteins:
Eat protein with EVERY meal. Whether it's chicken, lean beef, fish, or soy/tofu. Always eat the protein portion of your meal first, or at least try to, because it acts as a kick start for your metabolism and will help break down other foods that enter your body. Lunch, dinner, and/or a snack should consist of protein as the main portion. Also it has a greater satiety factor.

Snacks:
Stick to string cheese, nuts (mainly almonds, walnuts, or peanuts). NO carb snacks if you can manage: cereal bars, nutrigrain bars, etc. because those tend to be mainly comprised of sugars and that will in-turn spike your insulin, store fat, blah blah the saga continues. Keep in mind your beverage consumption as well because those tend to pack more sugars/calories than you realize and don't need. Water, plain coffee, tea, and diet soda are good to stick by. If you must have a starbucks latte, consider that as a meal and try to avoid consuming anything that is carbohydrate based because the drink already contains natural sugars from the milk and other sweetener additives.

Fats:
They're good for you! Think of it this way. Fat provides 9 calories for every gram of food, whereas protein and carbs only have 4 each. Calories are energy, if you're taking in fats then gram-for-gram they're providing you enough energy so you essentially don't need to add more with excess carbohydrates. Proteins will almost never store as fat so if you are not satified after eating a meal, binge on a food that is comprised only of protein (such as chicken, beef jerky, egg whites, etc.) Peanut butter, avocados, eggs (YES EGGS!), olive oil, and so on are all high in fat but they're monounsaturated which means they lower your cholesterol, are heart-healthy, and provide great energy. Fats will only make you fat if you intake too much!

Portions:
To fill the void of eating more fats than typical carbohydrates... FEAST on salads and veggies. They're great fillers, provide you with essential minerals/vitamins, and WILL NOT crash your diet at all. Basically you're eating solid water with an added bonus. Stick to tomatoes, onions, peppers, broccoli, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, cauliflower, and so on. Spinach is the best type of salad to eat as far as nutrients but romaine, spring, iceberg, and others are still good for you as well.

Balance your meals in terms of fats, proteins, carbs:
I'm already giving you the rule to not eat any complex carbs after lunch. If you MUST have a carbohydrate for dinner or snack, make it a small portion and try to stick to a baked potato or brown rice (white rice will spike your insulin quicker so avoid at all costs!), or black beans. In that event, DO NOT drink alcohol because you're already consuming your carbs for the meal. Keep your end-of-the-day meals to mainly proteins and greens. Here's an example if you want a burger: skip the bun and go for a side salad... the fat and protein in the burger will be enough energy to get you through the next meal so throw the salad in as a filler. A chicken sandwich, go for the bread but skip the side order of fries because you're already consuming your carbs. Keep your meals small and leave the table feeling a little hungry. It takes your body 2-3 hours to digest so if you are feeling extremely hungry after a meal, wait two hours and have a snack so your body has enough time to burn off what you just ate and make room for more food.

Alcohol:
If you must, don't do light beers or sugar-based mixers. Keep it to clear liquors and diet beverages (the easier you can see through the drink, the less calories it will hold). I say no light beer because they don't fill you up as much, which will give you incentive to drink more, which essentially you're consuming the same, if not more calories than you would with a full-flavor beer. In any event, alcohol WILL slow down your metabolism so try to avoid eating when consuming because your body will be more likely to store the food as fat. And if you do want to enjoy a drink with your meal... absolutely NO carbohydrates because you're already taking in calories (energy) that you don't need and probably won't be burning off in the immediate future. Fill up on greens when you go out to a bar or a social dinner date. NEVER eat bread when drinking.

Some ordering/portion tips:
A deck of cards is about 5 ounces of food. That's all you need to eat, anything more will be excess energy that you don't need to consume. Try to measure or eye-ball foods using that reference and also with the palm of your hand. The exception to this rule are greens, you can eat a huge bowl of salad or veggies and they won't affect you as much. BUT do keep in mind that some veggies such as carrots, squash, and other "sweeter" foods have natural sugars so don't go too overboard in that category. As for salad dressing: always ask for it on the side and with each bite, dip your fork in the dressing and then into your greens. It will manage your intake with ease.



Whew, I tried to proof read it all and will clarify anything I mentioned. Don't think of losing weight as a burden, make it fun and NEVER get down on yourself. It takes effort and patience to get the job you want, it goes the same with getting the body you want. No one gets ahead by cutting corners. And finally, before you consume anything refer to this: Only put something in your body if it will benefit you, if you don't NEED it to survive then DON'T eat it!