With many still feeling the side effects of too much holiday indulgence, some are turning to strict calorie counting regimes to help shed the extra weight.
However, there is one technique that will help you have more success that involves no calorie counting whatsoever.
Instead, it is carbohydrates that we should be counting.
Australian dietitian and exercise physiologist, Kate Save, explained to FEMAIL why we should count carbs, not calories, this year and why the technique is so helpful.
Australian dietitian and exercise physiologist, Kate Save, (pictured) explained to FEMAIL why we should be counting carbs over calories
‘The most important reason to count carbs rather than simply calories is because they are often highly processed, man-made and energy dense without being nutrient dense,’ she said.
Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for the muscle and for the brain but the amount of carbs that individual people require depends on age, activity level and the amount of muscle mass they have.
Kate is often asked if there is such thing as ‘good carbs’ and ‘bad carbs’ and she explained that although we do need to have a certain amount of carbohydrates each day, we often confuse healthy carbs with the unhealthy variety.
Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for the muscle and for the brain but the amount of carbs that individual people require depends on a variety of things
Carbs can be found in highly nutritious foods such as fruit, vegetables, dairy and wholegrains but foods such as refined rice, pasta, breads, ice-cream and flavoured yoghurts and milk are often over eaten.
‘The other problem with these “white foods” are that they are often served up in very large portions and even with good intentions, they are too easy to overeat,’ she explained.
Another question that Kate is often asked is whether people who have metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance, pre-diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes should avoid carbs altogether.
Counting carbs allows you to adjust how much of your favourite foods you can eat whilst still losing weight
‘Well, there is lots of science out there now to support a lower carb diet, especially in people with Type 2 Diabetes,’ she said.
‘This includes one published by the CSIRO which found that 50g per day of carbs gave people significant improvements in many health parameters which were much greater when compared to an equivalent low fat, high carb diet.’
She said that something that is even more impressive is the fact that a new study published in the LANCET, a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, showed that 75 per cent of people with Type 2 Diabetes no longer needed diabetes medication when they ate less foods dens in carbohydrates.
Counting carbs is an effective method to keep an eye on the amount of fuel you are supplying your muscles with
‘And 46 per cent were able to reverse their diabetes and were put it into remission effectively,’ Kate continued.
Counting carbs is a tried and true method to keep an eye on the total amount of fuel you are supplying your muscles with each day.
It also allows you to adjust how much of your favourite foods you can eat whilst still losing weight.