5 Things you shouldn't do to lose weight--#3 and #5 will surprise you

Hey guys! Back with more on how I lost 100 pounds and today's are weight loss don'ts. Here are 5 things you shouldn't do to lose weight-- and numbers 3 and 5 are going to surprise you (maybe number 4 too). 

1) Don't "crash diet." Intermittent fasting is one thing. But you shouldn't practice excessive calorie restricting. Nor should you cut out entire food groups. Ergo, why I'm not a fan of the keto diet. You may lose weight eating all fat and protein and no carbs, but it's not sustainable. Even those with chronic obesity on "My 600-lb Life" are advised to follow a calorie restricting 1200 calorie diet. If you do intermittent fasting, don't do it all day. 

2) Don't watch TV or hang out on social media or just online in general. Staring a screen for hours on end is a direct path to obesity because it's so much easier to mindlessly eat. Especially don't watch cooking shows! Even working at home, online, can be tricky because food is more accessible. No one knows how much you're eating and it can be hard to self-regulate. Part of how I got overweight was working at home, in a sedentary job. 

3) Having said that, don't exercise too much when you first begin to lose weight. I knew this weight loss tip might surprise you! But this is as per obesity specialist Dr. Now of  "My 600-lb Life." Why not? Because the more overweight we are, the more exercise makes us hungry which makes calorie restricting harder. For sure, get around and move. Just don't do any hardcore fitness workouts till you're further along in weight loss and have calorie restricting (1200 calorie diet is good) under control. 

4) Don't eat "diet food" per se. Or at least,  if you use special diet food, read the labels and count the macros. Make sure you're getting enough protein and fiber for the fat and net carb content. Net carbs are an algorithm of fiber carbs subtracted from sugar carbs. (This part of keto, I like). Look for added sugar and avoid fake sweeteners. Watch out out for "lite" (why can't they spell it correctly?) and lowfat diet food. Light bread is usually okay, cuz sugar carbs are reduced. But I prefer keto bread.

5) Run from diet pop, diet sweet tea and other artificial sweetener foods. "My 600-lb Life" Dr. Now and other obesity specialists say that diet pop has the same effect as sugar soda on blood sugar and insulin production. Drinking it can lead to pre-diabetes (AKA insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome) and diabetes. And, because it doesn't have the payout of sugar, it makes you want and therefore eat, more.  I'm still not sure how I feel sugar alcohol (erythritol or monkfruit). Erythritol is a keto favorite and though it doesn't taste chemicalish like monkfruit or Splenda, it does have a weird mouth feel. Or maybe  it's just cuz I know erythritol isn't what I'm used to. 

6) Bonus weight loss don't. Don't "ban" any food group. Part of how I lost 100 pounds and diabetes was by eating everything. I did kind of a Zone diet (40-30-30 diet) and didn't nix any food (except soda pop which isn't a food so that's okay). The Zone diet advises balance, ergo the 40-30-30 plate percentage rule. I did eat less added sugar carbs, more fruit carbs and focused on net carbs with fiber and protein balance. 

How I lost 100 pounds with keto diet fruits for weight loss

I know, this title "how I lost 100 pounds with keto diet fruits" is going to cause a lot of keto-ers consternation. That's because a lot of folks mistakenly think that fruit, AKA carbs, are verboten on the keto diet. Well, they're not all because fruits aren't all created equal. Some, like berries, are low calorie, low on the glycemic index (GI) --ergo low sugar PLUS have lots of fat burning fiber which lowers net carbs and aids weight loss. So that's great if you're following the keto diet but also if you're just doing a 1200 calorie diet like "My 600-lb Life" Dr. Now's for gastric bypass. 

And really, it matters less to me what this or that diet approves of, if it helps me lose weight. When I started working at weight loss, the keto diet wasn't en vogue yet. Even if it had, I'd still have followed Al-Anon wisdom to "take what you like and leave the rest." Part of how I lost 100 pounds was to create my own eating plan using elements of intermittent fasting, a 1200 calorie diet, other calorie restricting techniques plus my Al-Anon type "Mind over Platter" tricks. 

People on "My 600-lb Life" preparing for gastric bypass, have to follow that special 1200 calorie diet because their obesity is so out of control. The "My 600-lb Life" anti-obesity meal plan is basically a low GI diet with emphasis on fiber and protein. The neat thing about low GI diet fruits is that the fiber cancels out many of the carbs (sugars) to give much fewer net carbs. Fiber has antioxidant and metabolism boosting, fat burning properties which are so important to heal and prevent obesity. 

Here's my list of fat burning antioxidant rich, metabolism boosting fruits for weight loss

Grapefruit. The keto diet doesn't allow grapefruit, but I use it in protein shakes (with all the membrane, seeds and even some rind) and it helped me lose weight big time. Plus it has tons of vitamin C and vitamin A plus lycopene. Grapefruit, with low net carbs, is also low GI diet friendly and good to heal diabetes. And the membrane acts as a fat flushing liver cleanse. Win-win-win! 

Tomatoes. Another keto no-no, I use tomatoes, which their antioxidant rich seeds and lycopene goodness to lose weight

Apples. Loaded with fat burning fiber and antioxidant goodness, apples were part of how I lost 100 pounds.

Berries. Raspberries, strawberries and blackberries, with their high fiber seeds, work as fat flushing liver cleanses. Blueberries are good too, but I just don't like them as much LOL. 

Watermelon. This is a great fiber fat flushing liver cleanse properties and is full of lycopene.