Marriage of Food & Activity - Requires Both & Balance

For weight loss, it takes BOTH physical activity and healthy eating.
It's 80% what you eat, and 20% physical activity.  You can not have one without the other if you wish to succeed.
The choice of food is important.  It should not be a "diet"...it should be a "lifestyle" instead.   Balancing of all three food groups ( carbohydrates, proteins, and fat) are very important for the metabolism.  So when choosing a meal, be sure to include all 3 of the food groups in it.

CARBOHYDRATES:  choose complex, high fiber, with a crunch or a "whole" grain,
                  in natural form.
      EX of Complex to consume:  brown rice, whole grain bread, raw apple,
               lightly steamed vegetables
      EX of carbs to avoid or limit: white rice, wheat or white bread, fruit juices

PROTEINS: choose lean cuts of meat, no marbling, eat about the size of the palm of
               your hand, or 2-3 ounces for women(14-21grams protein), or 3-5 ounces for
               men (21-35grams protein)
     EX of proteins to consume:  low-fat mozzarella cheese, 93% lean ground beef,
                                                   grilled chicken/turkey
     EX of proteins to avoid: prime rib, sausage, bologna, hotdogs, pepperoni

FATS: choose fats that come from plants, not animals.  Limit servings to the size of
            1/2 your thumb size.
    EX of plant fats to consume:  olives, avocado, nuts/seeds, olive oil
    EX of animal fats to avoid:  butter, shortening, creams, cream cheese, and bacon


HOW DOES FOOD BREAKDOWN & DIGEST IN MY BODY??
Carbohydrates: 100% turns to sugar (instant energy).  Too much at one time overworks the pancreas to produce excess insulin and thus will consequently promote excess calories to be stored in fat cells.  Complex Carbs (such as ones listed above), limit the amount of insulin produce, thus LESS chance of overworking the pancreas and fat storage.  Carbs will digest, spike up the blood sugar, then come back down in an average of 2 hours.  If protein was NOT eaten with the meal, you will start to feel hunger pangs within 2 hours of eating the carbs.

Protein:  50-60% of protein turns to sugar (energy).  It is hard for your body to break down protein, thus extra calories are burned in the process of breaking it down (thus some of the carbs you consumed with it will be used up for energy instead of being stored in fat cells).  You don't get instant energy from protein....you only get it from carbs.   It takes about 8-10 hours for your body to digest & use up the protein you consumed.

Fats:  less than 10% of fat turns to sugar.  Your body NEEDS fats for a few vitamins & minerals to be absorbed.  So avoiding fats can be malnourishing.  There are two types of fats: plants & animals.  It's important to only consume plant fats.  Fats take about 12-15 hours to break down and give slight rise in the blood sugar.  LIMIT how much you do consume because this is the "bloated" feeling you get when you consume a high fat meal such as hush puppies, fried catfish, and french fries.