Weight loss
There is no single magic diet to get people thin and healthy and keep them there. Many different approaches work, whether it be low carbohydrate, high protein, ketogenic, paleo, intermittent fasting etc. The key to long-term success seems to be sustainability, so each person has to figure out what works well for them and what they can sustain. This can take years! To help speed this journey here are some helpful general rules.
Weight gain will occur if you eat more calories than you burn. Trying to exercise-away excess calories is very hard and often impossible (walking one lap around the Queen’s Park Savannah burns about the same calories as one medium chocolate chip cookie!) Exercise is beneficial in many ways, but to achieve a calorie deficit and lose weight you simply have to cut calories below what your body burns in 24 hours — and do this daily for weeks at a time. Eating processed, hyper-palatable, less-filling foods makes it easy to over-eat calories. Whole foods, such as ground provisions, beans, fruits and vegetables, are more filling, have lower calorie density and are generally harder to consistently overeat. Protein (preferably fish, lean meats, low-fat dairy, eggs, soya, beans, quinoa etc.) promote satiety (less hunger) and can be useful to help limit meal size and frequency.
Lowering Cholesterol Levels
Some patients manage to lower cholesterol levels with dietary changes while others have less success. Much of this has to do with compliance, but there is definitely a genetic component. For example, those with the APOE4 gene have more trouble getting cholesterol down than folks with the APOE2 gene. The advice from Heart UK is excellent for those wishing to eat optimally for heart and overall health. Print and complete the checklist to see how well you are doing. Then keep this as a guide for improvement.