The vast majority of Americans today struggle with maintaining a healthy weight. Deceptive marketing practices and buzzwords like “organic” or “all-natural” can give people a false sense of confidence about eating healthy foods, when the reality is that these foods often have unhealthy levels of added sugar. The Ideal Protein Weight Loss Program offered by Rehab Access is a medically derived four-phase protocol that teaches a healthy lifestyle education so that maintaining your healthy weight is an achievable goal for the rest of your life.

So, how did we get here?

The body uses three macronutrients — fats, protein and carbohydrates — to power its daily activities. Back in the 1960s, scientists were trying to find and isolate the nutritional culprit that was making us fat.

There were two competing sides, with one claiming that sugar and carbohydrates helped to expand people’s waistline while the other believing that fats made us, well, fat. The government eventually decided that it was fats that were bad for us, and the fat-free diets of the late 20th century were born.

Fat-free and reduced-fat foods became the norm, and people were encouraged to live fat-free. The problem with foods that have had the fats removed from them is that they don’t often taste very good.

To overcome this problem, food companies had to add sugar to improve the taste. Even today, if you compare the labels of a reduced fat food with a full-fat food, the reduced fat food will nearly always have more sugar in it per serving. All of this extra sugar in our diet has helped contribute to the obesity epidemic today.

Why are carbs and sugar so bad for us?

Carbohydrates are the body’s primary fuel source, so why is everyone telling us to avoid carbs? The issue is that we take in vastly more carbohydrates than we need for our bodies to function. The body can only utilize so much at one time, so it converts the rest to fat to be stored in our cells for later use. In addition to weight gain, a diet high in sugar can cause:

• Heart disease
• Insulin resistance, which can lead to type-2 diabetes
• Metabolic syndrome, which can affect your energy levels
• Fatty liver disease
• Increased blood pressure and inflammation

The Ideal Protein Weight Loss System aims to teach you how many carbohydrates your body actually needs to function. With your body receiving the minimum necessary carbs to function, fat is then burned as a secondary energy source that contributes to your weight loss goals.

What the Ideal Protein Protocol can do for you

The Ideal Protein Weight Loss plan provides a person with the tools he or she needs to live a healthy life. The important thing to know is that the protocol has a beginning, a middle and an end. Dietary modifications that are made when you first begin the protocol will not be the same once you have reached your goal weight and have begun the maintenance phase of your treatment.

Once you start your Ideal Protein weight loss journey, you have a wide range of tools and support to help you be successful, including:

• A personalized plan to achieve your healthy weight based on your individual health profile
• One-on-one coaching to help you during the Ideal Protein Treatment Program
• Easy to prepare, delicious meals
• Ideal Protein supplemental snacks to help ease cravings
• Online tools to receive support and keep track of your progress
• Lifestyle coaching once you reach your goal weight

Weight loss is not easy, but using an evidence-based method such as Ideal Protein Weight Loss can yield concrete results. Men can lose up to five pounds per week when beginning the first phase of the protocol, while women average three pounds per week when adhering to the program. Of course, results are always based upon the effort put in, so the more closely you follow the Ideal Protein protocol, the better your health outcome is likely to be.

No matter your age or current level of health, anyone can benefit from learning how the body absorbs and processes nutrients. To increase your chances of success, beginning a new journey such as Ideal Protein with a friend, partner or family member will give you that extra support and accountability to make sure you both succeed.

Contact our Belle Chasse clinic to schedule your weight loss assessment today at (504) 398-2004 or visit rehabaccessweightloss.com for more information.