The Galveston Diet: The Doctor-Developed, Patient-Proven Plan to Burn Fat and Tame Your Hormonal Symptoms

Your waist measurement is one of the most important assessments of your overall health. Too much fat around the waist indicates that you might be carrying excess visceral fat. Visceral fat presents significant health risks. Ideally, you should have a waist circumference of below 35 inches.

Instead of sour cream, try a full-fat plain yogurt or a whip of yogurt and a full-fat cottage cheese. In recipes, use cheeses that are naturally lower in saturated fat, such as cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, feta, or goat cheese.

Don’t overdo your protein intake, however; that is, don’t exceed these recommendations. If there is excess amino acid floating around in your bloodstream, your body will convert it to glucose to use for fuel, defeating the body’s ability to burn fat.

Every ounce of animal protein (which includes everything from fish and poultry to pork and steak) contains about 8 grams of protein, while vegetarian sources of protein like hard-boiled eggs and a half a cup of beans have about 8 and 11 grams, respectively. Serving up a 3-ounce portion of quality protein three times a day is one of the easiest ways

When the pounds start inexplicably piling on, this is due mostly to the effects of changing hormones on appetite and metabolism, as well as those hormones that control how and where we store fat.

Examples of complex carbs are vegetables, legumes, fruits, and whole grains. My favorites are apples, artichokes, asparagus, bell peppers, beets, berries, broccoli, broccoli slaw, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, and pickles. These are carbs to enjoy.

Aside from affecting the way we look (and how we feel about it), visceral fat is associated with increased risk for serious conditions like heart disease, breast cancer, uterine cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, sleep apnea, and many other troubling diseases.

The best way to lower triglycerides is to reduce your carbohydrate intake.

Total carbohydrates - Fiber = Net carbohydrates