Syllabus week is long gone and you’re into the grunt of the semester with the first round of midterms approaching soon. That’s when you noticed how you didn’t spend that free week of minimal work at the gym or eating well.
While looking up ways to get rid of that fat that just doesn’t seem to go away, I came across an article about Khloe Kardashian’s weight loss secrets on how it wasn’t just the gym that helped her reach her goal, but cutting out a particular food group that really did the trick. Cutting down and essentially getting rid of dairy was her secret.
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
This got me to start researching the chemical components of our favorite dairy products. Even if you don’t like to get really technical, it’s as simple as this. Lactose (aka sugar) is found in all dairy products in varying amounts. It slows down weight loss. So when you are on that low-carb diet and you are having dairy products (which are low-carb) at such a high amount, it actually does the reverse of what you want and decelerates weight loss.
Dairy isn’t full of crazy high levels of sugar, but it’s enough to raise insulin levels in your body. Milk has a high insulin index. Despite milk having a lower amount of carbs than bread, studies have shown that the insulin levels after having milk mirrors that of white bread. A regulated body is important for weight loss so any elevations can hinder your progress.
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
Now I know many people might counter this by saying they ate only yogurt or cottage cheese for a week to get ready for prom or another special event. The reason you lost weight was because your diet was probably so bad in comparison, full of fast food and other comfort foods, that any other choice would be better.
But just like Khloe, by cutting out the really bad food, she was able to lose weight, but then hit a wall in her numbers dropping. But, once she cut out dairy, she saw all the difference and was able to cut off some stubborn pounds.
Now, how do you go about cutting out food that just tastes so good? It’s always hard to eliminate something completely from your lifestyle. Slowly eating smaller and smaller portions of dairy each day is key. Obviously there are many important vitamins and nutrients in some dairy products so it’s important to find substitutes (lactose intolerant options) for them, or just consume the dairy in moderation.
Pretty much all of your favorite snacks that have dairy can be made without it and still taste just as good. Also many of our favorites (like Oreos!) are dairy-free snacks and can be an easy substitute for your favorite treats. There are also so many dairy-free meal plans out there you can try out.
Photo by Alejandra Fernandez
Now that is not just to say that reducing your dairy intake will magically get you to your goal, Khloe Kardashian’s weight loss journey has been a headline for a while now and it takes commitment to a healthy diet and working hard in the gym to get where she has gotten today. But hopefully this dairy secret can help do the trick to get you headed in the right direction for the new year and semester.