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I love carbs! Apparently the Atkins Approach was onto something great when they first introduced their weight-management strategy over 10 years ago. Most diet fads come and go, but Atkins is still going strong after all this time and I know why.

Diets high in refined carbohydrates and refined sugars are the precursor to obesity, type 2 Diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (the leading cause of death in the United States). What’s wrong with over-eating processed carbohydrates and refined sugars?

The purpose of these foods is to provide the body with a large fuel supply. The problem occurs when that fuel supply is not used. When these high calorie foods are consumed and not converted into energy through exercise, they become stored as fat instead.

The good news is that you don’t need to spend your money purchasing Atkins products in order to lose weight. All you have to do is adopt their strategy by minimizing your intake of starch and sugar. Here are the best tips to give your body the fuel it needs to operate efficiently and nothing more:

•  Allow yourself to have 1-2 servings of starch on days when you exercise for 1 hour or more.
• If you do not plan to exercise, then do not consume starch. Remember the purpose of starch is to provide large amounts of energy and when energy is not used, it is stored
•  On exercise days, limit starch intake to breakfast and lunch
•  Minimize your reliance on processed and packaged starchy carbohydrate products (bars, bread and bread products, flour, corn and corn products)
•  Increase your reliance on non-processed starchy carbohydrates on exercise days (brown rice and brown rice products, sweet potatoes, quinoa, oats).