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Staying Fit
LAST MONTH, I mentioned San Diego’s slow slide from one of the fittest cities in America to one of the fattest. But I can tell you, from personal experience, that it’s easy to reverse the slide. I went from being 40 pounds overweight to building a career on helping others get healthy. And eating right is the key.
When I’m on the road for TV appearances across the country, I’m often asked what’s the number-one secret to getting healthy——fast. I passionately believe nothing you do has as much immediate impact on your health as learning to eat the correct balance of sugar and complex carbohydrates, what I call the S/C Ratio™. Why? Without the correct balance of these carbs you will feel continuous hunger, and worst of all, your body will automatically store the most dangerous kind of fat——belly fat.
What is the correct balance? Leading health advocates, including my good friend Dr. Mehmet Oz (of Oprah fame), strongly suggest you should eat no more than 5 grams of simple sugars per meal. More than that causes your body to do two things: 1) directly store fat in the abdominal region and 2) suppress the hormone leptin, which will prevent you from ever feeling satiated. Your daily allowance needs to be 15 grams of sugar and six servings of carbs.
Medical research giants Harvard University and the Mayo Clinic both recommend incorporating more complex carbohydrates into your diet (and cutting out refined or simple sugars) to help reduce belly fat. Due to their high nutritional value and fiber, whole grains and other complex carbs make you feel fuller and help your body remove excess toxins and waste. Whole-wheat bread (my favorite is Ezekiel), whole-wheat pasta and oatmeal are all great sources.
To make this easy for you——even when you’re on the go——I’ll share a few of my San Diego fast-food picks that will help you maintain that ideal S/C Ratio™. Feel free to add veggies or a salad to your orders, but make sure to ask for sugar-free dressing. Remember, these should add up to a 15/6 daily ratio——15 grams of sugar and six servings of carbs.
At Rubio’s:
World Famous Fish Taco (1 taco): 2/2
Grilled Sirloin Steak Taco (1 taco): 1/1
Rice, regular (1 side): 1/2
Black beans, regular (1 side): 3/1
Jack in the Box:
Acapulco Chicken Salad with crispy chicken strips (whole salad): 5/2
Sourdough Ultimate Cheeseburger (1 burger): 7/2
Bacon Breakfast Jack (1 sandwich): 4/2
Meaty Breakfast Burrito (1 burrito): 2/2
At Arby’s:
Roast Turkey Reuben Wrap (1 wrap): 5/2
At Burger King:
Chicken Tenders (8 pieces): 1/1
Spicy Chick ’N Crisp Sandwich (1 sandwich): 4/2
I WILL BE SELECTING 50 San Diego Magazine readers for my end-of-year “Belly Fat Cure Challenge.” These readers will have the opportunity to work with me for eight weeks, for free, starting next month. For more information and to sign up, visit sandiegomagazine. com/Jorge. Good luck!
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