Tag: weight loss

Tips To Boost Your Metabolism

On By mhhughesIn Nutrition/FitnessLeave a comment

Are you in a rut? Do you feel like your metabolism has hit its plateau? Well, you’re in luck! Here are several ways you can boost your metabolism and keep on track toward that goal of yours!

1) I know I have said it before, but I can’t stress it enough. EAT BREAKFAST. Going too long without food sends your body into starvation mode, which in turn only slows your metabolism. So jumpstart it by eating breakfast!

2) Consume most of your calories before noon. Dinner should actually be your lightest meal of the day. Also, pick and time, for example say 8pm, and don’t allow yourself to eat after this time.

3) That being said, eat regularly. Providing your body with a steady source of energy keeps your metabolism working all day long.

4) Don’t eat less than the 1200 calories a day. This also sends your body into starvation, which again only slows your metabolism.

5) Add in weight training and resistance exercises.  Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have to more calories you burn! This is a simple way to increase your daily average metabolic rate.

6) Don’t forget about that cardio. Starting your day off with cardio is another simple way to jumpstart that metabolism. Exercise also keeps your metabolism revved up during the hours following your workout.

7) Drink a cold glass of water as soon as you wake up and continue to drink water throughout the day. The burning process of metabolism needs water to be effective. Try snacking on fruits and vegetable, instead of pretzels and chips to add more fluid to your diet.

8) Add spice to your meals.  Spices contain chemical compounds that will kick your metabolism into a higher gear.

9) Eat protein. Your body uses more energy to burn foods high in protein compared to those loaded with carbohydrates or fat.

10) Start your day off with a cup of coffee. Just remember to stick to one cup a day. Although coffee only provides a short-term increase in your metabolic rate, all the little changes you make can add up!

11) Finally, drink green tea. Like coffee, tea has caffeine, which naturally boosts your metabolism. It also has its own health benefits! What, you ask? Well, it is known to help with everything from fighting cancer to helping your heart!

This site has a list of the top 15 metabolism boosting foods. Check it out!

http://ecosalon.com/boost-metabolism/

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Diet Mistakes

On By mhhughesIn Nutrition/FitnessLeave a comment

Not seeing the results you want? Here are a few ways you may be sabotaging your diet.

–       Yes, it is possible to eat too few calories. Don’t do it !! Trying to maintain a diet that is very low in calories will most likely lead to binging on unhealthy foods later down the road because you feel deprived. It might even cause you to give up dieting all together. Also, not eating enough can slow your metabolism.

–       Don’t forbid certain groups of food from your diet. You can still have that pizza or dessert without putting on those extra pounds. Simply, watch your portion sizes. Letting yourself eat small amounts of ‘forbidden’ food will prevent high-calorie binging and keep you happy with your diet plan.

–       Skipping breakfast is a HUGE mistake. Not only does it slow your metabolism, it may cause you to over eat at lunchtime!

–       Getting lax about portion sizes because you’re down a few pounds? BAD IDEA. A few large meals can easily push you back off track.

–       Think that just because you worked out today, you can eat more? That defeats the whole purpose of working out, especially when you’re trying to lose weight! Also, avoid those sugary sport drinks!

–       Proper sleeping habits are essential to maintaining a healthy weight. Make sure you are getting seven to nine quality hours of sleep each night. Lack of sleep can have a direct effect on the amount of food you consume through out the day leading to weight gain.

–       Have late night cravings? Eating late at night just adds extra calories to your diet. Remember, calories count no matter what time of they day they are consumed.

–       Liquid calories count too and they can add up quickly! Think twice about ordering that soda pop with your sandwich everyday.

These are only a few ways that may be causing you to eat more food than your body actually needs. Just remember successful long-term weight loss is rooted in commitment to a healthy diet and exercise plan you can stick to! I know from experience how challenging weight loss can be, but it can be done! Avoiding these diet mistakes is essential to seeing progress. Also, it helps if your friends and family are supportive of your goals; they were for me! Check out my before and after photo!

STAY MOTIVATED, YOU CAN DO IT. Image