Rev Up Your Metabolism

Many of my clients come to me and tell me that they have been struggling with weight loss for a long period of time. They are tired, sluggish, and just do not have the energy and control that they would like to have.

It is important to understand what happens when you skip a meal or go on a crash diet. When you skip a meal your metabolism slows to conserve your energy; your body thinks it is threatened with starvation and goes into survival mode. It fights to conserve your fat stores, and any weight loss comes mostly from water and muscle.

I had a client who began training with me and told me that before coming to me she had been working out regularly for a month and had not lost any weight and did not understand why. I had her write all of her food down for me for three consecutive days. After reviewing her food journal, it was just as I had suspected; she was only eating about 3 meals per day for a total of about 500-700 calories per day. Her body was starving! Women often think, the less I eat, the less I will weigh. Please get that out of your head!

Never skip a meal, especially breakfast. Try to eat five or six small meals rather than three large ones. Eating frequently prevents hunger, binges, provides consistent energy, and simply maintains metabolic efficiency. The trick, however, is not to eat any more calories than usual but to spread them more evenly throughout the day. This strategy prevents overeating, since you’re never ravenously hungry.

It takes your body 2 to 3 hours to break down the sugars in the food you eat, release them into your bloodstream, and convert them into energy. Go longer than that without eating again and your energy levels will start to fade.

I understand that snacking regularly can be scary, that is why it will be very important to make your snacks healthy. It is important to pre-portion your meals so you won't be tempted to overeat, and make meal sizes slightly smaller to compensate for the additional calories the snacks provide.

Exercising regularly, of course, is key to keeping your metabolism revved up. Dieting or restricting your caloric intake can cause your metabolism to slow. Exercise can help to counter this effect. Exercise is also the one sure way to burn more calories safely. Be sure to participate in both aerobic and strength training activities on a regular basis. Not only does the exercise itself increase your metabolism, but strength training builds muscle, which helps to keep your metabolism elevated 24 hours a day, essentially making you a more effective fat burning machine.

While genetics will always have an affect on your appearance, through healthy eating and exercise you can control your body composition. Play a constant roll in your healthy life by never skipping breakfast, eating healthy meals every 2-3 hours, and exercising regularly.