Are you sick of being 10, 20 or more pounds overweight and ready for a change? Let’s rev up your metabolism in 2011 so you can look and more importantly, feel great! Many people want a quick fix and get caught up in all of the fad diets and temporary weight-loss eating programs, but the problem is they cannot maintain it and end up gaining weight back. One goal of starting a new eating program should be to get your metabolism burning and make lifestyle eating changes. It’s often not the easy way, but is a healthier form of weight loss that tends to outlast the fad diet results. It’s not rocket science! There are 3 easy ways to get the metabolism burning:Eat Small Frequent Meals
Many people think skipping meals is the way to lose weight. Not true!!! Your metabolism actually raises each time you eat to digest the food you are eating. Thus, eating 6 times per day versus 3 times per day keeps the metabolizing up and running. Your goal should be to eat 3 small meals and 2-3 snacks per day. Each meal should contain nutrient rich foods to help you stay full and satiated throughout the day.
Eating frequently does take some time and effort. Just remember, if it was easy everybody would be doing it! So, in order to be successful, consider making your meals and snacks on the weekends so it does not cause extra work during the week. Grab some snack baggies and bag up nuts, whole grain crackers, turkey, raw veggies, etc so they are ready to grab. Make it a habit and it will get easier!
Pay Attention to What You Are Eating
Each meal should contain a serving of whole grain carbohydrate (granola bar, whole wheat crackers, 1 slice whole wheat bread) or fruit. Carbohydrate will give your body energy over the course of the day. However, eating carbohydrates along will spike your blood sugar and cause it to drop more drastically. So, pair your carbohydrate with a lean protein (2% cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, deli meat) or healthy fat (peanut butter, nuts, avocado, egg). Protein and fat slow down digestion, help prevent blood sugar from spiking and keep you feeling full longer.
Be sure to include non-starchy vegetables (starchy = corn, peas, potatoes, winter squash) in as many meals as possible. Veggies are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber! They will help you feel full for little calories.
Exercise
If you want your metabolism to rev up, you gotta get moving!!! Exercise not only speeds up metabolism, but also burns calories. Cardiovascular and strength training togetherburns calories and builds lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass is more dense than fat and thus takes up less space. So the more muscle you have, the smaller and leaner you look! In addition, exercise has a variety of cardiovascular benefits from helping lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol to increasing good cholesterol and decreasing triglycerides.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 60-90 minutes a day of moderate exercise, most days of the week, for weight loss. So if you are not moving at all, let’s get started! Aim for at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week to get your metabolism up and burning!
Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD
Registered Dietitian
If you have a question for the dietitian, visit www.texashealth.org/askamy
Many people think skipping meals is the way to lose weight. Not true!!! Your metabolism actually raises each time you eat to digest the food you are eating. Thus, eating 6 times per day versus 3 times per day keeps the metabolizing up and running. Your goal should be to eat 3 small meals and 2-3 snacks per day. Each meal should contain nutrient rich foods to help you stay full and satiated throughout the day.
Eating frequently does take some time and effort. Just remember, if it was easy everybody would be doing it! So, in order to be successful, consider making your meals and snacks on the weekends so it does not cause extra work during the week. Grab some snack baggies and bag up nuts, whole grain crackers, turkey, raw veggies, etc so they are ready to grab. Make it a habit and it will get easier!
Pay Attention to What You Are Eating
Each meal should contain a serving of whole grain carbohydrate (granola bar, whole wheat crackers, 1 slice whole wheat bread) or fruit. Carbohydrate will give your body energy over the course of the day. However, eating carbohydrates along will spike your blood sugar and cause it to drop more drastically. So, pair your carbohydrate with a lean protein (2% cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, deli meat) or healthy fat (peanut butter, nuts, avocado, egg). Protein and fat slow down digestion, help prevent blood sugar from spiking and keep you feeling full longer.
Be sure to include non-starchy vegetables (starchy = corn, peas, potatoes, winter squash) in as many meals as possible. Veggies are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber! They will help you feel full for little calories.
Exercise
If you want your metabolism to rev up, you gotta get moving!!! Exercise not only speeds up metabolism, but also burns calories. Cardiovascular and strength training togetherburns calories and builds lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass is more dense than fat and thus takes up less space. So the more muscle you have, the smaller and leaner you look! In addition, exercise has a variety of cardiovascular benefits from helping lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol to increasing good cholesterol and decreasing triglycerides.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 60-90 minutes a day of moderate exercise, most days of the week, for weight loss. So if you are not moving at all, let’s get started! Aim for at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week to get your metabolism up and burning!
Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD
Registered Dietitian
If you have a question for the dietitian, visit www.texashealth.org/askamy
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