Today I want to talk to you about the #1 Factor that influences your metabolism.
Do you know what it is?
I'll tell you what it's not...
*It's not cardio
*It's not strength training
*And it's not your genetics
I won't lie to you and say that these areas don't play a factor in your metabolic health because they absolutely do.
What I will tell you however is that they are just part of the process and some of the key components to your fat burning success.
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So What's The #1 Factor That Influences My Metabolism?
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The #1 Factor that influences your metabolism is nutrition, specifically "nutrient timing".
Nutrient timing simply refers to the type of nutrients that you consume combined with the specific times that you consume them at.
Right now the average person (maybe even you, I know I used too!) currently only eats 2-3 meals a day.
When it comes to metabolic health, this is a big problem.
Why?
It's simple - your body only remembers the last time you ate.
When you eat 2 meals a day (generally lunch and dinner) there is a huge gap between the time you ate dinner and the next time you eat lunch (sometimes 12-15 hours or more) and when this happens your body goes into "starvation mode" which causes you to store your calories as unwanted body fat.
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So How Can I Fix This?
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The way you can make your metabolism work for you is to simply eat more frequently.
Instead of eating 2-3x a day with your meals spaced out at odd intervals, take the same amount of calories you will normally eat and space them out between 5 meals that you will consume every 2-3 hours apart.
Obviously you cant just eat 5 meals of anything you want.
You must consume the right amount of macronutrients (carbs, proteins, and fats) over the course of those 5 meals so that you're allowing your metabolism to work for you instead of against you.
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Here's The Best Part...
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When you begin to eat for your metabolism the way that I'm sharing with you today you don't have to completely deprive yourself of your favourite foods, even pizza.
But not every day obviously...
One cheat meal a week is all you get, So make it count, let loose, and have some fun!
...And if you're still not sure what to eat, then I highly suggest that you become a part of the team and join one of my programs, because I will show you exactly what to eat, exactly when to eat it, and I'll develop a nutrition plan that's organized in a way that works for you and works for your specific body type.
This way you can still have fun and get the results you're looking for!
There’s no questioning the fact that the foods you eat go far in determining how quickly you’ll meet your fitness goals.
And if you’re eating a number of your meals out at restaurants then you’re going to want to keep reading because the average restaurant meal contains more than 1,200 calories.
Most people have no idea just how fattening restaurant meals can be.
Here, in no particular order, are 5 of the most fattening restaurant dishes along with tips that I’ve included to equip you in making lighter, healthier versions of these dishes at home.
Bad Food #1: Cobb Salad
Cobb salads are loaded with cheese, bacon, egg, and topped with a creamy dressing. Sure, you’re eating a salad, but that fatty salad is likely to contain more calories than a burger.
At-Home Version: Making a lighter Cobb Salad at home is easy and quick. Start with a dark lettuce, like spinach or arugula, to get the most nutritional value. Top it with hard boiled egg whites, baked turkey bacon, light cheese, avocado and drizzle lemon juice and vinegar for dressing. This at-home version has dramatically lower calories while still providing you with a satisfying, tasty dish.
Bad Food #2: Spinach Artichoke Dip
When it comes to appetisers, spinach dip is filled with veggies so its calorie content is often underestimated. Don’t be fooled: just half a cup of this creamy dip will set you back about 350 calories. And if you finish the bowl yourself then you’ve just taken in 1,000 calories in dip alone, not to mention the chips or pita bread you scooped it with.
At-Home Version: That delicious creamy spinach flavour can be recreated at home by using low-fat milk, spinach, some olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. A quick Google search for ‘light creamed spinach recipe’ will give you plenty of recipe options that are much lower in fat and calories than the restaurant version.
Bad Food #3: Chicken Tenders
Fried chicken of any kind from a restaurant is going to be loaded with more fat and calories than you’d believe. Even a serving on the kid’s menu will tip the scales at over 800 calories.
At-Home Version: Making faux fried chicken at home is easy and surprisingly delicious. Whip up a few eggs with some Dijon mustard, garlic powder and onion powder. Dip your skinless, boneless chicken tenders in the mixture and then coat with almond flour, thyme, paprika and salt. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until no longer pink, flipping once halfway through. Turn on the broiler for the last couple of minutes to make it nice and crispy.
This at-home version will save you hundreds of calories that would have ended up around your waist.
Bad Food #4: Sliders
Sliders are so small, there’s no harm in enjoying a couple of, right? Wrong. Despite their petite package, enjoy a couple sliders and you’ll have taken in more than 1,000 calories.
At-Home Version: The biggest problems with the restaurant slider are its fatty meat content and the refined-carbohydrate bun. So at home you can remedy these two issues. 1) Use lean, ground turkey to create petite patties. Use your grill pan to cook them with minimal oil. 2) Instead of the carbohydrate-filled bun, use large pieces of butter lettuce to wrap around your patties. Add sliced tomato, low fat cheese and grilled onion and secure the whole thing with a toothpick. These at-home sliders are guilt-free!
Bad Food #5: Pasta
Eating a pasta-based dish at a restaurant not ideal for weight loss.
At-Home Version: There are two really easy and guilt-free ways to mimic pasta noodles at home. 1) Bake a spaghetti squash until tender, then scoop out the soft, angel hair-like strands and top with your healthy pasta sauce. 2) Using a vegetable peeler, create long strips of zucchini and top with your healthy pasta sauce.
Cooking more of your meals at home, using the tips above, will save you many hidden calories and goes hand-in-hand with regular, challenging workouts in seeing you to your fitness goal,
E-mail today and I will schedule a time to chat with you one-on-one to strategise the quickest and most effective route to getting you to your fitness goals.
Try an alternative restaurant meal
We all have our favourite things to order when we eat out or get take-out. As you’ve seen above, these items can be made at home, in a much healthier way.
This is cool because it allows you to eat the same foods that you love, while losing weight and getting closer to your fitness goals.
It’s easier than you think. Make a list of your top 5 restaurant entrees and go online to search for healthier ways to cook them.
We’ve all heard that snacking is great for the metabolism…but have you taken it too far?
In other words, your excessive snacking may be killing your fat loss results.
Let’s face it, there are only so many extra calories that the body can take before it adds those on as unwanted fat.
Even if you’re eating perfectly healthy meals and putting in your time at the gym, if your snacking is out of control then your results will be disappointing.
Here’s what you need to know to avoid The Snack Trap:
1. Calories Count. Even when you’re snacking on “healthy” food, you’ve got to keep track of how many calories that you’re taking in. Almonds are healthy, but if you down 800 extra calories in them you’ll quickly gain weight.
2. Fill Up on Protein & Fat. A lot of well-meaning people are still afraid of fat. They think that if their snack is high in fat then it will end up on their body as fat. This is simply not true. Healthy fat, such as avocado or almonds, is a wonderful thing to snack on as it fills you up and keeps you full longer.
3. Avoid Sugar Calories. Sugar is an awful thing to snack on when weight loss is your goal. Refined sugar is a catalyst for fat storage, so avoid any snack that contains sugar. Remember that eating sugar will satiate your hunger for a very short period of time, and then you’ll quickly be hungry again.
4. Don’t Be Fooled By 100-Calorie Packs. A popular marketing technique is to package junk food into 100-calorie packs. These could be crackers, cookies, chips…basically any guilty snack food you could think of. The premise is that since you’re only eating 100 calories, the snack is healthy. You are better off avoiding the junk completely and eating something wholesome.
5. Use The ‘Is It Real’ Test. As a rule of thumb, you should use the “Is it real?” test when deciding if a snack is worth eating. The test goes like this: If your snack can go bad, then it’s good for you. If your snack can’t go bad, then it’s bad for you. The idea is to eat fresh, real foods that are unprocessed and wholesome. These real foods are naturally filled with fibre, vitamins, and minerals and will assist you in achieving your fitness goals.
6. Avoid Refined Carbohydrates. Processed and refined carbohydrates make up the bulk of popular snack foods. Take a look around the snack aisle at the grocery store and you will see that most packaged snacks are made with grains. When your goal is to lose weight and increase lean muscle then eating refined grains will work against you. If you only take one tip away from this article, let it be to remove grain-based snacks from your life. This single change could very well recharge your weight loss.
Now you know how to snack in a healthy way that will not derail your fitness goals.
Remember that exercise plays a huge part in getting in shape and losing weight.
Call or email me today to get started on a results-driven exercise program! I look forward to hearing from you!
5 Fitness Snacks
- Hard Boiled Egg and Sliced Veggies.
- Sliced Apple and Almond Butter.
- Natural, Low Sodium Jerky.
- Seasonal Berries with &fraq14; cup of Almonds.
- A scoop of Creamy Egg Salad.
Joshar Andac - Body Transformation Coach
Andac Body Transformation
