Three Myths That Are Sabotaging Your Metabolism!

If you're like me, you've been on every fad diet and experienced the yo-yo weight loss/gain, with the inevitable energy and vitality loss. I've tried everything from protein bars to no-carb to starvation to have a svelte figure, not realizing that my dieting efforts were costing me muscle mass and destroying my metabolism! Now a mother in my 30's, my goal has changed to just feel great, look great, and be healthy. It was high time that I stopped buying into all the marketing hype and just figure out simple, economical, and effective ways of acheiving my goal: sustained energy via a healthy metabolism. The solution is all about permanant healthy eating habits.

Fact: Your body goes into survival mode. Metabolism slows down in anticipated starvation. Back in pre-historic and even pre-industrial days, food could be scarce for days or even months out of the year. Humans have survived through the ages by adapting their metabolisms to this consequence. So for us that means when we skip meals, we unwittingly "trick" our body into thinking that food is scarce and that it must conserve energy by slowing down metabolism and saving every calorie as fat.

Fix!: Eat regular meals and small, low calorie snacks so your cave-man genes think, "Hey, there's food everywhere! Let's speed things up so we are able to collect even more food!"

Fact: A healthy lifestyle is not about restricting yourself, it's about taking care of yourself! Taking care of yourself should feel good to your body, mind, and spirit.

Fix!: If an eating plan requires alot of effort, and changes your daily schedule completely, then chances are you're not going to stick to it. Make one small change to your current eating habits at a time. No fad or cookie-cutter diet is going to work for you long term - you have to tailor a healthy menu and excercise plan to fit your schedule for LIFE.

Fact: Just like your eating plan, excercise should be tailored to you! It should not hurt. Working out should be challenging, but you should feel refreshed and energized when you've accomplished it.

Fix!: Try to work in at least one brisk walk, treadmill session, jog, yoga, basketball, or whatever you like to do into your day. The key is keeping it fun and enjoyable. Don't make it "work" or you won't stick to it. I personally hate tedious workout tapes, but jogging and competitive sports are right up my alley!  It's all about developing healthy habits that are easy to stick to. Walk with your spouse around the neighborhood and talk about your day. Take your furry friend for a walk - he'll always be happy to go with you! I also like to go on missions. Walk to the grocery store to "hunt" your dinner. Walk to a local cafe for dinner one night.

This is just a guide-line, of course, based on what works for me. You don't need expensive diet food packages or special health-food. If you eat throughout the day, you will find that you won't have nearly the difficulty with portion control. And best of all, your metabolism will be off the charts!

Breakfast

• green tee (for antioxidents)
• piece of fruit (for vitamins and fiber)
• yogurt/cottage cheese, or scrambled egg on 100 calorie bagel thins ( http://www.oroweat.com/thins/) (for protein and carbs)

What's imperative is that you eat something. If you're trying to lose weight, keep the calorie count under 300, and always choose whole, minimally processed foods. The idea is for breakfast-skippers to get into the habit of eating in the morning to boost metabolism. I am truly shocked to find out how many people I know that just make a cup of coffee their breakfast AND lunch!

Snack

When your stomach growls you need to eat! Otherwise, your body starts going into starvation mode. Your stomach will probably growl about 10:30, but if not, then skip the snack.

• piece of fruit with a string cheese
• yogurt (with fruit)
• fruit with a few almonds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds

Lunch

• green tea (antioxidants)
• fruit (vitamins and fiber)
• turkey sandwich on 100 cal bread or ham or avocado, spinach and sprout wrap
• spinach salad

Eat your salad first! Be sure you use low-fat dressing or vinagrette. You can eat half of the sandwich or whatever gets you satisfied without being full. Again, doesn't matter what you eat as long as it's around 300 cals. I cook a whole batch of chicken and just keep in the fridge and pack the same lunch every day so I don't have to think about it. If fixing your lunch takes more than 5 minutes, then chances are you won't do it.

Snack - again, only if your stomach growls

Dinner - My dinner is always with a green salad!

• wild rice & salmon
• chicken salad on 100 cal tortilla (make with plain yogurt NOT mayo)
• potato soup w/ lean ham
• chicken or steak fajitas
• stir fry with an egg roll

You will find that you have more control over how much you eat, and your food is more enjoyable because you don't feel the need to inhale it!   Just keep the calorie count around 350 if you're watching your weight.  You can also find great recipes and menu ideas at http://www.cookinglight.com/food/everyday-menus/.

I hope that you find this info helpful and encouraging. Just make changes slowly, and see if you don't immediately have a huge boost in energy and an overall better sense of well-being!