By Once you know how to utilise your time best, your metabolism will run wild without much effort.
We all want to have the kind of metabolism that increases our capacity to burn the food we eat. For many years, the notion of eating less and moving more has been ingrained into our brains. But research is slowly proving that this isn’t the case. Without activating the necessary hormones, the weight loss battle will become a lost cause no matter how much effort you make. It’s one of the reasons why so many people bounce around with different diets. They try one thing, it works and then it fails. As the years pass, I guarantee that most of us are probably dieting or thinking about what diet to try next. You’re not alone, as this was my own story, told over and over again for more than seven years. Eventually, I gave it up and just allowed my body to be as it wanted — despite how terrible I felt on the inside and looked on the outside.
One: Eliminate storing food & drinks in plastics
Did you know that plastic containers, bottles, lining, and cutlery contain chemical compounds like PBA? Phthalates are yet another group of plastic compounds linked to over Fifty thousand obesity cases every year. These ghastly chemicals alter our DNA, hormones, metabolism, energy balance, appetite and cravings. Unfortunately, that’s quite a lot of things this chemical pollutant has the potential to mess around with. You can limit or eliminate your exposure to these chemicals by doing a few things.
- Eliminate plastics in place of glass
- Eliminate foods in cans at all times
- Eat wild-caught seafood
- Eat grass-fed meat only
- Eat organic food when possible
- Drink spring water in glass — not plastic
A scary Harvard study tested people eating a canned soup & homemade soup for five days (to test the BPA levels of the can). The group who ate the canned variety showed a 1000 per cent increase in BPA levels! So, make your home-cooked meals as often as possible eliminate foods in plastic and cans at all costs.
Two: Make your gut health a top priority
I know I mention this all the time, but it’s as accurate as night and day. A 2011 Study performed by the US National Institute of Health gave 10,080 kilojoules of food and analysed their stools. Some retained 9870 kilojoules, and some others kept 9240. That was the result of the different bacteria in their guts. Our gut bacteria influence the amount of KG’s we retain and burn. Therefore, you need to have a diverse range of gut bacteria to foster weight loss and keep it off. The best way to go about this is by eating lots of fibre rich foods. For example, filling your plate up with veggies makes a massive difference to your gut bacteria variety. As a bonus, all those veggies are nutrient-dense yet very low in calories. So not only do they aid in weight loss, but they keep you whole healthy and add goodness to those gut bugs that need it most.
Three: Make plants better friends than protein!
Oh, I know, protein keeps you full, aids in weight loss etc. Whilst that is true, I’m not saying to dismiss protein at all. I’m saying to make plants the most important and most impactful food in your life. Why is that? When you maximise your intake of fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices, you are infusing your body with all the nutrients it needs, as well as feeding your gut bacteria what it wants. As a result, you will become rewarded with weight loss, health and longevity. This is far from those bland caloric restricted diets living on bird seeds. Instead, veggies keep us full for more extended periods aid us in achieving our intake of fibre, phytonutrients and all the necessary components that help us lead a disease-free life. You can add those much-loved sources of grass-fed meats, organic eggs and wild-caught seafood. I’m emphasising the importance of veggies and their impact on our quality of life, health, and, of course, weight loss.
Four: Eating at the right time, with the right amount
Studies have shown that eating first thing in the morning can cause you to accumulate less body fat if you eat the same number at night. Says the team at Wolfson Medical Centre in Tel Aviv. The reason why this happens is quite simple — your body uses more energy in the morning and less in the evening. As a result, most people aren’t as active in the evening as during the early hours. Therefore, it’s easier to burn calories consumed during that time. One alternative will be to skip breakfast if you happen to have eaten late in the evening. This is part of the lifestyle plan I love, called intermittent fasting. Choosing whether you skip breakfast or dinner is really up to you and your lifestyle.
Key takeaway
Metabolism, gut health and fat burning isn’t linear process. Instead, it involves a range of variables, as we’ve read above. When changing your lifestyle to flourish a weight loss environment, we must remember that results take a little bit of time to become apparent. Weight loss isn’t a matter of overnight success — there are a lot of bodily systems that need to work in unison for you to achieve weight loss success. Keeping it simple is one of the most important learnings I’ve uncovered along the journey. Skipping a meal per day, eating more veggies and eliminating as many environmental pollutants take a bit of time to implement — but worth it Make 2022 the year where we all begin looking at our lifestyle differently, reducing chemical exposure and increasing our plant-based meals.
NOTE: The health information in this post is for general information and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based on such information, I encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. I do not provide any medical/health advice.
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