Increase Your Metabolism: Metabolism Part Three

 Increase Your Metabolism: Metabolism Part Three thumbnail

If only there were a safe AND easy way to quickly increase your metabolism. Trust me, there isn’t. The number of calories you burn at rest to keep the cells, tissues, and organs of your body working properly is fairly consistent and cannot be easily changed. What Does Affect Metabolism? Your metabolism is determined by many factors over which you have no control over. (See: It Must Be My Metabolism: Part One). Your thyroid gland, on the other hand, can have a significant impact on your metabolism if it is not functioning properly. A healthy thyroid gland will produce the necessary amounts of hormones to keep your body’s metabolism working at a rate that is neither too fast nor too slow. An overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) makes more thyroid hormones than your body needs. This can speed up your heart rate and calorie burn but it is not good for your health. Far more common is an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). An underactive thyroid can slow your metabolism and make you gain weight. More than 12 million Americans have thyroid disease and many of these individuals don’t even realize it. (Harvard Health Publications, 2009). If you believe you might have a problem with the functioning of your thyroid gland do check with your medical doctor. A simple blood test may or may not pinpoint a problem with the thyroid. If you have been told that your thyroid is fine but you are not convinced then by all means ask for further testing or go get a second opinion. Yo yo dieting or very low calorie diets may reduce metabolic rate by as much as 5-10%. This problem typically has an easy fix. Metabolism usually returns to normal quite quickly when a woman resumes eating enough calories to maintain a healthy body weight. Metabolism Slows With Age Metabolic rate can slow about 2 to 5% each decade after age 40. This slow down is the result of a couple of factors. Certain organelles within your cells called mitochondria slow down with age. Often called the “powerhouses of the cell”, mitochondria are responsible for making high energy compounds to fuel metabolic processes. Muscle cells have a high-energy need and therefore each muscle cell has more mitochondria than other cells. (MSN Health and Fitness 2009) In addition, there tends to be a gradual loss in overall muscle tissue with aging. Muscle tissue is metabolically more active than other cells especially fat cells because the muscle cells have more mitochondria. The loss in muscle tissue over time can be lessened by staying active and by doing strength training exercises. Weight Loss Supplements and Metabolism The marketers of certain weight loss supplements would like you to believe that it is easy to boost your metabolism and burn extra calories each day with little or no effort on your part. Unfortunately these supplements often contain compounds that speed up your metabolism by making your heart work harder and beat faster. This can cause insomnia, heart palpitations, anxiety, and elevated blood pressure. I believe weight loss supplements to be a poor choice even if you were to succeed in losing a few pounds without hurting your health. Unless you change your habits you will more likely than not put the weight back on quite quickly. If you would like to read more about the potential risks of weight loss supplements you may want to read a previous article of mine: Are Weight Loss Supplements Worth the Risk? Safe Ways to Increase Your Metabolism Exercise Regular exercise such as swimming, walking, biking, and dancing at a slow to moderate pace will raise your metabolism and calorie burn while you are active. This level of exertion may also boost your metabolism for a short period afterward. However, the increase in resting metabolic rate is greatest and lasts the longest for those who engage in exercise of a high intensity. (Mayo Clinic Health Letter 2010) The only sure way you can safely increase your metabolism all the time (24/7) whether you are engaged in physical activity or not is to increase your muscle mass. You can build muscle tissue with weight lifting or with resistance training. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat even when you are resting. Each pound of muscle in your body will burn approximately 15-16 calories a day or a little more than 100 a week. A pound of fat only burns 2 calories a day, about 14 calories in a week. That’s a big difference and the reason why men have an advantage over women when it comes to weight management. Men typically have more muscle tissue than women. Eat Often. Small, frequent meals give your metabolism a slight boost. Eating any food increases metabolism because of the energy needed to digest and absorb the food. This is called the thermic effect of food. Protein provides a greater thermic effect than fat or carbohydrates. However, the overall affect or metabolic boost of food is minimal, only 10% or so of your total calorie needs each day. Begin your day with breakfast and continue with low calorie meals and snacks spaced out throughout the day. If you go without eating for a prolonged period of time your metabolism may begin to slow down to conserve energy. Eat Balanced Nutritious Meals and Snacks Nutritionally balanced diets make a difference. Your body needs food from different sources to provide the energy, nutrients, and other chemical compounds it needs to keep your metabolism running smoothly. Your metabolism cannot run smoothly if it is missing an entire food group. Each food group provides a good source of a different set of nutrients than the other food groups. By eliminating or greatly reducing any one of the food groups such as carbohydrates, you will unnecessarily put yourself at risk for a deficiency of certain nutrients. Choose a balanced intake instead. Your body will thank you for that. (See: 1200 Calorie Diet Plan and 1500 Calorie Diet Plan to learn more about what you need from each food group.) Need ideas on how to eat balanced and nutritious low calorie meals and snacks more often? See: Best Healthy Breakfasts for Weight Loss: Part One 300 Calorie Mini Meals: Eat Less But Often 28 Healthy Low Calorie Snack Foods to Go Increasing metabolism with Specific Food Certain food or food ingredients such as spices, black pepper, ginger, and green tea may speed up your metabolism. However, the effect is very small. I would encourage you to enjoy seasonings and tea for the other benefits they offer. Spices, black pepper, and ginger add flavor to the food you prepare with only a negligible amount of calories. They can also reduce your dependence on salt. Both spices and green tea provide many healthful antioxidants. I hope you’ve found this article on how to increase your metabolism to be helpful. Having a healthy metabolism can be influenced by the food you eat and the lifestyle you choose. Eating nutritionally balanced meals and snacks and making a conscious decision to be more active makes a difference! For parts one and two of this series on metabolism: It Must Be My Metabolism: Metabolism Part One How Many Calories Per Day Do I Need: Metabolism Part Two Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food! calories weight loss calories, weight lossmetabolism increase your metabolism increase metabolism boost metabolism physical activity exercise strength training

Read more about this story…


Weekly Diet Menu: Day 2

 Weekly Diet Menu: Day 2 thumbnail

Today’s meal plan, the second in the latest weekly diet menu includes a couple of easy to prepare meals along with a frozen entree for dinner. I’ve included oatmeal for breakfast as I have for other menus in the past. However, with this menu I’m sharing a recipe for you to make your own “instant” oatmeal that is tastier, more filling, and more nutritious than the store bought versions. It won’t take you long to make up a mix ahead of time and have enough for 6 meals or more. Lunch calls for making a delicious sandwich with tuna fish and slices of ripe avocado. Sounds odd? Try it! I honestly think you’ll like it. I do. Today’s supper calls for a Lean Cuisine Cafe Classics Bowl of Three Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni with 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli on the side. All of today’s meals can be ready to eat in minutes! A tip to keep in mind when preparing dishes with only 1/4 to 1/2 a piece of fruit is to keep the peeling on the remaining fruit. By leaving the peeling on it will reduce the browning that would otherwise occur. Just squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on the cut edges and then refrigerate the leftover to use with meals later in the week. If you are doubling these recipes to serve more than one person this may not be as much of an issue. To modify today’s menu for a 1300, 1400, or 1500 calorie diet, look for my comments below. 1200 Calorie Menu (Day 2) Breakfast 1 serving Homemade Instant Oatmeal (236 calories) 1/2 pear 1?2 cup Orange Juice Snack 1 container French Vanilla Yogurt (Dannon - Light ‘n Fit, 100 calories) Lunch 1 Tuna Fish Sandwich with Avocado 1 medium apple water, unsweetened tea, or coffee To prepare tuna fish sandwich with avocado: Make tuna fish salad with 1 small can of white tuna canned in water (about 1/2 cup). Mix with 1 tbsp. low fat mayonnaise and 1/2 tsp curry powder. Makes enough for two sandwiches. Spread 1/2 tuna fish salad on one slice whole wheat sandwich thin by Arnold. (Reserve the remaining tuna salad in the refrigerator for another day.) Add 1/4 cup reduced fat shredded mexican cheese blend. Microwave the open sandwich on low to medium for about 30-40 seconds (enough to melt the cheese). Remove from microwave and top with slices of avocado (1/4 medium avocado) and then the second slice of bread. Snack Starbucks Cafe au Lait w/Nonfat milk (Tall, 60 calories) 4 Triscuits Reduced Fat Crackers Supper Three Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni - Lean Cuisine, Cafe Classics Bowls (240 calories) 1/2 cup steamed broccoli Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee (Always remember to get plenty of water throughout the day. Read Water, Weight, and Women to learn more about your water needs.) Total Calories = 1206 Total Fiber = 27.7 g Fat = 16% Carbs = 62% Protein = 22% (U.S. Dietary Guidelines Recommended percentages: Fat 20-35%, Carbohydrates 45-65%, Protein 10-35%) Calcium = 1074 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 + mg a day) Iron = 7.5 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg) This meal plan comes up somewhat short for total fat. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines suggests 20-25% for fat. However, this is an average. What’s more important is how it balances out over a few days or more. We need fat to get enough of certain essential fatty acids that are important for good health. Although the weekly diet menu does come up slightly on the low side for fat, this shouldn’t be a problem. Most women need more than 1200 calories to keep metabolism running smoothly. Consuming more than 1200 calories makes it easier to get all the nutrients you need. I strongly encourage you to make sure you are getting enough calories in the first place. There are many reasons why 1200 calories is likely to be too little. A couple of my previous articles will help you learn how to determine your minimum SAFE calorie intake. 1. How Many Calories Per Day Do I Need? 2. 1200 Calorie Diet: How to Get Started 1300, 1400, or 1500 Calorie Diet Menu This menu has a fairly good balance of nutrients. However, it is a little short on fat for all women as I just mentioned. Because you will be adding calories to the basic plan you will likely increase your fat intake for the better. Iron comes up short for women who are premenopausal. Today would be a good day for a supplement. The meal plan is also little short on calcium for postmenopausal women. If this describes you, you may want to supplement this menu with an additional serving of milk, cheese, or ice cream. Or be sure to take a calcium supplement (with vitamin D). Otherwise, for women of all ages, simply add an additional serving or two of one of the menu items or other food of your choice to bring the total calories up to the level you need. I will be publishing the next installments in this weekly diet menu over the coming weeks so be sure to check back! Day 1 Diet Menu Till next time watch those calories and eat healthy food! calories weight loss calories, weight lossweekly diet menu weekly menu diet menu 1200 1300 1400 1500 calorie diet diet weight loss meals

Read more about this story…


How Many Calories Per Day Do I Need? Metabolism Part 2

 How Many Calories Per Day Do I Need? Metabolism Part 2 thumbnail

If only it were simple. Knowing how many calories you need to succeed with weight loss and ultimately maintenance matters! However, the most accurate determination of your caloric needs would require sophisticated equipment and complicated calculations. That’s why scientists developed simplified equations to provide you with an easier way to get a quick estimate. Having an estimate of your calorie needs is good enough for most people. What you will want to do is determine two important values. The first one is your minimum safe caloric intake and the second is the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight. These figures give you an idea of your weight loss range. Consuming enough calories to keep your metabolism running smoothly but fewer calories than your total needs for weight maintenance is what it takes to encourage your body to burn fat. Minimum Caloric Needs: BMR and RMR Even when you are resting, your body needs energy to keep your organs working and blood circulating. You also have energy needs for the growth and repair of body cells and tissues. The number of calories you need to provide this energy is influenced by body composition, gender, age, heredity, height, weight, thyroid, and activity level. This is what I covered in part one of this series on metabolism. (See: It Must Be My Metabolism: Metabolism Part One) The speed with which you burn calories for energy is referred to as basal metabolic rate (BMR) or resting metabolic rate (RMR). BMR and RMR are not exactly the same. In a laboratory setting the conditions under which BMR is measured provides the most precise and accurate determination of metabolic rate and calorie needs. The measurement of RMR does not require such strict conditions. Therefore the values for BMR and RMR will be close in value but not the same. For everyday purposes the two terms are often used interchangeably. The easiest way to determine an estimate for your resting caloric needs is to use an online calculator. There are two online calculators that I use and recommend BMR calculator and Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator. If you’d like to calculate these figures on your own you can with the Harris Benedict or Mifflin equations: The Harris Benedict equation estimates BMR: For women: (9.56 x w) + (1.85 x h) – (4.68 x a) + 655 For men: (13.75 x w) + (5 x h) – (6.76 x a) + 66 The Mifflin equation estimates RMR: For women: (10 x w) + (6.25 x h) – (5 x a) – 161 For men: (10 x w) + (6.25 x h) – (5 x a) + 5 To use these equations you need to plug in the appropriate values for “w” (current weight in kg), “h” (height in cm), and “a” (age). w = weight in kg h = height in cm a = age ——– NOTE: Your weight in pounds divided by 2.2 will give you your weight in kg. Multiply your height in inches by 2.54 to get your height in cm. Keep in mind that the estimates for both BMR and RMR will be skewed (not as accurate) for anyone who has significantly more muscle mass than the average or significantly more fat than the average. ——– Knowing your resting metabolic calorie needs gives you a value for your minimum safe caloric intake. To keep your metabolism from slowing down make sure you provide your body with at least this many calories from the food you eat each day. As you lose weight remember to recalculate this number because it will change. Physical Activity The second important value you will want to determine is the total estimated calories you need to maintain your current weight. You start with the value you derived for BMR or RMR. Then you factor in the average level of physical activity with which you engage each day. Multiply BMR or RMR by the factor that best describes your AVERAGE level of physical activity. 1.2 = Sedentary (Little or no exercise and a desk job) 1.375 = Light Activity (Light exercise or sports 1-3 days each week) 1.55 = Moderately Active (Moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days a week 1.725 = Very Active (hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week) 1.9 = Extremely Active (Hard daily exercise or sports or a physically demanding job) Now you have an estimate for your minimum safe caloric intake and an estimate for your total caloric needs to maintain your current weight. With these two values you can now determine your weight loss range. Calorie needs to maintain current weight – minimum calorie needs = your weight loss range Example: Person A: 1800 calories (for maintaining current weight) – 1300 calories (minimum safe caloric intake) = 500 calories. For person A reducing calorie intake by 500 calories or LESS each day would result in weight loss. Person B: 2000 calories (for maintaining current weight) – 1200 calories (minimum safe caloric intake) = 800 calories. For person B reducing calorie intake by 800 calories or LESS will result in weight loss. I hope this article answers your question about how many calories per day you need to lose weight or maintain your current weight. Can you speed up your metabolism to burn more calories? And how can physical activity positively impact your metabolism for faster weight loss? That’s what we’ll talk about in the next part of this series on Metabolism. Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food! calories Maintenance weight loss calories, Maintenance, weight lossbasal metabolism resting metabolism RMR BMR weight loss calories how many calories per day basal metabolic rate

Read more about this story…


Diet Menu Plan

 Diet Menu Plan thumbnail

It’s here! I have a new Diet Menu Plan for you. This week-long healthy menu is built around the ease of heating up a frozen entree for dinner each evening. A little while ago I shared recommendations for frozen meals when you either need or want to eat quickly. (Best Low Calorie Frozen Entrees) For this menu I have a different set of frozen and reasonably healthy meals for you to try. The menus will work whether you are on a 1200, 1300, 1400, or 1500 calorie diet. I’m not an advocate of eating commercially frozen meals often. You can do a lot better by cooking for yourself. However, if you are pressed for time or just not into cooking, I have a weeks worth of meals that could be just what you’ve been looking for. Another plus for choosing pre-packaged frozen meals is the ease of calculating your total calorie intake. Just keep in mind that the calorie count on the package may not quite as accurate as you might like. Instead of including a different brand of frozen entree each day, I decided to make all of the selections Lean Cuisine. I’m hoping this might make it easier. These packaged meals seem to be more readily available than other brands no matter where you might live in the United States (my apologies to everyone living elsewhere). The diet menu plan is designed for 1200 calories. To modify today’s sample menu for a 1300, 1400, or 1500 calorie diet, look for my comments that follow. 1200 Calorie Diet Menu Plan (Day 1) Breakfast Honey Oat Waffles (160 calories, Kashi) 1?2 cup Orange Juice (55 calories) Yogurt Peanut Butter Spread (For the spread: Simply mix 2 oz. of fat free plain yogurt and 1/2 tbsp. of peanut butter. This is an easy and delicious way to add a little more calcium and protein to your diet. And it eliminates the less healthy butter/margarine and/or syrup. Might save you some calories also!) Snack 1 String Cheese Snack (80 calories, Sargento) Lunch Whole Wheat Sandwich with Turkey and Pear (Make a sandwich with Arnold Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins. Add 6 oz. of shaved turkey, 1/2 ripe pear sliced, and 2 tsp. of spicy brown mustard. Add cheese for a little extra flavor and calcium.) 1/8 cup (2 Tbsp.) Reduced Fat Shredded Cheese (38 calories, Sargento) 1 Lowfat Yogurt (130 calories, your choice of flavor Stonyfield Farm) Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee Snack 1 medium apple Supper 1 Chicken Mediterranean meal (240 calories, Lean Cuisine - Spa Cuisine Classics) 1/2 cup frozen peas, boiled and drained w/o salt 1/2 cup lite ice cream (100 calories, Blue Bunny) Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee (Always remember to get plenty of water throughout the day. Read Water, Weight, and Women to learn more about your water needs.) Total Calories = 1227 Total Fiber = 26.8 g Fat = 19% Carbs = 60% Protein = 22% (U.S. Dietary Guidelines Recommended percentages: Fat 20-35%, Carbohydrates 45-65%, Protein 10-35%) Calcium = 1004 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years of age need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 + mg a day) Iron = 7.4 mg (Women 19 to 50 years who are pre-menopausal need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg) 1300, 1400, or 1500 Calorie Diet Meal Plan This menu has a fairly good balance of nutrients. However, it comes up short on iron for premenopausal women and a little short on calcium for postmenopausal women. If you need more iron, you could choose to add a cup of enriched soy milk (with iron) for an additional 7-8 mg of iron and 100-120 calories or take a supplement. If, on the other hand, you need more calcium you may want to supplement this menu with another serving of a low fat milk product or take a calcium supplement (with vitamin D). Otherwise, for women of all ages, simply add an additional serving or two of one of the menu items or other food of your choice to bring the total calories up to the level you need. (I encourage you to read my article on how to determine the minimum SAFE caloric intake for you: 1200 Calorie Diet: How to Get Started!) I’m pleased with the ease of preparation for this reasonably healthy Diet Menu Plan. Check back often for the remaining 6 days of the menu. Till next time watch those calories and eat healthy food! P.S. While you’re here you might want to check out my articles page for lots of tips on how to succeed in losing weight with a healthy low calorie diet! Or you might want to see my 1200 calorie diet plan or 1500 calorie diet plan. weight loss weight lossdiet menu plan weekly menu day 1 weight loss diet healthy menu menu diet plan 1200 calories 1300 calories 1400 calories 1500 calories

Read more about this story…