Nutrition

How Do I Speed Up My Metabolism?

Ahhh….the illusive “fast metabolism”…if it could be bottled we would all look exactly the way we would like without ever having to sweat like crazy, train super hard, eat well-balanced meals 5-6 times a day etc….  Well, we have some good news and some not so good news for you.  The not so good news is that it is not and cannot be bottled (as of yet anyway).  The good news is that you have way more control over it than you probably realize!  You CAN speed up your metabolism.  You can eat, have an amazing body, a fast(er) metabolism, relax on vacation, and eat what you want (in moderation of course).  It’s not a free pass – it’s a speedier metabolism. The life and the ultimate level of fitness you crave are within your reach.  It simply takes knowledge of science and the body, a full commitment, and the appropriate amount of time to UN-do all of the damage you have done over the past _____ years.

Your mission is clear: Find ways to speed up your metabolism and get it revving as fast as possible. This article will show you how!

When frequent eating is combined with the right food choices, you will burn calories at the speed of light!  There is only a certain amount of body fat that you can lose in a certain amount of time, but eating frequently and eating well balanced meals will ensure that you lose as much as possible, as fast as possible and, most importantly, keep it off forever!

Eating less is not the bottom line answer.  There is a little more to it than that.  It doesn’t have to be complicated.  Let’s get right to it!

If you want to speed up your metabolism as fast as your body genetically allows, (yes genetics do play a role) you MUST follow the following critical guidelines without question:

1.  DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST!:  Your body is a highly adaptable machine that will do as it is programmed.  If you program your body (by skipping breakfast) that you will deposit fuel at 12pm each day for the first time, your metabolism will run in “slow mode” to preserve its last fuel deposit until 12pm each day.  That means that if you eat your last meal at, let’s say, 8pm, and your next meal at 12pm the next day – you have gone 15 hrs without depositing fuel in your body.  It takes approximately 2-4 hrs for your  body to either burn the fuel that you deposit or store it for later use (as fat).  If you eat too little, you teach your body to burn calories (fuel) slowly and to store whatever it can for later use (as fat).  If you eat more than your body can use in 2-4 hrs, your body will store excess energy (calories) for later use.  Your body will not just use up calories it doesn’t need just like your car won’t use fuel it doesn’t need to get from point “A” to point “B”.  Make sense?  Your body is designed to protect itself.  Its main goal is survival based on primitive instincts and what happens day to day.  So if you want your metabolism to kick into high gear first thing in the morning you must kick start it with a well-balanced breakfast of protein, simple and complex carbohydrates as well as an excellent essential fatty acid.

1. EAT EVERY 2.5 TO 3 HOURS!:  Frequent eating speeds up your metabolism due to the thermal effect of food. Every physiological process that occurs in your body uses energy. Digestion is no exception. The mechanical breakdown and absorption of food requires a substantial number of calories. Some of the calories in the foods you eat are burned off just to digest them, so the net amount of calories absorbed is actually less than the amount contained in the food.  It’s almost impossible for these foods to be stored as fat because most of their calories are burned off just to digest them! When fat loss is your goal, your diet should be heavy in foods with a high thermal effect, including fibrous vegetables and lean proteins. Lean protein is a “metabolic stimulator.”  Eating every three hours = high thermal effect/fast metabolism. Missing meals = no thermal effect/slow metabolism. Once you understand the concept of dietary thermo genesis, you’ll never want to miss a meal again because you’ll realize that eating properly increases your metabolism and gets you leaner, while skipping meals slows down your metabolism and makes you fatter!

1. FREQUENT MEALS HELP BY REGULATING BLOOD SUGAR AND INSULIN LEVELS. The TBS Jump Start Weight Loss Meal Plan and Maintenance Plan are glycemicaly balanced.  This will help your energy levels stay balanced throughout the day.  Changes in your body composition will take place slowly and steadily.  Let’s go a little further here:  when you eat carbohydrates they’re digested and absorbed into the bloodstream in the form of glucose (blood sugar).  This will trigger your pancreas to excrete insulin to restore your blood sugar to a safe and healthy level.  When carbohydrates are consumed alone (without healthy fat or healthy protein), insulin will spike higher and faster than when they’re consumed in combination with protein and/or healthy fats. One of insulin’s jobs is to transport the glucose from the bloodstream into the cells where it can be used for energy or stored as glycogen for later use. If you consume more carbohydrates than needed or if you consume the wrong types of carbohydrates, there will be a dramatic rise in blood sugar followed by a dramatic rise in insulin. This will often cause a more than normal drop in blood sugar causing fatigue, intense hunger and cravings for more carbohydrates to satisfy the drop in blood sugar.  This cycle can continue over and over throughout the day and night.         In one very interesting study reported in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine &         Science in Sports and Exercise (6:5, pgs. 265-272, 1996), the effects of two versus six meals was examined. Both groups lost the same amount of weight, but the two meal group lost mostly lean body mass while the six meals per day group did not! Your body doesn’t have the ability to store proteins. Amino acids only remain in your bloodstream for about three hours after each meal. After that, you go into a state called negative nitrogen balance, a condition where you are burning up your own muscle protein. That’s why it’s crucial to eat a meal with protein every three hours.

1. FREQUENT EATING PROMOTES BETTER UTILIZATION OF NUTRIENTS

Protein and carbohydrates aren’t the only nutrients you’ll get better use of from

frequent eating. Eating at regular intervals allows more efficient utilization of vitamins,

minerals, and virtually every other micronutrient and macronutrient.

1. 5.      EATING SMALLER MEALS MORE FREQUENTLY REDUCES FAT STORAGE THROUGH PORTION CONTROL

Eating small, frequent meals helps prevent you from over-consuming calories 

through simple portion control. Excess calories at one meal will always be converted into

body fat. When you consume a meal, the food is digested and directed into any cells

requiring immediate energy. Once the cells have received all the energy they need, the

body can store the excess fuel in the form of glycogen in the muscles and liver. However,

there’s only so much glycogen your body can store. Any excess calories beyond this limit

will be stored as body fat.