What Is Fatty Liver Disease and Why Is It Important

I don’t often write about diseases but when you have a fatty liver the Liver will not function properly and you will continue to add fat. It’s important that if you want to lose body fat, you have to understand how your Liver works. People with a large waistline will generally have a Liver that’s saturated with fat. So Why Should You Care? As your waistline grows, more fat will build up around your vital organs which slows down the functions of those organs like the Liver and the Heart.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, or NAFLD, is on the rise in the United States thanks to a huge increase in obesity rates over the last three decades. In industrialized countries, 20 to 40 percent of the general population has some form of fatty liver disease, and the chances of its progressing increase with age.

Officially recognized as a disease in the early 1980s, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease perplexed the medical community.

Obese and diabetic patients had elevated liver enzymes and enlarged livers virtually identical to those typically seen in alcoholics, but most of them insisted they were not drinking excessively.

Liver Function Basics

The liver is your largest internal organ. It performs hundreds of functions including:

processing everything you eat and drink
pulling toxins from your blood
fighting off infection
controlling blood sugar levels
helping to manufacture hormones and proteins
Too Much Fat Causes Serious Problems

The liver normally weighs about three pounds. When more than 5 to 10 percent of your liver’s weight is fat, you have a “fatty liver.” While excess liver fat, or steatosis, causes no problems for some, it can cause symptoms of impaired liver function, including:

fatigue
nausea
abdominal pain
yellowing skin or eyes (as in jaundice)
Inflammation that causes scarring is a hallmark symptom of liver injury in advanced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which can lead to cirrhosis.

Once you damage your liver, your body lays down collagen to repair it. Fibrosis or thickening of the liver tissue then ensues.

As the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progresses, about 10 percent of cases will develop over the next ten years into the much more serious NASH, or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

NASH can lead to:

cirrhosis or hardening of the liver
liver failure
liver cancer
death
Diagnosis of Fatty Liver Disease

An accurate diagnosis of non-alcoholic liver disease is the first step towards treating this, sometimes, serious health condition. Your physician will usually diagnose fatty liver disease by:

administering tests to detect elevated liver enzymes
ordering an ultrasound to determine if you have an enlarged liver
performing a liver biopsy to determine whether you have NASH or simple fatty liver
Common Characteristics of NAFLD Patients

Though the exact causes of NAFLD are not known, patients have some pre-existing conditions in common, including:

obesity
type 2 diabetes
have metabolic syndrome diagnosis
What’s more, the severity of NAFLD increases with the degree of obesity, and abdominal or belly fat seems to increase the risk of dangerous NASH, even in patients with a body mass index (BMI) in a normal range.

What you eat and the nutrition it provides contribute to the onset, progression, and treatment of NAFLD.

Dietary factors that increase your risk include consuming:

a high-calorie diet
a diet rich in hydrogenated oil (trans fats)
too much protein from animal sources, resulting in a high intake of saturated fat and cholesterol
too many beverages sweetened with high fructose corn syrup
Dietary factors that reduce your risk of NAFLD include:

consuming fewer calories
eating protein from whey or vegetable sources, instead of from meat and cheese
losing 3 to 10 percent of your bodyweight
adding fiber, green tea, and coffee to your diet

Slowing down Liver functions is very dangerous to your health and is the biggest reason that a heavy person will keep getting heavier. Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

 

Why You Should Drink Plenty Of Water

Water is an essential nutrient our body depends upon for optimal health and fitness. It keeps us hydrated and assists with other vital processes at every level of human function. According to research, water is shown to be the most important nutrient in sports nutrition.

The human body is made up of over 60% water. Water helps with all body functions operating around the clock. It maintains hydration, digestion, heart and lung function, joint lubrication, protection of our tissues, regulating body temperature, and much more.

Water can be considered our lifeline with endless health benefits. It keeps us feeling and functioning at our best and chronic studies continue to report more positive feedback on why drinking plenty of water is essential to our health.

Studies have revealed increasing water intake allows for faster weight loss compared to those not drinking enough water. A glass of water before a meal has been shown to decrease appetite, aid in digestion, and boost metabolism.

Portion control is better adhered to and improved weight loss results are experienced. Many people confuse thirst for hunger which has contributed to weight gain. Nutritionists are now recommending drinking a glass of water when you are feeling sluggish or fatigued before reaching for food. This simple test for dehydration vs hunger has been shown to help with portion control. Drinking water throughout the day also eliminates the desire to consume sugary sodas/juices loaded with unwanted calories.

A recent study on water-induced thermogenesis has shown drinking cold water increases energy expenditure in the body. Research indicated the increase in energy is created by the body’s effort to warm the water to body temperature. This theory explains the boost to metabolism and increased weight loss.

Holding water or feeling bloated can make us feel uncomfortable. It’s often caused by poor digestion, increased sodium, or a monthly cycle for a woman. Many believe when they’re holding water, drinking water should be avoided. This is far from the truth.

Water is a natural remedy to reduce bloating and drinking plenty throughout the day will begin the flushing process. Retaining water is the body’s natural protective measure to prevent dehydration, so bloat time is no time to hold back drinking fluids. One more thing about water retention. I always get emails about drinking water. It seems that people are afraid of water or what water might do to them. When your body thinks that you might be starving or dehydrated it will hoard and drinking other drinks is not the same thing. Yes, you can flavor water with a slice of fruit, but you have to drink water. Don’t drink anything with calories or those zero-calorie sodas.

Drinking water will reduce the amount of retained salt and lubricate the colon to hasten the elimination of belly-bloating foods.

Constipation is an unpleasant experience and not drinking enough water promotes unhealthy digestion. Time to increase the water and keep things moving at a regular and comfortable pace.

Water binds to soluble fiber in the large intestine and increases the bulk of our stool, reduces transit time, and makes elimination easier. When water is kept from our digestive system, the body pulls water from our stool creating a constipation problem. Drinking plenty of water prevents constipation, promotes healthy digestion, flushes toxins, and eases the burden on our kidneys and liver.

Do you suffer from dry and lifeless skin? The reason may be a lack of water as part of your daily nutrition. Clearing up our skin starts from within and is benefited when we drink plenty of water.

We lose body water through sweat and even more during a workout and hot environmental conditions. Drinking water ensures rehydration and replenishment of the natural lubrication to our skin. Our skin loves moisture and drinking plenty of water helps restore suppleness and eliminates dryness.

Drinking enough water is always a question and a good indicator is checking the color of your pee. Healthy urine is fairly clear and shows we’re drinking plenty of water to keep our skin moist and lubricated. Using lotion is fine but drinking water remains the primary way to maintain well-hydrated skin.

Water requirements are met through how much we drink and a small percentage through food intake. Each person will differ in water requirement based on age, environment, and activity levels.

We lose water in everyday body functions of sweating, breathing, and going to the bathroom.  If we’re physically active, in hot climates, running a fever, or having flu symptoms like diarrhea or vomiting we will lose even more water.

All water loss requires replacement to keep our bodies well hydrated and healthy. The Food and Nutrition Board released new dietary reference intakes for water. “It is recommended that women consume 2.7 liters (91 oz.) daily and men consume 3.7 liters (125 oz.) through various beverages (80%) or in food (20%).” A great indicator for healthy water intake is fairly clear urine and drinking more until that mark is reached.

If you really want to lose the extra flab you can get help, I write 4 blogs and I’ve written two E-books. E-books are the easiest and cheapest way to learn about any subject without groping through hundreds of websites looking for the material you want.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

 

Things That Effect Your Weight

A little bit of science, your “genetic makeup” plays the biggest role. These are the things we get from our ancestors. Colors of our eyes, our height, our basic body size, and weight, also the way our brain works, and the way our body stores fat. Now that last one is important if you want to lose fat. I’m talking about the way fat is distributed through your body. For example, if your mother was back when she was 18 to 20 years of age, she might have been slim but after having a child she started to put on pounds from her waist down to her knees. Then if you start to put on extra pounds you could do the same. Of course, that will depend on which parent you favor.

Your bone structure is also genetic; if your mom and dad both had short legs then probably you also will. So you can see what I’m getting at. Losing weight won’t fix everything. So now we know we can’t fix everything, but we can lose excess fat.

Your diet or in other words ( what you eat every day ) affects your weight and the amount of fat you have or your “BMI”. This is a term you want to remember, BMI.

Body mass index, how much of your weight is fat. Every day you eat foods with fat your BMI can go up. That’s how fast your body works to digest your food. Just say you go to work and stop for something to eat. You have no time so you go thru the drive-thru and get coffee and a roll. O.K., doesn’t sound like much, but if you put cream and sugar and the roll had butter in it or it was a donut that has sugar you might have had about 800 calories, and I’m being nice. Lunch comes around and if you haven’t eaten anything since the coffee and roll, maybe you eat about 1500 calories for lunch. If you eat lunch out that 1500 will be easy to do, even if you just have a salad and soda. Now before I go any further, the average person will only metabolize about 2000 calories a day and if you’re a small person, less than 150 pounds, that number is probably less than 2000. So you can see by my above example that it’s easy to overeat. That doesn’t mean you eat too much, only that you consume too many calories.

Another thing you inherit from your ancestors is the speed at which you burn calories. Some people will naturally burn more calories a day than others without doing anything. The less body fat and the more muscle you have the more calories your body will burn at rest or without doing anything. That’s another good reason to lose fat.

What and how you eat will affect your weight. The American diet contains too much-saturated fat (bad for the heart plus this fat goes straight to storage), too many calories, too much cholesterol, too much animal protein, salt, and sugar. Why you might ask, we eat out too much and restaurants generally have nothing on the menu that’s nutritious, and the portions are too big. But all their interested in is that the food tastes good and you had enough to eat.

You want to strive to reach a healthy weight. The weight that’s right for you might be more than you like or not but you want a weight that makes you feel healthy. For example, when I was 18 to 22, in sports and what some might say “on the top of my game” that was the right weight for me. That’s when I felt the best. That’s what you have to decide for yourself. I’m over 60 now, and I weigh that same 172 I did so many years ago. After I lost that excess weight I felt 20 years younger. I still feel like I’m 40. It’s the excess weight that ages your body. Lose that extra weight and you’ll feel much younger. I still have aches and pains sometimes but that’s from the damage the extra weight has done to my body. Excess weight will age your body way past your years. Don’t let that happen to you.Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

 

We Thought Smoking Was The Worse Thing For Your Health

Take a Stand Against Sitting Too Much

Sitting turns out to be just as bad for your health as smoking.

This post from Medicinenet.com will illustrate why we need to change what we do all day if we want to stay healthy.

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

Days spent sitting for hours may increase your risk for an early death no matter how much you exercise, researchers say.

Latest Exercise & Fitness News

In a new study, people who sat the most had twice the risk of dying over a 4-year period as people who sat the least. But taking a break every 30 minutes to get up and walk around might help decrease the risk, the study authors said.

“What’s most troubling is it’s like I exercise in the morning and I think I’m good, but in addition to exercise I should also be mindful of not being sedentary for long periods throughout the day,” said lead researcher Keith Diaz. He is an associate research scientist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

It’s more than exercise, Diaz said. “You have to do more. You have to move, you have to get up often and break up your sedentary habits if you want to have the lowest risk of death,” he explained.

Many people sit for up to 10 hours a day, he noted. Earlier studies that have reported a link between sitting and an early death have relied on people telling researchers how long they sat in a day. This new study, however, actually measured sitting time using a hip-mounted accelerometer that tracked movement, and correlated it with the risk of dying during the study period.

Diaz cautioned, however, that this study only shows an association between sitting and an increased risk of early death.

“There is evidence that suggests, but does not prove, that it could be about how our body handles blood sugar,” Diaz said.

“We think it’s through a kind of diabetic pathway. When our muscles are inactive, they are not using blood sugar, and we know that blood sugar can wreak terrible consequences on our body. Poor blood sugar control is thought to be one of the ways sitting increases one’s risk for heart disease or death,” he said.

Standing up from your desk and walking around for a few minutes every half hour could be an important behavioral change that might reduce the risk of premature death, Diaz suggested.

Dr. David Alter is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. He said, “We don’t yet know what the ideal solutions are to remedy the risks associated with sedentary behavior.”

It’s not just about avoiding sedentary behavior or prolonged bouts of sedentary behavior, said Alter.

“It might require a combination of exercise, light activity and frequent movement breaks,” he said.

What’s almost certain is that the solution will require folks to track their activity and inactivity, Alter said.

“Just like weight-management strategies, we will need to monitor how much time we spend sitting, moving and undertaking exercise in a much more deliberate way than we have perhaps thought previously,” Alter said.

For the study, Diaz and his colleagues reviewed data on nearly 8,000 U.S. adults 45 and older who had participated in a previous study. The participants wore a monitor that kept track of the amount of time they were seated.

The researchers found that in a 16-hour waking day, the participants sat a little more than 12 hours. The average was 11 minutes at a stretch.

Over an average follow-up of four years, 340 participants died.

Spending more time sitting for longer periods increased the risk for an early death, regardless of age, gender, race, weight or how much one exercised, the researchers found.

Those who had the lowest risk of dying were those who didn’t sit longer than 30 minutes at a stretch, the findings showed.

“If we are to sit for prolonged periods at a time — more than 30 minutes at a time, and for many hours per day — more than 12 hours per day, our risk of death is high,” Alter said.

“That risk is reduced if we exercise at least 150 minutes per week, but not entirely eliminated,” he concluded.

I have my own opinion on sitting. From articles that I read, sitting for one hour will cause your body to go into hybernation because you're not moving around. This will slow-down your body functions and that’s the reason you have trouble controlling your blood sugar levels. If you're having a weight problem this maybe the root cause.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Why Do I Regain The Weight I Lose?

There are a few ways that are a common cause of weight gain. I’ll go over a few because this is the time of year that we all try to lose a few pounds after the holidays. And most of us do lose a few pounds but 9 out of 10 will regain the weight by the end of the year.

1. Unrealistic Diets

This may be the number one reason we regain the weight. An unrealistic diet is one that you can only do for a short time like a “cleanse”. You drop 10 pounds,  you think that’s great, and go back to eating the same diet you had before. Except now you picked up some new eating habits over the holidays like roll and coffee at a coffee shop near work or stopping at a drive-thru on the way to work to pick up some pastries for the break room.

Before the holidays you would have never done this, but everyone is rushed during the holidays. You have to cram in all that Christmas shopping. We normally do some of that during our lunch break, so we are eating more snack food to compensate for the lunch we had to skip.

The problem is that you picked up a bad habit during the holidays and you enjoyed those trips to the coffee shop and now you continue to go because maybe you like the coffee and rolls or you like the people that hang out there.

The only weight to get control of your weight is to change what your eating. You don’t have to starve to lose weight. Just start eating real, fresh foods. Forget frozen, processed or manufactured foods and start eating all-natural foods.
2. Weight Loss – The Energy Gap

The funny thing about losing weight is that, as soon as you start losing, your body suddenly wants it all back.

As you lose weight, your body doesn’t need as many calories as it did before but, for many of us, something strange and frustrating happens – We want more food.

Like the stereotypical bustling mother who plies you with food saying, “Eat! Eat!,” your body doesn’t like to lose weight. It can’t tell the difference between you going on a diet or being struck by famine and immediately goes into protective mode, lowering your metabolism by up to 15% and stimulating your appetite to preserve fat stores.

On top of that, when you lose weight, your body needs fewer calories to maintain itself, creating what experts call ‘the energy gap.’

They estimate that the energy gap we need to maintain weight loss could be up to 200 calories a day for a person trying to lose 10% of his or her body weight. This energy gap is smaller for people trying to avoid weight gain, around 100 calories a day. If you don’t keep that energy gap going every day, the weight eventually creeps back on.

Making Peace With The Energy Gap

Exercise – Your number one defense against your body’s natural tendency to hold on to weight is exercise. It doesn’t just burn calories, it also weakens your body’s desire to regain the weight. Researchers don’t understand all the mechanisms behind this but believe working out may encourage the body to become more sensitive to leptin (a hormone that regulates appetite) so you don’t feel as hungry.
Recalculate your calories – As you lose weight, make sure you recalculate how many calories you need. The more weight you lose, the fewer calories your body needs to maintain itself, and tracking that can help you keep the energy gap you need to maintain weight loss.
Go by net calories burned during workouts – When you calculate how many calories you burn during exercise, make sure to subtract the number of calories you would’ve burned if you weren’t exercising to get a more accurate number. For example, if you burned 300 calories during a 30-minute run, you would subtract the number of calories you would’ve burned sitting (e.g., around 20-40 calories).
Avoid compensating for your workouts – Another way we sabotage ourselves without realizing it is by compensating for workouts. This may mean resting more than you normally would or eating more because you think you deserve it after exercising. Stick to your regular eating and activity habits to keep the energy gap going.
4. Not Enough Exercise

Aside from being active, exercise is crucial for successful weight loss and avoiding weight regain. In fact, Dr. Len Kravitz states in his article, “Physical Activity, Weight Loss and Weight Regain:”

Regular workouts are the best way to maintain weight loss. And, when it comes to preventing weight gain, more is better.

While we know that exercise is important, everyone needs a different amount based on a variety of factors including gender, age, fitness level, weight, body composition, and genetics. Successful weight losers spend about an hour a day exercising and experts suggest the following guidelines depending on your goals:

To prevent weight gain: 150–250 minutes per week of moderately vigorous exercise, which translates to about 20-35 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
For weight loss: 225–420 minutes per week of moderately vigorous exercise, which translates to about 60-90 minutes of exercise most days of the week.

Get Started With Exercise

If you’re new to exercise, 60-90 minutes may feel impossible, but it’s okay to start with what you can handle and what your schedule allows and work your way up from there.

Your exercise program should include cardio (about 3-5 workouts a week) and strength training (about 2-3 nonconsecutive days a week) for best weight loss results. The following resources will help you get started:

Experts have found that people who maintain weight loss for more than two years tend to keep it off. It seems that, the longer you maintain weight loss, the better you get at it, mastering the delicate balance of calories in and calories out and figuring out how much exercise you need to maintain that balance.

Two years may seem like a long time, but most of us have a lifetime of bad habits and weight problems to overcome. It’s going to take time to unravel all that history. Remembering how long it took to gain weight may help you keep things in perspective.

Sticking With It

Sticking with it doesn’t mean you have to be perfect for the next two years. There will be times you fail – You’ll get sick, get slammed by holidays, get injured, go on vacation or just lose your mojo. When that happens, and it does for all of us, how you respond is crucial to your success:

Get Back on Track – Falling off the exercise wagon will happen, but what’s important is what you do about it. Recognize that a mistake is a one-time thing and something you can overcome by admitting your mistake and easing back into your program. The same thing goes for injuries; make sure you are ready to get back in the routine of exercising. Start off slow to test out the injury and after a week increase your routine until you are back to normal.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

 

28 Days To Shrink Your Stomach

  Have you strayed from your weight loss goals this year but still want to get in shape? Give the 28-Day Shrink Your Stomach Challenge a try! This weight loss program is designed to decrease your bloat, burn fat, and shrink your stomach in just one month. Plus, the diet is flexible — you can start it whenever you want to! Print out the chart to put on your refrigerator so you can start weight loss the right way, with healthy balanced meals and an exercise routine. If the Plank Challenge is too difficult for you, there are other exercise routines you can do. Just go to the “doctoroz.com” website and look for this “Shrink Your Stomach” plan.

The facts are that you have to shrink your stomach if you want to lose weight. To lose weight you cut the calories by eating better, fresh food that has fewer calories and increases your activity to burn more than you eat. If you do both those things every day you will lose fat and the extra fat will disappear.

What some people starting weight loss for the first time, don’t understand is that just eating less of the same foods you’re eating now isn’t going to take the fat off. If you eat high-quality foods you can eat the same amount and consume fewer calories, that’s the secret to good health. You can’t lose weight or fat by starving yourself. That only works for temporary weight loss. In a month the weight will come back.

If you’re overeating or bingeing, this is normally caused by too much stress, and the stress isn’t going to disappear because you want to lose weight. So you can force yourself to cut back on food and you can lose a few pounds for a few weeks but the stress is probably still there and you will start bingeing again.

I had a similar problem, but shrinking my stomach and changing jobs did the trick for me and I started to lose the extra fat. Today my meal portions are half the size and I feel full. I found the “5 small meals a day plan”. Each meal is about 250 or 300 calories and I was eating every three hours. Get ideas for small meals on the internet. I googled 300 The food cravings disappeared and I stopped being hungry. The 5 meals a day plan works well with the “28 days to shrink your stomach” plan.

This is a sure-fire way to start losing. Stick with this for 28 days and I know you’ll be happy with the results. I stayed on the 5 small meals a day plan and never looked back. It is a great way to control your blood sugar.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

 

Foods That Rev Up Your Metabolism

Foods That Rev Up Your Metabolism

By Susan Bernstein

Can certain foods kick your body’s metabolism into a higher gear to help you lose weight? Many foods are touted as metabolism boosters, but how much and when you eat may be more effective ways to get the most impact from your workouts.

What Is Your Metabolism?

Metabolism is your body’s process of turning foods and drinks into energy.

“Metabolism is a sum of all of the chemical reactions going on in your body in order to maintain life. This requires energy in the form of calories to be expended every day,” says Laura Kruskall, PhD, director of the Dietetic Internship and Nutrition Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Metabolism includes your total daily energy expenditure. You need fuel to rest, to digest and process nutrients from food, and to maintain physical activity, she says. “When we talk about maximizing metabolism, you’re really asking: How can I increase my total daily energy expenditure? You can choose how much energy to expend by moving your body with activities of daily living or exercise.”

Muscle-building exercise increases your basal metabolic rate or the energy your body needs to function. That means you can take in more calories and use them up, with fewer calories left over. Regular exercise probably revs up your metabolism more than any food or eating strategy like eating at a certain time of day, so make sure you do these activities regularly, Kruskall says:

• Cardio exercises like brisk walking or swimming to burn calories
• Strength training to build more muscle mass

Instead of looking for magic foods that rev up your metabolism, focus on getting a variety of healthy, whole foods in your diet to support your workouts, says Sarah L. Ash, PhD, emerita professor of nutrition at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

“Most people have efficient reserves of calories from their diet to engage in moderate exercise. You may be looking for sparkplugs in your diet or foods that make you feel a boost of energy.” Some people feel that boost from caffeine or sugary foods, Ash says. “Some energy bars even have caffeine in them, and that gives you a little spark. But they’re not really nutritious. People are looking for a way to help themselves because it’s hard to start exercising if you haven’t been active.”

Protein Powers Metabolism

Foods rich in protein help you build muscle, so they’re good choices if you want to support your metabolism, says Vijaya Surampudi, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the UCLA Division of Human Nutrition in Los Angeles.

“Protein shakes are a great option if you’re hungry or on the go, or foods like cottage cheese or yogurt,” Surampudi says.

Try these protein-rich snacks to keep your metabolism wired during the day:

• A small serving of nuts
• Celery topped with hummus
• Hard-boiled egg

“Smoothies are popular too, but some are high in sugar and are more like sorbet. Make your own smoothie instead of buying one. Put in no more than one cup of fruit,” along with plain yogurt, Sarampudi says. “If you add protein powder, use whey protein isolate,” which may help you build muscle mass along with strength training.

If you buy premade smoothies, check the label for healthy ingredients, says Joan Salge Blake, EdD, a registered dietitian and clinical associate professor of nutrition at Boston University. Making your own smoothies at home gives you control over the ingredients, so you know it’s not all sugar. “Also, you don’t have to always use fresh fruit. Frozen or canned fruits in your smoothie are fine. You’ll get some fiber too, and it’s really inexpensive.”

Instead of looking for magic foods that rev up your metabolism, focus on getting a variety of healthy, whole foods in your diet to support your workouts.

Sarah L. Ash, Ph.D., emerita professor of nutrition, North Carolina State University

Metabolism-Revving Foods

These foods give you healthy sources of energy and nutrients to support your metabolism as you exercise:

• Salmon: Rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fats
• Beans: Plenty of fiber to stave off hunger pangs
• Hot chili peppers: Capsaicin in that fiery taste may help your body burn more calories
• Broccoli: Packed with water and fiber to help you feel full
• Lentils: Rich in protein, fiber, and iron, a mineral that supports healthy energy and weight
• Fresh berries: Low in calories, high in fiber, rich in vitamins
• Tempeh: Soy protein rich in folate, a mineral important for a healthy metabolism

What About Coffee or Chocolate?

Coffee is often touted as a way to rev up your metabolism and help you burn more calories, but research is mixed. A study published in October 2020 found that drinking coffee in the morning could impair your body’s ability to metabolize glucose or sugars, and boost insulin, which isn’t what you want if you’re trying to burn calories effectively and lose weight.

“Some people claim that coffee works for them as an appetite suppressant,” Surampudi says. “Green tea may be another good option for some caffeine in your day because it also has antioxidants,” healthy nutrients that help prevent cell damage from aging. “The troublemaker in coffee is what you add to it, including cream, sugar, or artificial flavors. You may not realize that your coffee can rack up a lot of extra calories.”

What about dark chocolate? In one study, 30 people who ate 40 grams of dark chocolate (less than 2 ounces) daily for 14 days had modest metabolism benefits. Choose very dark chocolate that contains 70% cacao or higher, Surampudi says.

When You Eat Matters Most

To have a healthy metabolism, eat regular, small meals and snacks throughout the day, Salge Blake says.

“Don’t fast all day or skip meals, or you won’t have enough energy to exercise. Moving is what really revs up your metabolism,” she says. “Have some fuel in your tank before you go work out.” Grab a banana for a snack on the go, or start your day with a cup of oatmeal and fruit.

There may be some slight changes you can make to maximize your metabolism, but most of this process is beyond our control through food choices, Kruskall says.

“The most common strategies are eating protein at each meal or to eat smaller meals rather than one or two larger ones,” she says. “While biologically, you may see some differences from these strategies, they’re generally not clinically significant. You shouldn’t rely on them as a strategy to increase your total daily energy expenditure.”

WebMD Feature

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