Today’s topic, the dreaded weight discussion. As mothers we’re often so busy taking care of others that we sometimes forget to take care of ourselves. In fact, I think in a woman’s nature to take care of others; even women who aren’t mothers forget to take care of themselves too. Let’s face it, in this day and age everything is go-go-go…everyone is so busy running around. We often feel we don’t have time to exercise. I have tried several times to get in a good exercize routine, but no matter how I try, even if I’m successful for a while, something disrupts it – work, family events, our kids activities- and eventually I find myself having to start over.
So this led me on a quest to see if there were any foods to help with burning fat and increasing my metabolism. Since I haven’t beat the “battle of the bulge” completely myself and I hear as we get older our metabolism slows a bit, if I can increase my natural metabolism and my body’s ability to burn fat then maybe I can still loose a bit or at the very least maintain my weight even if I can’t always keep an exercise routine going.
I was pleasantly surprised by what I found! There ARE foods that may help your body burn fat/calories and increase your body’s metabolism that are right in my regular grocery store; No specialty stores to find and add to my errands.
First, here are some simple things you can do in your every day life to help boost your metabolism.
- Don’t eat before bed- Stop eating 3 hours before bed. Eating to close to going to bed can cause food to not digest properly. This can cause bloating and gas. Also, eating before bed forces your body to use it’s energy on digestion rather than helping your body recuperate from the day, which is what sleeping is meant for.
Get enough rest- lack of sleep can decrease the amount of calories your body burns. It has been said that your body burns 60 – 75% of your total daily calories while at rest.
Eat more often but eat right- Instead of eating 3 large meals, eat small meals every 2 – 3 hours. Eating stimulates your metabolism, so the more you eat, the more you increase your metabolism. When you eat more often, it feeds muscles and starves the fat you also reassure your body food will always be available and it won’t store as much fat. Even when eating often, you need to make sure you eat the right foods. Eat vegetables, and foods high in protein. Also, eat foods high in fiber. Fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate, but your body will try to break it down anyway- this burns calories and increases your metabolism.
Burn more calories- If you have an exercise routine that uses a treadmill, elliptical machine or stationary bike rotate 3 minutes of moderate intensity with 30 seconds of high intensity. This will maximize the calories you burn afteryou exercise. You can burn an extra 100 to 200 calories this way.
Keep Hydrated- Drink at least 6 -8 glasses of water a day!
Some typical foods you eat that help burn fat are:
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Eggs- high in protein and can help burn belly fat, they contain B12 which helps break down fat cells
Dairy(low fat)- studies have shown that women who eat low fat dairy seem to loose more weight than women on a low dairy diet.
Beans- We’re not talking baked or re-fried these have too much fat or sugar. I’m talking Navy, White, Kidney or Lima beans. These beans are good sources of protein, fiber and iron.
Oatmeal- Unsweetened and unflavored oatmeal. You can always sweeten it up by adding fresh fruit or a bit of honey, which is better for you than the sugar.
Olive Oil- This is rich in monounsaturated fats, which is a fat researchers are finding provides some good health benefits.
Whole Grains- Whole grain foods have not been processed and they still contain fiber and minerals that your body needs. There’s a lot of hype about no carb diets…it’s not really good to completely oust carbs from your diet. If you deprive your body completely of carbs, it will start to crave them. The key is to eat the carbs that are good for you, which are whole grain. White rice, white bread, bagels and pastas are considered bad carbohydrates, because they are processed and they have lost their nutrients and left behind the starch. Even regular wheat bread is not necessarily good carbs, because it’s still processed. I guess manufacturers add molasses to give it the brown color we see. Make sure your breads and pastas are labeled “whole grain”
Lean Meats- Turkey (not basted), lean beef (look for “loin or “round” on the label), Salmon and Tuna are good lean meats as well and they contain Omega-3 fatty acids, which is one of the fats that’s good for you.
Tags: burn fat, health, increase metabolism, nutrition, weight management
