Improve Your Metabolism Through Food: It’s not rocket science, but it is science.

I’m a firm believer in not relying on willpower to lose weight. In fact, I despise willpower, and I don’t have much (any) of it myself. I do think it’s important to strategize and be motivated and determined, but nobody should go hungry or feel restricted…

As a result, I have spent significant time learning which fuel leads to the best health and weight outcomes—and keeping that mutually inclusive with allowing food that tastes good and feels satisfying. This has been a roller coaster, and I’m so happy that I’ve reached a point now where the research is supportive and the real functional medicine experts agree.

It’s not that the research about metabolism and food type is new. But, unfortunately, when the government and media began pushing people to implement a low-fat diet (Remember the fat-free craze? Shame on them–moderate amounts of fat is essential!), they had to fill in the gap with something…and that something was carbs/grains. In a span of a couple decades, the prevalence of processed and fast food (and corn subsidies) started its uphill climb, high fructose corn syrup hit the shelves, and the margarine industry took some data regarding the animal fat/heart disease link and used it to explode the trans fat industry.

It was a perfect storm.

Over the last few decades, as the aforementioned negative trends grew in magnitude, so did the weight of Americans, the healthcare crisis, and chronic disease prevalence. Oh, and on the periphery of this, the pharmaceutical companies were working hard at cultivating a cash cow through symptom-squashing with synthetic chemicals. It not only shifted the prevention paradigm to a tertiary approach (i.e. treatment) rather than primary (i.e. lifestyle), but it introduced a whole new world of chemical drugs into our bodies. And by the way, we stopped trying to address causes and put our focus on band-aiding symptoms (I mean, if you can shake the headache with a pill, why would you try and find out what caused the headache in the first place?).

I’ll assume that you all agree with me that the paradigm needs re-shifting?

Ok, now that we’ve settled that, and once we shake the magnetizing force of the status quo, what the heck can we do to become healthier and leaner?

Dr. Mark Hyman wrote a great article earlier this week, called, “New Study Finds Secret to a Faster Metabolism.”

This article is a realistic, research-grounded, piece talking about what kinds of calories will make you fatter or leaner. And for the purpose of talking about one aspect of health (reducing weight—->which then translates into healthier and less stressed organs, fewer problems with blood sugar/diabetes, lower disease risk, etc.), it is very straightforward. I recommend reading it, and you’ll see some of the basis of my recommendations below.

How to increase your metabolism and lose weight naturally and safely:

• Do not consume any high fructose corn syrup (and punch your TV when you see the commercials promoting HFCS by the Corn Refiners Association–thanks for that suggestion, Maria). It leads to belly fat, high blood pressure, blood sugar issues, and more.
• Cut out sugar (or cut it down to no added sugars, and only consume small amounts of natural sugar in the presence of protein, fat, and fiber, which will slow absorption and blood sugar spike).
• Design every meal around high quality protein and vegetables.
• Cut wheat and grains (even whole) to next to none (or none). Dr. Hyman says, “Did you know that 2 slices of whole wheat bread raise your blood sugar more than 2 tablespoons of table sugar?”

What does this mean?

If you cut the sugar and grains, but keep your calorie intake and protein intake high, you’ll lose belly fat, body fat, and gain muscle. Since muscle is more dense than fat, it is sleek and takes up less space.

In other words, you won’t just be smaller, but you’ll also look good naked. And you’ll be healthier.

{Note: “high protein” is a somewhat subjective term—there is a limit to how much protein is good for you, I’m just talking about tipping the percentages away from carbs/sugar/grains and toward protein}

Daily Action Steps:

• Eat a high protein breakfast, lunch, and dinner with lots of veggies.
• Buy a good quality protein powder, and if you want to go totally natural, buy hemp seeds/powder. (My fave are Jay Robb Whey and Egg White protein powders)
• Make smoothies with low sugar fruit (berries), fiber (veggies?), and protein.
• Center your meals around veggies, farm eggs, organic grass-fed meats, and wild caught seafood (lots of veggies, deck of cards size portions for the rest).
• Nuts and seeds are a great way to make a veggie dish more substantial, as are fatty fruits like avocados, and drupes like coconuts (are there any other drupes?).
• If you must bake (like I must, on occasion), use coconut flour and almond flour.
• Sweeten your foods with things like small amounts of maple syrup or honey, or use stevia, xylitol, and erythritol (but really, be moderate about those–even just a sweet flavor might trigger insulin release & can keep you wanting more).
• Choose recipes, make shopping lists, and plan your meals (prep ahead if you need to).

Much of my advice is technical (what to eat), but I think the most important part is the logistical advice (how to implement). You can have all the most wonderful information and intentions, but if you do not have a plan and some determination, nothing different will happen. With no plan or effort, you’ll find yourself hungry, and soon you’ll lose rational control over your choices for what to eat—because you’ll be relying on willpower, and that doesn’t work.

So, yes, the punishment (planning and prepping) comes before the reward (eating healthy foods and being healthier).

And this is why I will never be unemployed as a lifestyle coach—because although it is a very simple concept, that doesn’t mean it’s easy! 

You should make improvements and put in effort because your body will thank you. Your metabolism will be faster. In one study mentioned by Dr. Hyman, where people were overfed for a period of time (excess calories), the group overfed on a higher protein/lower carb diet gained less weight (of which was primarily lean muscle) than the group overfed a higher carb/sugar diet (whose larger weight gain included a higher percentage of fat).

People who follow the advice above, without restricting calories, and with putting in effort to make good food available, reap a higher metabolism. Period.

Note: Some of the quality recommendations have real in-depth explanations (i.e. grass-fed meats have higher levels of CLA, which is known for causing fat loss in overweight people). I fought the urge to give reasons for each recommendation–for the sake of time and space.

Do you eat this way? Or does it sound difficult? 

My feeling: It costs more. It requires effort. It tastes great. I feel better. I love my food-made-muscles. It’s worth it.