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| Speed up your metabolism and burn stomach fat |
Efficiently metabolizing calories can lead to a healthier body weight and reduced belly fat. Metabolism is the process by which the body makes and uses energy (calories) for everything from cellular absorption of nutrients to running.
In other words, the better your metabolism, the more calories you burn throughout the day. Because weight loss and body fat loss depend on creating a caloric deficit, increasing your metabolism makes it easier to lose weight and maintain it.
Metabolism can decline for many reasons, including the following:
- Aging: As you age, your metabolism begins to slow down. This slowdown is due in part to a decrease in muscle mass. However, if you begin to rebuild your muscle, you can begin to increase your metabolism.
- Lifestyle behaviors: Behaviors, such as being sedentary, stressing out due to stress, skipping meals and not getting enough sleep, can negatively impact your metabolism.
Remember: The good news is that a decline in metabolism doesn't have to be permanent. You can increase it and, therefore, the number of calories you burn each day. I show you how in the following sections.
NOSH ON FOODS THAT BOOST YOUR METABOLISM
There are certain foods, seasonings and spices that directly boost your metabolism (and therefore promote fat loss and weight loss). Here are some great belly burners to aim to eat on a regular basis:
- Apples: This fruit is rich in the flavonoid quercetin, which has been shown to prevent baby fat cells from maturing. It's also a powerful inflammation fighter.
- Cinnamon: This spice has been found in studies to make fat cells more sensitive to insulin, helping to better regulate blood sugar levels.
- Brain Health
- Arthritis Relief
- Anti-Clotting
- E.Coli Fighter
- Lower Cholesterol
- Cancer Prevention
- Anti-Bacterial
- High in Nutrients
- Yeast Infection Help
- Blood Sugar Regulation
- Ginger: This spice has been shown to have a thermogenic effect and help digestion
- Green tea: The main polyphenol, EGCG, in green tea has been shown to have thermogenic properties and increase fat oxidation.
- Hot peppers: Rich in capsaicin, these peppers have a thermogenic effect on the body, stimulating the metabolism and the burning of calories. These can be used fresh or in ground and flaked form.
- Red and purple grapes: These fruits are rich in resveratrol. Studies have shown that this polyphenol helps increase metabolism and suppress estrogen production, which can help decrease body fat and increase muscle mass.
- Soup: Research has found that people who eat soup rather than solid foods consume fewer overall calories throughout the day. The high volume of liquid in soup may be the reason for this decrease in calorie consumption.
But beware of the sodium content of canned soups. Homemade soup is best whenever possible. If you choose a canned soup, be sure to choose a low-sodium variety. Also, watch your soup choices; cream-based soups can be high in saturated fat and high in calories. Choose mainly broth-based options, and if you choose a cream-based soup, be sure to choose a low-fat option.
EAT YOUR WAY TO A HIGHER METABOLISM
By making a few simple changes to your eating habits and behaviors, you can boost your metabolism (and, as a result, burn more calories each day). Here are some easy changes you can make:
- Eat! Sounds easy enough, right? Who doesn't want to eat more? Studies have shown that eating smaller meals every three to four hours speeds up both your metabolism and your weight loss progress.
When you wait too long between meals to eat, your body starts to wonder when the next meal is coming. So your body goes into a kind of starvation mode; it stores fat in the rare chance that another meal will never come. This protective mechanism is useful in times of famine but not in times of dieting.
Remember: Because of this fat storage mechanism, those who severely restrict their caloric intake usually don't lose much weight. So not only is it important to eat regularly, but you never want to cut your portions too dramatically (less than 1,000 to 1,200 calories per day depending on age and size). Otherwise, you sabotage your weight loss efforts. Give up simple sugars. When you eat large amounts of sugar, your body produces more insulin.
And the more insulin that's constantly produced, the more fat your body stores. Eating foods with a low glycemic index and avoiding refined carbohydrates helps prevent excessive insulin production and, therefore, leads to less fat storage.
Don't cut back on breakfast. When you skip breakfast, you sabotage the rest of your day and your weight loss efforts. Studies show that people who eat a healthy breakfast weigh less than people who don't.
When you eat breakfast, you do two things: jump-start your metabolism and prevent excessive hunger later in the day. Your body doesn't start burning calories as efficiently until you eat something. And remember, excessive hunger leads to cravings, which leads to overeating.
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