Regardless of whether you suspect your metabolism to be as slow as molasses or not, odds are a metabolic tune up could help your fat loss efforts. Before I get to this, let me explain by comparing dieting with starvation. Yes, it’s cliché but it is so for good reason.
Dieting involves consuming fewer calories than you expend so your body is forced to rely on stored fat for energy. Starvation is essentially the same thing without being self imposed. So when you cut calories in an attempt to lose fat, your body senses starvation.
The human body is programmed with incredible defenses against starvation because in humankind’s past, starvation was a real threat. When calories are reduced too much, your body begins to slow down other processes that it deems less important to survival. Hormones shift to make it harder to use fat for fuel, decrease activity level & increase hunger signals.
Most people who’ve been on a diet know the feeling of lethargy that accompanies a reduction in caloric intake. Not wanting to get out of bed, skipping workouts or having really crappy workouts, a moody disposition, and general feelings of malaise are the common set of afflictions of the dieter. This is the physical reaction to starvation; decrease energy expenditure.
Equally common is the feeling of an overwhelming craving some point during their diet. So overwhelming are these urges, that they crack even the most steadfast of dieters. This is when that Hamburger & fries call to you, the half liter of Ben & Jerry’s taunting you. This is the hormonal reaction to starvation; increase caloric intake.
Readers will be happy to hear that satisfying these cravings, on occasion and within reason, will increase the rate of fat loss and the level of energy expenditure within your body! That’s right! All those foods you’ve been told are forbidden on a diet are in fact, the opposite. Carbohydrates & fat, above your normal intake have the ability to stimulate the hormone Leptin. If you want a lean physique, you want Leptin to be stimulated like Robert Downey Jr. on Oscar night. I will outline this process in a later post, including personalizing a plan.
So go ahead & eat that Chocolate Chip Banana Muffin that’s driving you mad! It’s just one muffin; it’s not going to kill you if you eat it. That extra bit of energy will help stoke your metabolic fire and will actually feel good. That feeling is the return of serotonin brought about by returning your caloric intake to normal. Those extra carbs will also make it that much easier to go for the run you keep putting off. Consistently engaging in physical activity will help your metabolism run at top speed, enabling you to burn fat faster.
Heresy, I understand, to praise the carbohydrate in this world of Atkins & South Beaches. However it is the much maligned carbohydrate that provides your body’s preferred fuel source. Too little of this fuel and your workouts will either not exist, or they’ll be pretty pathetic at best. People get too caught up on the fact that carbs cause an insulin spike, and that insulin prevents the burning of fat.
“Never eat carbs again, and you’ll burn only fat” assume the ketogenic dieters. Personally, the feelings of brutal cravings, horrible mood, plummeting energy level & awful workouts make this plan a bust. Not to mention that any food will cause a release in insulin.
We need carbs to fuel activity, and activity to burn fat. I don’t care if you eat nothing but protein; no magic ratio of macronutrients will change the basic rule: if you eat more than you burn you’ll still get fat. Keeping insulin low is good, but it’s not the be all and end all of fat loss.
So, lesson here; fad diets suck. Restrictive eating sucks. Being hungry sucks. Depriving yourself sucks. Being tired sucks too. However, there is hope! Tomorrow we’ll talk about how exercise affects Insulin, your body’s potential for fat burning & muscle building. Then on Wednesday I plan to outline several ways YOU can use your favourite foods, including those wonderful carbohydrates, as part of your best fat burning plan ever!
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