Weight Loss Journal

If you want to jump start your weight loss efforts, you're going to need to focus on your metabolism. For most of us, our metabolisms have either been slowed by yo-yo dieting or even genetics and it can be hard to get them back again. However, it is not impossible to kick start your metabolism once again. You just need to make sure you are using the right techniques.

Many people fall on the theory that caffeine is the easiest method you can use to increase your metabolism. While this is true in the short term, the drawbacks are numerous and it's not good for your body or your heart to take too much caffeine. You can actually end up with caffeine intoxication if you have more than 500mg of caffeine in a day. That's the equivalent of two large cups of coffee from Starbucks to put that into perspective.

Instead of relying on external ways to increase your metabolism, it's time to look inward. First, let's talk about blood sugar. If your blood sugar is out of whack, your metabolism is too. Your body is spending too much time processing the wrong kind of foods and your metabolism suffers for it. If you're constantly throwing your body through feast and famine when it comes to sugar, chances are your levels are far out of whack.

To fix this, you need to make sure that you are getting the right balance of proteins, carbs and fats. This gives your body the chance to actually start burning fat instead of working on handling all the sugar that you've thrown at it. Keep in mind however, that you do need some sugar in your diet to keep functioning properly.

Next, you're going to want to build lean muscle mass. It simply is more effective at raising your metabolism than anything else. You can start doing this by adding in some mild weight lifting into your exercise routine. Even women can benefit from lifting small amounts. As you build muscle mass, don't panic if the numbers on the scale go up a bit. This is perfectly normal since muscle weighs more than fat. It is only temporary and if you keep burning fat, those numbers will come back down.

You can look at it as though you are restructuring your body. You are removing fat, which slows down your metabolism, which lean muscle mass that will raise it. Over the long term, you're retraining your metabolism and getting it to speed up.

By learning how to manage your blood sugar properly and by building more lean muscle mass, you have the perfect recipe for increasing your metabolism. It won't happen overnight, but if you stick with it, you'll be able to burn fat quickly and more efficiently. Don't rely on supplements that make crazy promises and endanger your health. They may work in the short term, but unless you address the issues that caused the slowdown of your metabolism in the first place, you're not fixing the problem.

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Originally posted 2008-06-18 05:02:18. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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The plateau is a dieter’s bane and even the best of us can end up at a stage in our weight loss where it seems like nothing works anymore. Even if you have been losing weight for sometime, it is incredibly discouraging to reach that point where you suddenly stop losing weight. This forces many to cut calories even further, but instead of losing weight, they may actually gain instead.

Plateaus are not fully understood, mainly because we all have different bodies and different metabolisms. However, there are a few basic truths about plateaus that we can put to good use in developing a strategy to get past them. If you are struggling to lose more weight, these tips may be the answer you need.

1. Changing bodies equal changing needs.

As you lose weight, you’re also losing mass, which means that your body’s needs will be changing. For example, in order to maintain weight, someone that is heavier may need to consume 2500 calories or more a day. When they cut back to 1800 calories, weight loss usually comes very quickly. However, when the body reaches the point where its mass has significantly changed, the caloric needs for maintenance and weight loss change as well.

Put simply, what worked for six months no longer does, because the body is now a different size and requires fewer calories to keep running. While it is not safe to go below 1200 calories a day, a further reduction in calories may be necessary to continue losing weight.

This is also true of exercise. While you may only need to exercise for a few minutes to see results when you are first starting out, if you have plateaued, the answer may be to add more activity. Many people find that adding one more day a week of solid exercise can be just what the doctor ordered to get back into that fat burning zone.

2. Not enough lean muscle mass to effectively burn calories.

One of the best ways to increase your metabolism is to add lean muscle mass. If you have been focusing only on losing weight, and not getting fit, this can be a big contributor to a plateau. You may need to start some simple strength training exercises to help build that lean muscle mass up and get your body running in peak condition.

3. An imbalance in nutrition.

In order for your body to function properly, you’ve got to have the right balance of fats, protein and carbs. That’s right, if you’re not eating fats, you may not be losing any either. The key is to find good fats, such as Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and non saturated fats such as olive oil. When your body gets balanced, it will be easier to start losing weight again.

Plateaus are frustrating, but they don’t need to spell an end to your weight loss. You may want to seek out the help of a qualified nutrition expert to map out a plan to help you get past that plateau and start losing weight again.

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