STRONG Idea: Eat More to Burn More
By Emily Stapleton on February 11, 2013
Yep, you read that right, this week’s STRONGIDEA is: eat more to burn more! I’m not talking about more calories, but eating more often throughout the day. Just to review from my last post, the definition of metabolism is:
A little hard to understand! Said simply, metabolism is the energy expended to maintain your body, or the calories burned to maintain life. More specifically, basal metabolism is the process of burning calories when your body is at rest. So, how can you increase basal metabolism and burn more calories all day everyday, even while sleeping?
How many times per day should I eat?
It is pretty much common knowledge, that you should eat a minimum of 6 times per day, but why? Each time you eat, your metabolism gets a boost for about an hour. If you are eating every few hours, your metabolism stay revved all day long. Your body becomes accustomed to burning calories immediately, as it knows more calories are coming soon. As you get used to eating smaller portions throughout the day, you will be less likely to overeat at any one sitting.
How does water affect metabolism?
Drinking water is extremely important to a healthy metabolism. Even mild dehydration slows metabolism. Here’s a formula to figure out how much water you should drink: Take your body weight in pounds and divide it in half. That’s the number of ounces of water you need per day.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
This number is different for everyone. However, never fall below 1200 calories per day. Though you may lose weight initially, your metabolism will slow significantly, leading to an eventual weight gain. Crash diets that suggest a very low caloric intake actually train your body to burn calories slowly. Not what we want.
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Eat 7 times per day to accelerate your metabolism:
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Now you have the answer to the second half of the metabolism equation. It’s pretty simple: fuel your body with a variety of foods throughout the day and your metabolism will be kickin’.
Until next week,
Emily
Emily
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