The biggest mis-conception about weight loss

So we’re into week 4 of the new year and the resolutions, goals and plans are in full swing. The gyms are packed (at 6am I might add!!) and everyone’s on a mission to lose weight and get fit. Obviously, all of this is music to my ears and is part of the reason that I love January so much. People want to train and be healthy. But!!! It still baffles me what some people continue to do when it comes to their meals and what their perception of healthy eating for “weight loss” is. Eating fewer meals is a BIG no-no. We all know (or at least I hope some of you do) that once you begin to wait too long in between meals, your body goes into a semi-starvation mode. In other words, when your body doesn’t know when it’s going to get its next meal, it holds onto more fat as a protective mechanism.

The same affect can happen if you eat too few calories at breakfast and lunch and then ever so slowly begin to snack while making dinner, eat a large meal and THEN have a “treat” because you’ve told yourself how good you have been all day. Sound familiar?? This happens because you NEED a certain number of calories to keep you going so if you sacrifice them during the day, you can bet your bottom dollar, they’ll find a way to get in. And then you go to bed. Lovely.

Now we’ve all done it but the more you do this the more you negatively you affect your metabolism. Especially yo-yo dieting. This is the body’s enemy when it comes to controlling or losing weight. Someone told me (many moons ago) that it takes 30 days to increase your metabolism and only 48 hours to ruin it. Great. Then add the fact that you are getting older (each day - sorry!), AND you’ve had 1,2,3 or more children AND you’re losing muscle the more you don’t move and you find yourself caught up in a vicious cycle!

Your body is a machine and needs fuel (just like a beautiful car) to keep your engine working at maximal efficiency. Each time you eat, you rev up your metabolism as you actually burn calories during digestion. However, do you fill your car up with a bucket of liquid grease or is it filled with gas made for the car itself? It seems like the nicer the car, the better the gas, right? I would think you are much better than a nice car so why do so many people treat their cars better than themselves? Putting in half-assed fuel will leave you feeling exactly that. We are animals and are meant to eat food the way it was created - not deep fried, wrapped, boxed and delivered.

So for all of you who are on the go from the wee hours of the morning, don’t make the mistake of starting your day on 2 cups of java and a piece of toast. Throw some cheese on it and an apple and you’ve got a more well rounded meal that can keep you going. Add at least 2 more snacks and meals and you will be less likely to be starving at the end of the day.

If you need help, don’t forget we’re here for ya!! You can check out our nutritionists here: http://coreexpectations.com/about-us/ then let me know how it goes, ok?