Dr. Curtis McElroy

Tag: weight loss

  • Foods That Boost Your Metabolism

    Metabolism Boosting Foods 

    Boosting your metabolism is the best way to burn fat and lose weight and metabolism boosting foods can help you to do that. Take a look at some of the foods that can help you to get the body you’ve always wanted.

    Some of these foods are high in antioxidants, some are high in protein, and others are so nutritious that they can help you to get more out of your food without having to eat more. These foods can help you to reach your goals.

    Spinach. Spinach is considered the food that contains more vitamins and minerals than any other fruit or vegetable. This food is full of iron and calcium. It also has antioxidants that help to fight the aging process.

    Blueberries. Blueberries contain powerful antioxidants that help you to look and feel younger. They also help your body to be able to burn fat more efficiently. Antioxidants help you to build muscle and burn fat more efficiently.

    Psyllium husk. Psyllium husk is a source of fiber that helps you to lose weight and have better heart health. The fiber makes your body feel full for longer so you won’t be tempted to go off of your diet. It also helps your cholesterol levels to become lower and promotes good digestive health.

    Green tea. Green tea has been known to boost metabolism for many years. In the last decade green tea has become popular all over the world for speeding up your metabolism and helping you to improve your health.

    Salmon. Salmon is a type of fish that’s very high in omega 3 fatty acids. This fish will help you to improve your heart health. Adding these fats can also help your body to feel more satisfied and help you stick to your diet plan.

    Spicy foods. Spicy foods can actually help you to burn more calories. There is a chemical in spicy peppers that causes you to burn more calories for hours after eating them. So pile on the peppers if you can take the heat.

    Cinnamon. Cinnamon is another spice that can help you to keep your metabolism high. Cinnamon has been known to help keep blood sugar in check so you don’t feel spikes and drops in energy. This helps to control hunger and keep your metabolism from becoming sluggish.

    Focusing on adding foods to your diet rather than depriving yourself can help you stick to your diet plan. By adding these metabolism boosting foods to your diet you can have better results from your weight loss program.

  • 4 Methods to Smash Through a Weight Loss Plateau

    4 Methods to Smash Through a Weight Loss Plateau

    Weight loss is easiest in the beginning. Whenever you embark on a weight loss program, you will find yourself losing the first few pounds pretty easily without much effort.

    However, as you keep training and observing a healthy diet, you will notice to your dismay that it’s getting more and more difficult to lose the pounds. The day you dread may finally arrive where despite whatever you do, your body will just not shed the fat.

    This is known as hitting a weight loss plateau. It can be exasperating because you are putting in the work and sacrifice but not seeing any benefits.

    Use the 4 tips below to smash through your weight loss plateau and go to the next level.

    1. Time to change things up. If you have been doing the same workouts for months, it’s time to change it all up. If you’re doing cardio for 30 minutes, change it to 90 minutes.
    If you do slow cardio, change it to fast cardio or interval training. Vary your activities. Cycle instead of swim. Or hit the rowing machine at the gym.

    The key is to keep your body guessing. Change the times you work out. Change the durations. Change whatever you can. These changes will shock your body and get it working again to adapt.

    2. Assuming that you are eating at a calorie deficit, it would be a good idea to eat different foods. Throw in a cheat day every 5 days and eat whatever you want.

    This will shock your body and boost your metabolic rate. Then go back on a calorie deficit for another 5 days. Your body will never know what is coming. The key is to be unpredictable.
    However, ensure that you are always on a calorie deficit.

    3. Rest well. Very often, people make the mistake of training too hard and not resting enough. All the exercise has caused their body to burn out. Give yourself a 3 day rest with no exercise but maintain your calorie deficit diet.

    If you do hard cardio daily, maybe it’s time to give your nervous system a break and switch to low cardio for a week. Many people are so burnt out through hard training, that when they rest for a few days, they lost even more weight than usual.

    4. Drink lots of water. Your body needs oxygen and water to metabolise fat. Consume adequate amounts of water to flush out toxins and metabolise the fat.

    By staying well hydrated, you will be able to perform better during training, recover faster and your immune system will be stronger.

    You’ll also be less hungry. There are many occasions where people mistake thirst for hunger and eat food when what their body really needs is water. So, make it a point to drink water whenever you can but be sensible and don’t overdo it.

    If you follow the abovementioned advice during a plateau phase, you will most probably be able to come out of it soon and get back on the fat burning track. Be patient and stay motivated.

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