Losing weight can be easy. If done correctly, weight will come off gradually with just a few mindful adjustments to eating patterns. Easy weight loss means keeping your metabolism at optimal performance. Stress slows down metabolism. Abnormal eating patterns cause stress. Many people who are overweight are stressed to begin with. With too many restrictions, most diets add more stress and cannot be sustained.
Easy weight loss means using rules of thumb and common sense to keep metabolism at peak performance and stress minimized. This happens when there are calories to burn from food. Ten rules of thumb are as follows:
1. The typical person without exercise burns about 100 calories per waking hour.
2. Carbohydrates are burned during the 1st and 2nd hour after consumed.
3. High proteins sources (foods with 50% or more calories from protein) are burned during the 3rd and 4th hour after consumed.
4. Fats are burned during the 5th and 6th hour after consumed.
5. The most you can burn is two hours (200 calories without exercise; see rule 1 above) of any food type with each meal.
6. Avoid eating meals greater than 500 calories.
7. Eat breakfast within an hour of waking.
8. Avoid going to bed with unburned calories in your stomach.
9. Excess calories are stored as fat and slow down metabolism.
10. Try to eat three meals a day with snacks as necessary.
Most importantly, you need to figure out how many hours you are awake for and then calculate your caloric requirements. If you have a sedentary lifestyle and are awake for 16 hours, you will burn 1600 calories (see rule 1). You should plan on three 500 calorie meals a day as it keeps things simple and fits most lifestyles (see rule 10). Ideally, each meal should have 200 calories of carbohydrates, 200 calories of high protein sources and 100 calories of fats to optimize metabolism (see rules 2, 3 & 4). You can add a 100 calorie snack when needed to make a full 1600 calories (see rule 10). This will allow calories to be time released consistently throughout the day (see rules 5 & 6). You should note that exercise will increase calories burned and may increase your appetite. Use common sense and make sure you burn more than you eat. Also, after a few days you may decide you burn a little more or a little less than 100 calories per waking hour. Again, use common sense to adjust your portions during meals and meet your goals.
If you wake at 7:00AM and eat a 500 calorie meal broken out as above at 7:30AM, metabolism will be optimized until 12:30PM (5 hours: 500 calories later, rules 2, 3, 4 & 5). You should then plan to eat another meal 500 calorie meal as above at 12:30. This should optimize your metabolism until 5:30PM. Ultimately, another similar 500 calorie meal at 5:30 would optimize metabolism until 10:30. However, if you cannot eat until 6:30 a 100 calorie carbohydrate snack will maintain metabolism until then. Another 500 calorie meal as above will then keep metabolism going until 11:30 bedtime. Going to bed at 11:30 with nothing undigested in the stomach would be ideal (see rules 8 & 9).
Using rules of thumb are easy and can be integrated into a normal lifestyle without stress. You can start by reading the nutrition labels on your favorite foods and decide what foods work for you. Change things up accordingly to prevent boredom and stagnation. It is best to weigh oneself in the morning before breakfast to gauge success of goals. Common sense adjustments can be made accordingly. With proper dieting and adjustments, one should expect to lose 2 to 3 pounds per week and keep it off.
Acupuncture, herbs, and qi gong can jump start and enhance the effectiveness of a weight loss program by further reducing stress and optimizing metabolic functions naturally. This is most important when starting a weight loss program as it difficult to initiate any new endeavor if stress levels are too high. Acupuncture can eliminate stress and make one feel like they just returned from vacation in just one treatment. In addition to being stress-free, it helps to have optimal health at the onset of a weight loss program. Acupuncture, herbs and qi gong can quickly resolve a number of health issues that inhibit weight loss. Among them are digestive issues, muscle pain, migraines, fatigue, PMS, post partum issues, hot flashes and more. If you are ready to start a weight loss program and would like the help of a medical professional, please feel free to contact my office for Acupuncture Los Angeles and Century City. We may be able to bill insurance for you. We are located in the Century City Medical Plaza and cater to office workers with lunch time and evening appointments. Why wait? Call my friendly staff today at 310-277-7179. Se Habla Español.
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