- Protein (PRO) to Carbohydrate (CHO) ratio:
- Many
people complain that consuming lot's of protein causes... and unhappy digestive tract (I'm being nice here). The
reason this happens is because they aren't consuming the proper amounts
of PRO and CHO. In order for your body to process PRO, you need some
CHO present too! So don't buy into pure protein consumption - make
sure you are working with a 1:4 ratio of CHO:PRO. If you are
consuming 60g of PRO, you need 15g of CHO as well. Carbs are not all
bad, just A LOT of carbs are bad.
- As
we discussed last time, your metabolism is dictated by your lean body
mass. You burn 14 cal at rest per pound of lean mass each day, while
you only burn 2 cal at rest per pound of fat each day. You do the
math! You also know how to create more lean mass! With a) PROTEIN!
and b) EXERCISE!
- Your thryoid and your thermogenic factor also
play a role in your metabolism. Your thyroid only factors into about 5% of your total metabolism,
while your thermogenic factor and lean mass both play a more prominent
role. The thermogenic factor is your body temperature. The higher it
is, the more calories you burn! Consuming hot beverages, such as
coffee or tea, help to boost your metabolism (hint, hint).
- So focus on the things you have control of, by consuming more protein, working out, and drinking more tea! :)
- Serving Size, Portions, and Eating Out:
- When
you're eating out, it can sometimes be difficult to know your serving
sizes for the meals that come PILED HIGH on top of your plate. Lucky
for you, you know that the appropriate size portion for protein is the
size of your hand! So if you get a meal with two steaks or two chicken
breasts, don't be afraid to wrap one up and bring it home for another
meal later in the week.
- This is also where a food journal is
important. And using www.myfitnesspal.com is great, because it TELLS
you how many calories are in the serving sizes you eat (it's great for restaurants too - most of the menu information is already in their database). My Fitness Pal takes
most of the guess-work out of it for you, and helps you better
understand how much is too much!
- The
most important thing about eating when you're home, is to pay
attention to what you're eating. Mindless eating until you reach the
bottom of the bag is bad for many reasons. The first reason, is that
you probably ate an entire bag of something (Yikes!). The second, is that if
the bag wasn't newly opened, you have no idea how many servings you
consumed. It makes it very easy to over eat!
- To combat that,
STOP with the distracted eating. Put away your phone, and shut off the
TV. Sit down while you eat, don't stand. Measure out serving sizes
so you know how much you are having, and are aware of what is too much.
- Another option you may like to consider is a full glass of water before you sit down to eat. It helps you feel "full" sooner!
- Wait
30 minutes after you eat to consider seconds. Did you know that your
brain and your stomach take that long to link up after a meal? Many
people over eat and end up feeling stuffed after a meal because they ate
too quickly for their brain to say "WOAH, WAIT, I'M FULL!"
- You
should consume at least half of your body weight in water every day. I
know, it sounds like a lot. But it's important to flush your system
and prevent water retention (I know, you're thinking, "how is consuming
more water going to keep me from retaining it??"). Your body
treats water like it treats food. If it thinks it's not going to get
water again for a while because it hasn't been getting much all day, it
starts to hold on to it. It tells the kidneys to slow down, and
that's why your urine becomes more concentrated and yellow/orange. So
more water = better for your body!!
- Did you know that one cup of coffee = -1 cup of water? So you'll need even more water if you drink coffee... and lastly:
- You MUST re-hydrate after activity on top of the amount you drink all day as half of your body weight!
Enjoy your holiday weekend, and we'll see you again on Monday! :)
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