Making sense of slimming

Simply defined, your metabolism is the amount of energy your body uses to burn off the food you have consumed. Metabolism never stops; it is constant no matter what you are doing. The process itself is quite complex, various chemical reactions take place as food is processed, however, the speed and efficiency of this process can be adjusted through your actual diet.

An oft overlooked component to metabolism is that it thrives on foods rich in protein and carbohydrates. Many diet plans today are based on reduced level of carbohydrate intake and protein intake, however, this approach will only slow down your metabolism and make weight loss more difficult in the long run. Many people have struggled to build muscle while losing fat through these diets, and the main reason is the slow down in metabolic activity.

One significant challenge with low carb and low protein diet plans is how to get your metabolic rate to increase to burn off the calories needed for weight loss. Since your metabolism thrives on these ingredients to operate, starving your metabolism of them will actually cause a reduction in overall metabolic rate. A real challenge then arises as your body will fight harder to keep fat stored in order to survive.

Foods rich in carbohydrates and protein actually increase metabolism by increasing the rate in which your body burns calories. However, it is important to understand the types of protein and carbohydrates that are best fit for consumption to increase your metabolism. While breads are a great source of carbs, avoid at all costs breads with processed flours and other refined ingredients. Those will be full of harmful sugars and other unnatural ingredients that wreck your metabolism.

Not all protein is created equal - protein rich fish, nuts, and lean meat are great sources. Avoid fatty cuts of steak or hamburger to give your body the best possible protein available. Unprocessed or refined grains are a great carbohydrate source, such as whole grain breads and bars. These can also contain good amounts of fiber, which further enhances the metabolic process.

A diet plan change will certainly allow you to start to see results in your metabolic rate. However, an additional tool for even better results is building lean muscle at the same time. Your metabolism must work harder to burn fat through lean muscle, thus giving another increase in overall metabolic rate. These two changes combined (diet and muscle) will super-size your diet efforts.

Most people go by the standard three meals a day approach, and simply cut back on the caloric intake at each meal. However, large numbers of calories are introduced at each meal, thus increasing the chances that the body will have to store some as fat as it can not burn off all the calories at one time.

Instead, eat as many as six times per day, only smaller portions each time. This reduces the number of calories introduced at any one time, and your body eventually is trained to understand it can burn off many of those calories immediately, as they will be replaced again very soon. Couple this with the increased muscle mass, which burns more calories, and your body will start to turn into a calorie burning machine.

At the beginning of any diet plan, it is normal to see a nice drop in weight almost instantly because of the high metabolic rate and suddenly reduced calories. The negative calorie balance will allow for some weight loss quite quickly. But, your body will adjust to the new levels and that initial pace will rapidly decline without other changes. Most dieters experience this plateau effect and will give up on their diets at this point. Sustained weight loss can be achieved through a nice combination of healthy eating of proteins and carbohydrates, lean muscle development, and an exercise plan.