One Powerful Change To Lose Fat and Gain Energy

We have been told eating little meals during the day boosts our metabolism and keeps our blood sugar balanced. As a result many people are in the habit of snacking all day long.

Is this way of eating helping you… or is it making you store fat instead of losing it?

In my programs I teach my clients a new way of eatng that gets rid of fat and provides steady energy all day long. This habit has withstood the test of time. It comes from Ayurvedic medicine which goes back 5,000 years.

Eating frequently is actually aging you faster because your body has to kick start digestion every time you eat. It never rests. If you were running your car all day, every day, think about how fast it would wear out.

I have always taught that eating often is fattening to most people because the food piles up and never gets completely digested.

I like using the analogy of your refrigerator. If you are always buying new food and put it in the front without using up what is left in the back, the old food will rot and your refrigerator will stink. It is best to finish up the old food before adding in the new. Same with your digestion.

When the body is fed every 2-3 hours, it will burn fuel from those meals rather than burning its fat stores. The body adapts to being fed consistently and loses its ability to burn fat. Instead of burning stored fat between meals the way we were designed, the body enjoys having meals delivered every 2-3 hours. Why should it bother digging out the fat stores for energy when it is being spoon fed all day long? Your body will never burn fat when there is sugar available.

There is a very important reason to burn fat as Dr. Suhas G. Kshirsagar a celebrated Ayurvedic physician says in his book The Hot Belly Diet.

                     “When your body uses fat as active fuel, you will experience increased energy, ability to focus,
stable moods, better sleep, fewer cravings, and of course, effortless weight loss.”

 When you eat 3 meals a day and have ample time between meals, the body is forced to burn stored fat.

You can have balanced blood sugar and increased energy by eating 3 meals a day rich in fiber, good protein and fat.

By maximizing each meal you avoid having to eat all the time. Fiber creates a felling of fullness and a sustained release of nutrients into your system so you don’t burn out or crash. Proteins are the building blocks for your cells and increases fullness. When fat enters the small intestine, it slows digestion, increases fullness and decreases appetite. Now you may have to snack in the afternoon if you have a long stretch to dinner or are very active, that’s ok. It is the constant grazing that is fattening and makes you feel old and tired. It must stop.

As it turns out our ancestors, the hunter-gatherers did not snack. For them, it was feast or famine.

Our very presence as a species is due to the fact that humans were able to endure long periods of time without food.

What happened? With food on every corner, have we lost our ability to tolerate missing a meal? Studies show we are snacking more today than ever before and we are suffering from increased obesity, diabetes and heart conditions.

The New York Academy of Sciences published a report in 2002 stating that grazing all day, as opposed to eating a few set meals, puts one at risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Another study from 2013, presented at the American Diabetes Association conference, revealed that those with type 2 diabetes that consumed two large meals a day lost more weight than when they ate six smaller meals with the same total amount of calories.

How do you restore fat as the active fuel supplier so you are burning fat all day long and not need to have snacks? The more you strain and starve yourself, the more the body perceives the weight loss program as a fat storing emergency. To get the body to burn fat naturally you have to convince it the war is over. We do that by eating in a way that nourishes your body and encourages the body to burn fat naturally and effortlessly.

If you want to be a good fat burner or are trying to lose weight or maintain your natural weight here are the steps to follow:

1. Start your day with a fiber-filled protein smoothie or chia pudding.  I think chia seeds are one of the best foods out there, and I eat them almost daily. Chia seeds supply protein, fiber, Omega 3 fats, minerals and long-burning fuel.

If you are still hungry, 30 minutes later have some eggs or grain free porridge with almond milk. Make breakfast full of enough nutrition to get you to lunch without the need of a snack.

If you need a snack add in another smoothie, like the Alkaline Strawberry Smoothie post-lunch, mid-afternoon that would be okay also. Smoothies digest fantastically well.  Pay attention to your blood sugar, don’t let it drop. The next day have a little more lunch.

3. Aim to eat dinner 3 hours before bed. Roast, steam or sauté 2 veggies or have a vegetable and salad, along with a protein.  Chew well and enjoy! Add in sweet potatoes or quinoa. Make supper count and see if you can eat nothing after supper. Overnight from supper to breakfast is a critical time to burn fat, lose weight, detox and reboot so you can handle the stress of the next day. Then, wake up and break the fast with breakfast.

Eating breakfast, lunch and supper with no snacks in between will provide a natural fast in between meals that will encourage fat metabolism.

The key is, when you eat make the best possible choices. Have each meal packed with fiber and nutrients. This keeps you feeling great and sustains your energy. You will be healthier and happier as you become a great fat burner. If you need recipe ideas check out the recipe section of the blog.

Let your body digest one meal at a time thoroughly.

In your life you are at your best when you put your full attention on one task at a time. It is the same for your body, let your body lovingly digest each meal the best it can and soon it will respond by burning fat.

Try eating higher quality food not more frequently, which is the way to look and feel fabulous.  That is your natural birthright! You will be lean, light and energized.

Give it a try and let me know how you feel. I always love hearing from you.

Have a great day!

Love & Hugs,

Ingrid