Metabolism, Energy, Glucose and You: The Mystery Solved!

Posted on September 03, 2013 by Kimberly Putman, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

Do you ever wonder how to unravel all of the advice you hear, read and watch on TV about the “right” way to eat in order to maximize your weight loss, raise your metabolic rate, and increase your energy? I am going to help you sift through all of that information and give you a plan to follow each day.

First let’s address when, how often and how much you should be eating each day, keeping in mind the caloric requirements will vary with each individual.

Try to eat breakfast as soon as possible in the morning. Your breakfast will get your metabolism started early in the day, offering you your first chance to rev up your body’s metabolism. As for what to eat for breakfast, there are many theories. I have personally chosen to combine many of these theories into what I consider “the breakfast of champions!”

Note: quantities will vary for each individual

Breakfast (as soon as you wake up)
• 4 T dry, toasted whole rolled oats
• 2 T mixed whole seeds (flax, hemp, chia, organic preferred)
• ½ cup raspberries
• 4 chopped walnuts, raw
• 1 t Super Greens, or green powder of your choice
• 1 t wheat germ (skip is you are gluten free)
• milk or milk substitute as needed to create a cereal consistency
• Beverage: 12 ounces decaf green tea, iced, hot or flavored (feel free to have several of these throughout the day)

The next thing that you will want to do is eat about every two hours. This helps keep your blood sugar levels even, your mind sharp and your body fueled. Eating every two hours keeps your metabolism running constantly. Your body burns calories during digestion. You are also less likely to over eat during any one meal.

Midmorning Snack (about 2 hours after breakfast)
• 1/4 cup of raspberries or blueberries
• 1 walnut, raw
• water or more decaf green tea

I try to eat a large lunch for several reasons. Like most people, the afternoons and evenings can be busy and unpredictable. Not everyone has the ability to eat at both 3PM for a snack and 5PM for dinner (though this is ideal). The larger lunch might help you last until 4PM for a snack and then 6 PM or 6:30PM for dinner.

Lunch (about 2 hours after midmorning snack)
• Veggie full salad with 4 raw walnuts and either cooked beans of your choice or 2 ounces very lean protein; homemade healthy dressing preferably citrus or raspberry based dressing with no added oil)
• Milk or milk substitute

Optional lunch additions:
• 1 serving whole grain or whole food carbohydrate
• ½ small avocado, salt and pepper
• 1 serving fruit of your choice

Note: If you have high caloric needs like me, I suggest checking out our “Drink Your Salads Blog” at www.inspiredfoodandwellness.com. I put my veggie only salad in a high-powered blender with a half of a cored apple, a frozen banana, ice and milk substitute everyday. I skip an additional beverage and have a normal to small size healthy lunch entrée along with my smoothie. I find this satisfying for both digestive purposes and satiety.

To me, the afternoon is when the day gets a little tricky. Most people do not have the luxury of eating dinner at 5PM. If you do not, then you may need to have a slightly larger snack (or not, that just depends on your personal caloric needs and metabolism).

Afternoon Snack (about two hours after lunch…maybe)
• 1.5X1.5 inch slice of Paleo Banana Bread (see our recipe book online)
• ¼ portion of fruit or raw veggie

Dinner (hopefully between 5PM-6:30PM)

Dinner is typically a bit more challenging for most people. Everyone has time constraints and busy schedules. I tend to eat a very vegetable dense dinner with either beans or about four ounces of chicken, fish or shrimp. I like to have this kind of dinner because it is very filling but not quite as calorie dense as my other meals. My reasoning is that I do enjoy a small dessert. My less calorically dense dinner provides me some wiggle room for dessert. As a chocolate lover, my dessert of choice is a small chocolate or a homemade chocolate chip cookie.

• 2 to 2.5 cups cooked veggies or a super large veggie full salad with dark greens
• 4 ounces lean protein or 1 to 1.5 cups cooked beans
• ½ serving fruit (optional)
• water, milk or milk substitute

Dessert (It is ideal if you can have this by 7PM and not eat again, but by 9PM is fine, too)
NOTE: all recipes can be found in our online recipe book at: www.inspiredfoodandwellness.com

Select One, if desired
• 2 small Heart Healthy Homemade Cookies
• 1-2 oz Cashew Cream Chocolate Pudding
• 1-2 oz Lemon Cashew Crème Mousse
• 2 squares 70% cacao Dark Chocolate

Small measures you can take to increase your metabolism
1. Drink decaf green tea or add matcha powder to your cereal, smoothies or oatmeal
2. Have a small amount of caffeine in the AM
3. Enjoy iced beverages (cold beverages require your body to burn more calories than hot or room temperature ones)
4. Add interval training sessions (after burn effect)
5. Lift weights to increase your lean body mass
6. Make sure you are getting enough protein for your body weight and activity level
7. Stay active during the day. Get up and move, fidget!

 
Tips for Improving Insulin Function
1. Add cinnamon to toast, cereal, oatmeal and smoothies
2. Cook with fenugreek (this is an interesting spice used commonly in Indian food)
3. Weight lifting
4. Aerobic Activity
5. Reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass

The title of this article promised to help you increase your energy. I can guarantee that, assuming your thyroid function is normal and your iron levels are within range, if you follow the above menu and schedule, your energy levels and metabolism will increase along with your overall wellness!

There is no substitute for sleeping well, eating a healthy diet, exercising, staying active throughout the day and practicing ten minutes a day of any relaxation technique (meditation, tai chi, gentle yoga, stretching). Make wellness and fitness your number one priority. Taking care of yourself will only increase your productivity and ability to take care of others.

Recipes and further information about metabolism, energy and glucose can be found at: www.inspiredfoodandwellness.com