Eating more often is the key to stimulating your metabolism, we have all heard this. Frequent meals is not a new idea but if we were to pick this sentence apart frequent would likely be defined as 4-6 small meals per day. What I am getting at is to get past your next hurdle might mean eating even more frequently. If this sounds bizarre then I have your attention so let me try to explain.

In the normal mode of exercise and nutritional programming we consider a simple equation of calories consumed versus those restricted and or expended. Weight loss or fat loss is typically considered a simple product of a reduction or consumption of calories. At some point it isn’t practical to exercise more, in fact I would say many people willingly cross over this point simply because they are unsure of other alternatives. In the same sense at some point it isn’t safe to further reduce calories. As before I would say that almost all people whose primary goal is weight loss crossover this point, and in fact many consume too few calories on a daily basis even not trying to lose weight. In consideration the objective becomes finding ways to stimulate our bodies to burn more calories without further restriction or additional exercise. The magic is that if we can achieve this our body will do so with far more precision in safety and regulation which will produce better results while maintaining health and performance. This result is strongly dependent on hormone regulation that is often damaged by significant calorie restriction or the physical stress of over exercising.

Now back to eating more often. When we consume food our metabolic engine has no choice but to go to work. From calories expended operating the muscles to chew the food and transport it to the stomach to the creation of the necessary stomach acids to break down the food and then begin to move it through our intestines our body is required to expend a lot of energy just processing the food we eat. Digestion is one of the best known calorie burners available to the person trying to make dramatic physical change, the beauty is it happens without you doing anything other than eating and continues for long periods after you eat. Because the body is also receiving a fresh supply of nutrients with the food you consume there is no danger of hampering your metabolism in any way, in fact quite the opposite. So if you regularly consume 2 meals per day and increase to 4-5 there will be a significant increase in calories burned and you will maintain a much higher metabolic rate throughout the day. But for those that have already being eating 4-5 times per day you can still reap the same benefits by breaking your meals down even further to 7-8 small meals per day. Now of course this may not be practical long term but for a period of 3-4 weeks may be the push you need to get through that stubborn hump with no rebound or detriments like those experienced with a further restriction of calories or more exercise. The moral of the story is developing the habit of constant grazing is still the best way of feeding our bodies.

I dug this article out from my vault, it was orginially published in the Red Deer Advocate and Red Deer Life two years ago after my last contest apprearance at the Canadian Nationals, however I think it’s a great message and worth having posted on our website. I hope you enjoy!

I’m convinced that processed food is addictive. And truly from a manufacturers standpoint this would be a good thing, after all you would want repeat buyers for your products. However, this doesn’t make it good for us. In fact quite the opposite, I am also convinced that processed food will kill you, and quickly.

Maybe I have a flare for the dramatic but nonetheless there is some validity in what I am saying. Over the last 5 months I competed in 2 bodybuilding events and have lost and gained more than 50 lbs. You would probably never believe this to be true if you seen me walking on the street, and please don’t tell my life insurance company. Over the course of these months there has been two very distinct periods that pertain to my topic. While preparing for the events my consumption of processed items is nearly negligible. After a couple consistent weeks of these habits a number of things become apparent. Steady energy, stable blood sugar, stable emotions, recovery, endurance, strength, concentration, hair growth, skin condition and of course loss of body fat. Of course as body fat levels begin to drop below practical levels, in contrast many of these things begin to take a negative turn again independent of whole or processed foods, but that is another topic. Now when the events ended and habits began to shift again, pizza and ice cream are amazing reward foods, it didn’t take long to begin to notice the ill effects of processed foods.

I am now incredibly aware digestively how certain items make me feel, and each time I consume certain processed items my desire for more of the same increases. Many physical signs also emerge. Increased awareness shows more unstable mood response to stressful or difficult situations, disrupted sleep, increased cravings, unstable recovery and strength, a pronounced effect on appetite (decreased), less ambition and motivation, and an increase in body fat.

Even though I am now back to my normal fit look with average to low body fat the physical change and feeling that has occurred in the short weeks from the event is quite remarkable.  In no way is this scientific, it is purely anecdotal of my personal experiences over these past months but the fact that such a discernable feeling occurs from implementing only a few processed foods is a scary kind of amazing.

Our bodies are not designed to work with foods that contain a number of additives to increase their yield or give them a longer shelf life. Our body operates on particular types of fuel and a vital component of that fuel is many different enzymes. Enzymes are typically the missing component of processed items as they’ve been long destroyed in the steps to manufacture the product. Without these vital fuel components our body has to work harder to extract and utilize raw materials causing premature wear and breakdown. Imagine replacing the gas in your car with diesel and how it would affect its performance.

Parents please, keep this in mind when planning school lunches for your children as our addiction to processed food starts young in this day and age. Don’t commit your children to an early death.  I guarantee focusing on consuming as many whole foods as possible will extend your life and improve your quality of life drastically in the later years and keep your life insurance premiums lower, that is unless you compete in body building.