Photo: Roberto_Ventre

Diets?

Who needs them!

They’re awfully limiting, boring and usually prescriptive.

Diets have a tendency to work for a short time before you yo-yo back to even heavier than before. As a nutritionist, I always suggest to my clients to get rid of this outdated notion that you must go on a diet. What you eat is your diet. If it’s not working for you, change it into something greater, better, more inspirational—I call it the super-hero diet!

Too many people have failed too many times at going on diets and maintaining a healthy weight.

What’s the secret missing ingredient, beyond calorie reduction and a change in diet?

It’s really as simple as it gets!

The secret to losing weight is…..be active!!!

Photo: cmaccubbin

New research by Oregon Health & Science University scientists reveals that simply reducing caloric intake is not sufficient to promote significant weight loss.

If you want to lose weight, the best way is to increase your metabolism. Diet is not enough! Starvation is fairly inefficient too—the body then goes into conservation mode which minimizes fat loss. What usually follows is binge eating out of desperate hunger. The additional calories are then converted into even more fat. Not recommended! This is why the majority of diets fail, and this supports a massive industry.

The formula is as simple as it gets—what we eat is our energy intake (calories). What we consume for maintaining life, digestion and all metabolic functions (anabolism and catabolism) is referred to as our metabolism. Energy in versus energy consumed is the net result—i.e. what we currently look like!

Photo: Glory Food

Calories are how we measure the energy in the food we eat and the energy our body uses. The recommended calories per day for a normal healthy adult are:

2,000 Calories for Women; 2,500 Calories for Men.

Just maintaining your posture requires energy. The body is constantly burning the energy produced by respiration to maintain life, and all the associated metabolic processes. The average person requires 20 percent of their energy for brain functions, and the rest is mostly used to maintain the metabolism of the muscles, organs and tissues.

Go to Alaska! In the cold, the energy usage of the body will need to increase to maintain core body temperature at a constant of 37 degrees. Physical activity is a powerful way to increase body temperature, thus using more energy from respiration. Resistance training (weights, resistance machines, climbing stairs, kayaking/rowing, swimming or boxing) is the most effective, as it not only burns fat; it also increases the production of Growth Hormone.

For each pound of muscle that you gain via resistance training, you burn approximately 50 to 70 calories in addition per day (five pounds of muscle gain equates to burning 250 to 350 calories a day!).

That’s fantastic motivation to start a work-out program!

In summary, to lose weight you need to be more active and burn off more calories than you eat. If you increase your metabolism—you increase your calorie-burning capacity.

Good luck with your journey to getting fit and healthy, and most importantly…have lots of fun while you’re at it! If you can’t find something active you enjoy, invent it…!

Nine tips to keep fit, sexy, lean, active …. and stay motivated:

1.  Have (more) sex!

Have rigorous sultry sex instead of slow sex. Have slow sex on the weekends when you have time for indulgence. Learn tantra, and explore every nuance of your body.

Sex is key to living happily as it gets the creative juices flowing. Sex gets your body looking sleeker, fitter and sexier. It’s so good that it even promotes longevity. Have more sex!

2. Move!

Keep moving as much as you can whenever you can.

Some ideas:  Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Speed-walk instead of ambling along chatting on your cellphone. For workout ideas, check out Body Rock TV. If this doesn’t inspire you into action, nothing will!

3.  Avoid all sugar and “hidden” sugars like high-fructose corn syrup.

Get sugar out of your mind and your pantry!

Instead of sugar-laden, over-processed hot chocolate, invest in raw cacao—available in your nearest health shop or online—an amazing food source of muscle-relaxing magnesium and antioxidants for muscle recovery.

4.  Keep your immune system in great health.

The two primary culprits I come across for suppressed immune function, are fatigue and stress. Get plenty of rest and relaxation, and listen to your body! If you’re going to supplement, Maca is my number one superfood!

My favorite immune herbs are Echinacea and olive leaf extract. Andrographis is awesome if you feel a cold coming on. Bee pollen and zinc are also worth considering.

5. Keep meal portions small especially if they’re cooked.

If you do eat cooked food, eat it with raw food—as cooked food alone leads to a reactive immune response. Combining raw and cooked is the solution.

Keep your blood sugar levels consistent throughout the day via regular nutrient-rich snacks and meals. My favorites are raw nuts and berries. Especially delicious with a dab of organic yogurt.

Photo: Elizabeth Bowdren

6. Find a great personal trainer and yoga instructor to keep you consistent.

Commit to regular training and classes at least twice a week. For your workouts, make sure you work out intensely with short bursts of energy, and lots of sweat! For yoga, stay consistent and you’ll get results!

7.  Visit a sauna regularly!

I love it! It gives you a great sweat if you’re not sweating enough already, stimulates the lymphatic and immune systems, and promotes great detox!

8.  Get to know where your food comes from.

I believe in intelligent freedom! I believe in foods that are fun, local and from sustainable sources.

Get to know your local farmer’s market. I challenge you to meet your local farmers and to find out where your food comes from, and how it’s produced.

9.  Scrub!

Photo: Steve A Johnson

Lastly don’t forget to scrub! Shower immediately after your work-out and cover up for your trip home. Sweat breeds nasty bacteria and leaves you feeling stale.

Skin brushing is a great way to stimulate detox and get rid of the bacteria build-up.

Use a loofa for lots of refreshing squeaky clean scrubbing off of all those old dead skin cells. You’ll look brand new, super sleek and sexy…!

Editor: Lynn Hasselberger

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Here are some foods to get you on your way: