Fitness and nutrition expert Lisa Lynn says it may be your metabolism that is sabotaging your best-laid plans to lose weight and boost your spirits.
Lynn, a certified fitness trainer who is seen frequently on the “The Dr. Oz Show,” says good nutrition, healthy supplements and the right combinations of food, along with exercise, can help people boost their metabolism, which burns fat and helps manage weight.
Another key to fighting obesity is finding effective ways to get moving and break the lethargy that many obese people feel that keeps them from successfully losing weight and keeping it off.
“Most people overeat because they lack energy,” says Lynn, whose celebrity clients have included Martha Stewart.
And lest you think Lynn has always been a killjoy Skinny Minnie, she says she was once 40 pounds overweight and grew up in what she told “Good Morning, Connecticut” was an “an ice cream-eating, couch potato family.”
She started taking aerobics classes at age 15 and six months later became an instructor and got on the road to fitness. She says she not only lost weight, but noticed that her depression lifted and her whole life improved.
Making nutritional adjustments and adding movement are good ways to get started.
For example, Lynn recommends skipping that morning mug of coffee and instead drinking three to five cups of green tea per day or MaCoca, an ingredient usually found in supplements, to boost energy.
Other tips include taking an omega-3 supplement around 3 p.m. in the afternoon, which will hold the afternoon “craving hour,” during which you are more likely to hit the snack machine for junk food, at bay.
And if you need a boost at the end of the day, Lynn recommends a bite of dark chocolate, which she said will keep your energy levels turned up and keep stress levels down.
Lynn recommends what she calls a “metabolic fast,” which helps her clients get their bodies into the fat-burning zone and reduce bloating while detoxifying the body’s system. She said clients and students experienced some weight loss in the first 24 hours, and continued to lose as long as they stayed on track until they have reached their weight-loss goals.
Additional metabolic boosting steps Lynn recommends include:
· Try to drink a minimum of 100 ounces of water per day.
· Allow your body to feel hunger. It’s a sign that your body is burning fat.
· Eat at least five servings or more of veggies per day to feel full and be regular.
· Keep a daily food journal.
· Perform daily cardiovascular exercise for 45-60 minutes to rev your metabolism. Do something that causes you to break a sweat, but refrain from over-exercising as this may contribute to overeating following your workout.
Once clients begin to see a shift in weight, their spirits tend to brighten.
The key to successful weight loss, Lynn says, is attitude.
“My No. 1 goal with obese or overweight clientele is to get them to feel good first so they have the energy to make a lifestyle change that will ultimately affect their waistline.”
