During my 20 years as a Stunt Double in the movies, I discovered numerous foods that could increase a persons metabolism. I often needed to drop weight at speed, to double for actors slimmer than myself; or to become much slimmer in order to wear stunt pads that wouldn’t show on film beneath the costume.
Obviously, the higher a persons metabolism, the greater the number of calories they burn throughout their day.
This is just one of the mechanisms I exploit today, to help my clients to lose weight quickly and easily.
(1) High Protein Foods
High protein foods like meat, fish, eggs and mature hard cheese, can help increase a persons metabolism for several hours after ingestion.
This is achieved by forcing the body to burn more energy in the breaking down of the food in order to digest.
High protein foods require more calories in order to digest and absorb the nutrients from the food, compared to carbs or fats. So high protein foods typically increase your metabolic rate by an average of 23%, compared to 8% for carbs and 2% for fats.
Protein rich foods also help you to maintain muscle mass during a weight loss program like mine. They also help you to feel fuller for longer; so you go much longer between meals and are less likely to snack.
Finally - fish, seafood and meat all contain selenium, iron and zinc. These help your thyroid to function efficiently, which also helps to ensure a healthy metabolism.
For my clients, I typically recommend that 25% of their daily food intake is high in protein.
(2) Fat
I thought that might get your attention! Yes, eating certain fats help us to lose weight - not gain it! This might make your brain ache, but our bodies actually need certain fats to function efficiently. When we eat foods containing good fats like Ghee for example, it tastes wonderful, releases pleasure chemicals from our brains, and makes us satiated so we eat less.
If you’ve ever enjoyed a delicious curry in an Indian restaurant, then you’ve probably seen that ‘grease’ that settles on the top of the dish. Many years ago, I used to spoon this off the top to throw it away, or I’d pour it off the top of a takeaway curry. Little did I know that this was the magical fat that is Ghee!
It’s the only fat that actually increases the person’s metabolism, helping to burn all those extra calories. Which is key, as you’re also eating something that increases your bodies ability to digest and absorb food, as well as shifting your metabolism up again.
Ghee has many other benefits like antioxidants, helping you toward a healthy immune system, and even cellular growth thanks to Vitamin A.
Ghee is a wonderful healthy fat that I advise my clients to ingest every day as part of my weight loss program. I certainly take it every day without fail. I typically recommend that 60% of their food intake is healthy fats like ghee, grass-fed butter, cream, mature cheddar, and healthy oils.
(3) Tea
It’s the combination of catechins and caffeine found in tea that boost your metabolism.
Green Tea for example, can increase your metabolism by as much as 10%, so an extra 250 cal per day, or more in some cases!
Additionally I find that Green Tea really enhances your body‘s ability to burn fat as fuel. Experts seem to agree that Green Tea can boost your bodies ability to burn body fat by as much as 17%. Green Tea is a part of the daily potion I encourage every one of my clients to drink each morning.
(4) Coffee
Numerous clinical tests show that the caffeine found in coffee can help increase your metabolic rate by as much as 11%.
Studies found that those who drank 3 cups of coffee per day, burned an extra 100 calories on average. The caffeine can also help your body to burn fat as energy.
I warn my clients to be careful of those sugary High Street lattes, filled with caramel syrups and the like! They taste great but are full of empty calories and harmful sugary carbs. I advise them to drink black coffee, or to add a splash of almond milk if they prefer a flat white.
(5) Nuts
Nuts are very good for you, but aim to ingest the nuts that are lower in carbs, like Almonds. I already mentioned the importance of ‘healthy fats’ and almonds contain a lot of these, as well as protein and fibre. Eat plenty of almonds to reduce your cholesterol, and kick-start your fat burning. I suggest you eat at least a handful of almonds per day (about 30 nuts).
Like seafood and meat, nuts help the thyroid to keep up to speed, as they contain selenium, iron and zinc.
(6) Herbs and Spices
Certain spices have proven metabolism boosting effects. Turmeric for example, contains the antioxidant curcumin, which is an anti-inflammatory. This helps to mitigate the inflammation associated with being overweight, and provides a real boost in fat burning.
Ginger is another great spice to boost your metabolism. It does this by increasing the diameter of small arteries, which improve circulation of the blood. This leads to a slight increase in body temperature, which increases your metabolism and burns away those calories.
I have a special blend of tried and tested ‘herbs and spices’ that I get my clients to drink in hot water (as a tea) once each morning.
(7) Coconut Oil
I discovered Coconut Oil fairly recently while working in Sri Lanka. It’s an oil rich in a type of fat called MCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides). These go directly to the liver, where they are turned into energy (so much less likely to be stored as fat under the skin).
Numerous studies have shown that MCT increases metabolic rate much more than longer chain fats. And you know what? It tastes good too! Swap your vegetable oil for a little coconut oil - and reap the benefits.
(7) Water!
Obvious, maybe, but drinking enough water is a great way to stay hydrated. Additionally, it seems that drinking water can temporarily boost metabolism by 24 to 30%.
Researchers put about 40% of that increase down to the cool water needing to be heated by the body, which in turn causes more calories to be burned. The effects last about an hour only, which is why I advise clients to drink water often, at least a small amount each hour, with a decent 'glass full' on waking, 30 minutes before meals, and just before bed.
So there you have it - High Protein Foods like eggs, meat and fish, healthy fats like ghee, herbs and spices, nuts, coconut oil, tea, coffee and water. They all increase your metabolism, and when combined with plenty of fruit of veg for those vitamins and minerals - the weight starts to fall away naturally.
Wishing You Health, Wealth and Happiness
Curtis Rivers
Professional Weight Loss Consultant, World Record Breaker, Keynote Speaker, and Author of the Award Winning Book 'The Fearless Path'
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