How to heal your metabolism and support weight loss

There is an idea that if you go on any type of restrictive weight loss dietary plan you will permanently damage your metabolism. I often hear patients talk about their slow metabolisms and how long-term yo-yoing dieting has damaged their metabolism while creating ongoing weight problems.

There was a recent study that looked at how people on the television program ‘The Biggest Loser’ competition progressed beyond the show. They found that the majority had actually regained much of the weight 6 years later that they had lost while also permanently slowing their metabolisms down, this is called metabolic adaptation. Other studies have demonstrated via other weight loss means that this isn’t the case beyond 12 months.

There seem to be permanent damage where they needed less calories per day (approximately 500 calories) to sustain the same body size as someone else that had not previously been obese. Does this mean that it’s all too hard and a lost cause? No definitely NOT! This study was small with only 14 participants, the regime they go under for this competition is an extreme low calorie diet with very high intense exercise that often is not manageable post-program and the calories and meals they are consuming to maximise their weight loss is minimal for the entire competition.

If you have been yo-yoing and you feel that maintaining a healthy weight seems impossibly then here are some simple steps to improve your metabolic function.

1. Support Liver health

This organ is often nicknamed the fat burner! This is an organ that is often left out of the weight loss conversation but it has the most beneficial actions when it comes to regulating your hormones (including metabolic hormones and thyroid hormones), supporting fat burning, metabolising your fats, proteins and carbohydrates and keeping you energised.

Phytonutrients and antioxidants in juices, smoothies and a plant-based eating programs, support healthy liver function. If someone has a fatty liver which is often the case in metabolic syndrome, it is believed that weight loss = less liver fatty infiltration, this is often not the case. Healing the liver makes weight loss and continued weight control all that much easier while fatty liver infiltration makes it more difficult to lose the weight and also to maintain the loss.

Losing weight with calorie restriction combined with low nutrient intake will harm the metabolism when its done on a long-term basis, high level nutrient intake is certainly a large piece of the successful weight loss puzzle that is missing in many restrictive weight loss plans. The liver requires intense nutrition to rehabilitate the cells back to healthy functioning hepatocytes, with a healthier liver you will have improved metabolic function and therefore weight loss is easier!

2. Herbal medicine

Is another very important  tool for supporting the metabolism, liver function, fat burning and the rehabilitation of liver cell health which in turn supports weight loss. Formulas and good quality liver herbal products can be purchased in a Naturopathic consultation.

3. Keep your hydration up

Including 500mls(16oz) serves of water stimulates your metabolism for up to 1 hour post consumption and if you’re drinking this regularly throughout the day you are bumping your calorie burn upwards of about 100 calories per day. Water helps you to lose weight, inhibits headaches, improves mood, reduces dizziness, improves exercise performance, energy, hydrates skin, stops constipation and reduces the occurrence of kidney stones.

4. Make sure you’re including adequate healthy fats daily

This supports appetite regulation and improved metabolic health. Healthy fats are important for the production and utilisation of hormones particularly our satiety hormones that control appetite and satisfaction. Healthy fats are required for every cell in the body and when we eat unhealthy fats it displaces healthy fats in our cells and causes a myraid of health problems particularly the processed vegetable oils (this is a big article waiting to happen). Include coconut oil, oily wild fish, hemp seeds, walnut oil and nuts, cold pressed olive oil, avocadoes and other healthy fats regularly.

5. Protein is your BFF

Protein helps to maintain healthy muscle mass, appetite control, satiety and stable blood sugars,  protein is a must for a healthy metabolism. Protein sources are found in high quality wild/grass-fed/organic meats, eggs, fish and seafood, plant-based sources beans, split peas, lentils (legumes must be prepared properly), nuts and seeds. Protein powders can be purchased for easy nutritional boosts in smoothies, juices and other meals.

6. Avoid processed refined foods

Breads, pastries, breakfast cereals, muffins, bagels and other foods made with refined flours and refined grains cause sugar spikes that cause insulin increases which leads into fat making metabolic changes along with appetite stimulation. Think you will settle those cravings, think again, these foods will only stimulate them further.

Highly processed foods are also often marketed as diet foods that may be low fat and low calorie, which then cause a hormonal shit storm that will only work towards increased metabolic disturbances. These foods will continue to further damage your metabolism.

Consuming more naturally based foods that are more complex requires more energy and calories to digest while supporting healthy metabolic function.

7. Minimise all added sugars

Enjoying natural sugars in fruits and vegetables has a myriad of health benefits while including natural sweeteners needs to be kept to a small serve. Avoiding added sugars as much as possible in your diet will avoid the sugar spikes and crashes that often leads to weight problems and metabolic disorders.

8. Keep movement as a part of your daily life

Even small amounts of exercise a day works towards increasing your metabolic health, muscle maintenance and works towards supporting continued weight loss and weight maintenance. The higher your muscle mass the higher your calorie burn, so get moving.

9. Stress management

Long-periods of intense exercise (6-8hrs per day) combined with lower calories creates a strong physical stress response. When the body is under stress it responds with inhibiting fat loss due to the concept of illness and tragedy being a real possibility, this is an innate adaptive response. The hormone cortisol works towards increasing fat storing and reducing fat burning. It’s very important to work towards healthy stress management techniques regularly such as guided meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, hobbies and moderate exercise.

10. High nutrient intake

Chromium, zinc, magnesium, selenium, B vitamins, iodine are just some of the essential nutrients that you need to support a healthy metabolism. Phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables also have a powerful nutrient profile that helps to support a healthy metabolism including limonene, naringenin, capsaicin, curcumin and zingerone to name a small few.

Eating yourself a rainbow everyday combined with adequate protein and healthy fats will help to support a healthy metabolic function.

Some foods that can help to support a healthy metabolism:

• Chili

• Ginger

• Grapefruit

• Lemons

• Blueberries

• Cabbage family vegetables

• Protein

• Apple Cider Vinegar

These all have a small effect on our metabolic rate but consistency with high nutrient foods, activity and improved lifestyle factors adds up and will support a highly functioning healthy metabolism.