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If this situation sounds familiar, it’s time to take a look at your metabolism. Because certain dieting habits could actually have damaged yours, holding you back from that weight goal.
Firstly, you need to be aware of the habits that damage your metabolism. These include constantly being on a calorie-restrictive diet. So if you’re limiting yourself drastically in a bid to drop pounds quickly, you could be doing more harm than good.
Or have you completely cut out a food group, hoping you’ll fit into your skinny jeans quicker that way? Many people ditch all carbs or fat, but it could be misguided.
A warning sign that you’ve damaged your metabolism is not being able to eat your daily calorie allowance without gaining weight. So many dieters restricting themselves to 6276 calories might find it impossible to eat that much without putting on pounds.
Once you’ve worked out what’s happening to your body, you can start tackling the issue and rebuilding your metabolism. Mind Body Green advises working out your ideal daily calorie intake by multiplying your weight in pounds by 15. So if you weigh5 9kg, you should stick to 8159 calories a day. This way your body knows what to expect and won’t cling on to food desperately each time you eat.
Also be aware that cutting out food groups isn’t the way forward. Your body needs a bit of everything, which means mixing proteins with fat and carbs. Stick to healthy fats found in oily fish, nuts and seeds and mix with ‘good’ carbs – whole-wheat pasta and quinoa are great options.
Finally, make sure you eat regularly. Don’t surprise your body by cutting out lunch and then having a huge dinner – it will go into starvation mode and hold onto that heavy meal out of fear you’ll starve it again tomorrow. Instead, aim for three healthy meals a day and snack regularly on fruit, nuts or chopped raw vegetables to keep your metabolism ticking over in between.
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