1. What it is

2. How to work with it and most importantly

3. How it will benefit us

What is it?

The metabolism at its most basic level is process your body uses to burn food energy you have provided for it. It can also describe rate or speed in which your body performs this process. Many different things in food we take in are metabolized but for sake of this article we will focus mainly on food energy or calories themselves.

How can I work with it?

Since we now know what it is and basically how it works it is obvious that we want to find ways to speed it up naturally. This can be done in a variety of ways. Some are good and some are not so good. Let's start with good:

-Increasing Lean Muscle Mass-

This is first and probably most obvious way to create a more constructive metabolism. It is natural that more muscle we have more calories we will burn...even at rest! Muscle takes energy to make it work but fat does not, it just sits there. Try moderate resistance training to start off.

-Engaging In Aerobic Exercise-

How I Started

Since all I had was a fridge, cooking was out of question. I knew what I had to work with, whole wheat bread being a good choice and a solid foundation. Remember, it's not always food in question but what you put on it that will come back to haunt you.

Now that I had my cornerstone laid out I needed something to build upon it that wasn't going to cause my expectations to come crashing to ground. I opted for turkey breast. Turkey is really low in fat and is pretty tasty in a sandwich, especially with mustard. Chicken would also be a good choice. They are also high in protein which is beneficial to maintaining muscle mass. Remember that muscle is what burns fat and besides, it's always best to include carbs, protein and fats in your meal planning. But with fat you don't even really have to try and get it, you always will... It's always wise to study and look at foods and their contents so you will have in mind what foods are best to consume. Especially true if you are out and have to choose on spot without any books or guides.

Variety

Now I knew I wasn't going to live on turkey sandwiches rest of my stay, I needed variety and balance. I started slowly by supplementing peanut butter once in awhile for turkey, mostly to give my taste buds a rest. Since I knew that peanut butter is higher in fat I didn't have it quite as often as turkey. This is where benefits of muscle tone and a high metabolism kick in. For people who have reached their goals or who are close to them following statement is true, "If you tend to keep well maintained and even overcompensate a little while you can your body will be very efficient at burning calories and lots of them, even under prolonged circumstances..." such as one I was in. If you are still working toward this goal and need some help, check out article number 3 in our library entitled "The Metabolism - What Is It And How Can it Work For Me?" Click below to access it:

http://www.weightlossguidance.com/article3.html

As need hit me, odd time I would go out to eat. Keeping things in mind I decided to go for subs. They make really healthy ones nowadays (under 6 grams of fat) and they are quite tasty as well.

You can also lower your portions, if I was craving even more variety I would get a bag of chips or some chocolate. As a side note you can also get fruit but I'm not much for that :) In this way you will just be feeding your metabolism while keeping calorie content a little lower. This is where instinct comes in. Remember that practice makes perfect!

Beverages