Decades ago malnutrition only meant undernourishment. In this day and age, it also means over nourishment.  This definition is not only limited to first world nations, even countries which are economically struggling are also struggling with issues of its population being overweight, obese, and of having high body mass index (BMI).

In America, an average person can gain up to 5 pounds every year as the person reaches 30 years old.  Food is always to blame for the increasing numbers associated with obesity.   Additionally, the lifestyle that majority of us try to live – trying so hard to keep up with the fast-paced changing of the times results to increased stress; inactivity due to work-related practices, designs and structures; and reduced time for rest and worthwhile relaxation activities. But malnourishment or obesity can be remedied by changing these negative behaviors into positive and beneficial pursuits that will greatly profit your health.

1. Never skip breakfast.

   The results of a study published in the Obesity Research journal shows that people who eat breakfast were able to successfully keep their weight off.  When you sleep, your metabolism slows down. That means your body has decreased consumption of calories. When you wake up and do physical activities, your body demands for more calories. If you are unable to eat breakfast, your brain tells your body to slow down your metabolism, as a protective mechanism, which results to obstruction of calorie utilization. Eating at least 300-400 calories of breakfast such as a high-fiber cereal with fruits will sustain your body’s metabolism of fat.

2. Never eat less than 1200 calories per day, take your snacks.

   Others have this notion that to burn fat, caloric intake has to be decreased or diminished.  While this may sound true, there is also a limitation with the concept.  A person’s average caloric requirement is 1,940 for women to 2,550 for men. Approximately 75% of the average amount is enough to sustain one’s basal metabolism, such as heartbeat, breathing, and muscle tone.  A decrease in the amount will tell your brain to slow down your calorie-burning ability.  What to do? Trick your body into thinking it is continuously eating by grazing around.  When you choose to graze, like the cows in the field, your body will burn calories and fat unceasingly. Grazing means three regular meals plus two snacks in between meals per day.  At 200-500 calories per meal, the total average caloric intake is achieved.

3. Slow down on starch, but don’t forget your complex carbohydrates.

   Carbohydrate is an important food element for it provides one with energy to proceed with the daily activity.  But if you eat complex carbohydrates, such as starch, your insulin level surges and your resting metabolic rate plunges.  Considering that complex carbohydrate is essential in our body, choose those that do not have great effects on the insulin levels, such as fruit, vegetables and whole-grain.  At the grocery, grab only those with whole wheat, whole oat or cracked wheat written on the list of ingredients.

4. Maintain your protein but lower your leptin.

   When you eat protein, your body needs lots of energy to break it down once it enters your stomach. This means you are burning more calories with every protein-rich food you take.  However, do not overdo it like the Atkins’s Diet. Limit protein-intake to 20-30 percent of the daily diet because if you eat more than the requirement, your body will store too much fat, due to kidney strain.  In choosing protein-rich food, choose fish such tuna, mackerel or salmon.  Studies made by obesity specialist, Louise Aronne, MD, have shown that those who eat 3-4 servings weekly have lower levels of the hormone called leptin. High levels of leptin have been linked to lower metabolism and obesity.

5. Get high on iron, calcium

   Samantha Heller RD, nutritionist from New York University Medical Center, explained that if your iron intake is low, your body cannot get enough oxygen to your cells, and this makes your metabolism slow down. So take more iron either from the multivitamin capsules that contain 18mg RDA or from 3-4 daily servings of iron-rich foods, such as lean red meat, chicken, and soy nuts.  Take your regular calcium too. According to Michael Zemel, MD, of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, calcium serves as a switch that tells your body to burn excess fat faster. By taking 1200 mg of calcium daily all from 3-4 servings of non-fat sources, such as non-fat yoghurt and low-fat cheese, 70% of fat is lost compared to those who takes in less calcium.

6. Remember your potassium and magnesium.

   Another metabolism accelerating micronutrient is potassium. 2000 mg of potassium that regulates your body’s water causing you to burn more calories can be found in 3-4 servings of banana, orange or a cup of milk. The overlooked micronutrient, magnesium, speeds up your metabolism by giving energy to your body cells.  320 mg RDA of magnesium can be found in a peanut butter sandwich or a half-cup of spinach.

7. Fuel yourself with green tea.

   Green tea contains catechins, which increases norepinephrine, a brain chemical that speeds up metabolism.  Studies made by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed evidence of increasing metabolic rate by 4% when a person drinks three times more of extracted green tea. This is roughly translated to burning 60 calories per day.

8. Forget about alcohol.

   Alcohol is a depressant. By reducing the activities of your central nervous system, your metabolism also decreases.

9. Do the aerobic.

   Aerobic, or cardio-vascular, exercise is considered for decades as one of the most effective fat burner.  Generally, an aerobic exercise is anything that involves continuous and rhythmic movement of the major muscles of your extremities that will pump blood up to your heart, allowing your heart to pump 60-90% of its maximum.  Brisk walking, jogging, jumping rope or cycling, when done for 20-30 minutes three times a week is an effective way to burn those excess fat.

10. Do strength and weight training exercises
    

    If weight training is done properly, your body muscles will grow.  As your body fights a certain controllable level of resistance, your basal metabolic rate will increase.  According to Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the effect of weight training, e.g. squats, bench step-ups, lunges, push & pull-ups and crunches, on the increase of metabolism remain in effect even after two hours of inactivity. That is the reason why weight training is considered the ultimate fat-burner.

11. Add new sports and new activities to your routine.

    As your body starts to adapt to your daily activities, your body’s calorie-burning activity decreases.  So engage yourself in new activities or sports that will enable your body to use other muscles.  When your body works harder to deliver more oxygen to your tissues, there is greater metabolic after-burn, according to Carol Espel, MS, exercise physiologist of Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York.

12. Maximize interval exercises

    When you incorporate interval exercises in your daily activities, it will help boost your metabolism.  Interval exercises are activities that form part of your daily cardiovascular routine.  Instead of going up using the elevator, use the stairs; but when you use stairs, take double steps. This is like doing lunges and Stairmaster combined. When sitting in front of the computer, do isometric exercises like contracting your abdominal muscles for 30 seconds or tightening and contracting your legs for 60 seconds.  Be fidgety by being in motion while doing normally stationary activities, such as talking on the phone.  Look for situations to be active, look for harder ways to do things. This will increase your chances of burning those excess fats.

13. Reduce those unnecessary stresses.

    By meditating, stress is reduced and more fats are burned.  If one is stressed, there is a surge of the hormone called cortisol, which will stimulate one to binge eat due to increased appetite.  This will allow the body to lower its metabolism, and make the body store more fats, according to Shawn Talbott, PhD of the University of Utah Nutrition Clinic. Daily dose of music-listening or yoga will minimize the body’s reaction to stress.

14. Sleep and try to recover.

    Getting six to eight hours of sleep at night is one of the most effective ways for your metabolism to run smoothly.  Less than that, you get tired and your body has lesser energies to burn fats.  Four hours of sleep will result to your body’s difficulty to process carbohydrates due to an increase in the levels of insulin and cortisol, a stress hormone that in turn will increase blood sugar levels. This is according to a study made at the University of Chicago Medical Center.  And when you have done strenuous exercises as part of the weight-loss plan, allow yourself to recover within 48 hours. Because with too much exercise, your body will be losing lean muscle mass which will make you fatter.

15. Have your thyroid gland checked.

    After religiously following all the various ways of burning fats and you still can’t get yourself to trim down, it’s time to visit your endocrinologist for a thyroid gland check. The thyroid gland controls your body’s metabolism through negative feedback mechanism.  Persons having an underactive thyroid have slow metabolism, therefore, they are slow in burning calories and fats.  By having your thyroid checked through a simple blood test, you will be able to understand where you are going to in your quest to eliminate those extra fats.

Sources
ediets.com
redbookmag.com
howtobefit.com
caloriecount.about.com
weightlossresources.co.uk
afic.org