I’m in week 2 of the “South Bay Active Body Challenge” (an 8-week Healthy Eating & Lifestyle programme) and so far, I haven’t been good about snacking between meals. I mean, I did snack yesterday (had a Sargento String Cheese.. Mmmm) but as usual, I forget to take my morning snack today. It’s tough when you’re seated 8+ hours of the day on the computer because time seems to stand still, but I suppose I can do better by setting alarms or reminders (on Gmail or Siri!) to remind me to snack daily at the prescribed intervals.
I joined the challenge again (the first one was earlier this year and I lost 2lbs) because I still haven’t been good enough about eating a balance meal. At the first challenge, during the first few weeks, I struggled to eat more protein and complex carbs as I LOOOOOVE simple carbs (bread, white rice, etc.) I also know that after my marathon, I tend to eat the same amount that I would consume during training, so being in the challenge would keep me on my toes, as far as how much and what I put into my body. Also, it was partly motivated by dosh — LOL, seeing the last challenge’s winners receive the cash prize (they handed $3,000 total) made me want to “retake” the challenge and do better. ^_^
Anyway, here’s an email from my health coach, as far as metabolism and snacking. I’m sure she won’t mind me sharing this with you, since having friends who are healthy is good karma anyway ^_^
Metabolism: Believe it or not you are not destined to have a slow metabolism. Building your lean muscle mass (i.e. Eating enough protein, daily exercise), moving around through out the day (i.e. Visit your cubicle neighbor instead of calling, taking the stairs instead of the elevator), and eating enough food throughout the day are essential in revving up your metabolism. You can also power your metabolism with what you eat. Simple carbs (rice, pasta, juice) will have you hungry within minutes. Complex carbs (fruits, vegetables, whole grains) will take you through an hour. Lean proteins (chicken, fish, eggs) keeps hunger away for 2-3 hours. But eating lean protein and complex carbs together will give you the best scenario, leaving you full for 3+ hours.
Boost your metabolism by:
- Exercising
- Building/maintaining your lean muscle mass
- Eating enough calories
- Not skipping meals – Eating Breakfast!
- Snacking – maintaining steady blood sugar levels
Snacking: Snacking is very important when it comes to weight loss. The more you fuel your body with the right amount of food the more efficient it can be in burning calories and keeping you feeling full. Be sure that your snacks are protein-based and are between 100-200 calories. An Herbalife shake is a great snack if you drink half before and half after a workout or as a 100 calorie snack if you only make half. Protein bars are also a great source of protein, 150 calories and 12g protein (just watch that sugar intake!)
Hope you found that useful. My goal is to practice sticking with it during the remaining 7 weeks so that I can “walk” on my own afterwards. ^_^
