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Increasing metabolism with food

I don't think there are are any foods that will specifically increase your metabolism, though drinking heaps of water is always a good idea.

The accepted doctrine is that suppressing your calorific intake (e.g. dieting) will cause your body to go into 'survival mode'. It assumes famine conditions or something and will drop its metabolic rate into order to conserve energy until food is more plentiful again. Unfortunately in these days of plenty (for some) that means that you're not going to drop weight as fast as you like AND you'll feel lethargic so you won't exercise.

Eating a reasonable amount of food, at least 3 times a day, ESPECIALLY for breakfast, will cause your body to keep it's base metabolic rate up, you'll have more energy and be more able to exercise. If you then do enough exercise you should drop weight. Assuming that's what you're after.
 
Fasting will slow your metabolism down, please please please do not starve your body. That is why most everyone who does starve themselves balloons back up and then some after returning to their 'normal' diet.

If you want to increase your metabolism, the answer is simple. Eat 5-6+ WELL PROPORTIONED meals each day. Skip out on the short chain carbs such as sugars and starches...instead move towards complex carbs such as the type you get from eating fruit and veggies (whole wheat bread is ok too, just make sure that it's not 'enriched' wheat, as that is little better than white bread). Also, you need protein, and eating protein will help your muscles grow and work harder so that they in turn burn more calories/fat. Lastly, you NEED fat in order to BURN fat...I know that sounds counterproductive, but it is true. Try eating healthy fats such as those found in chicken breast, fish, fish oil, and most anything else that is FRESH (ie: non-processed foods), that contains fat. Check your labels on everything you buy...period.

Also, doing some regular excersize will put everything in order and you will be burning more calories than you know what to do with. I would recommend lifting free weights...it's harder than machines, but you get a LOT more from it. Learn to love the pain and your golden. Cardio would help burn more calories too, so depending on your desire I would toss some of that into the mix as well.

If you want any more info please feel free to pm me...I'm not saying I know everything, but I do think I am well informed. And all that I said above has and does work for me (and countless others). There are no short-cuts to getting thin/healthy....you just have to do the work, period.
 
Ive heard eating cabbage is supposed to actually burn calories, because it takes more energy to digest it than calories it contains...but Im not really sure how true this is. [/B]
Click to expand...

It's true..same with celery. They're 90+ percent water.
 
It costs small amounts of energy only to move the water through your system....water is not 'digested', it is absorbed. It may cost your body a few more calories, but you aren't going to start losing more weight simply by increasing your water intake necessarily.

Come on people, think!
 
>>Try eating healthy fats such as those found in chicken breast, fish, fish oil, and most anything else that is FRESH (ie: non-processed foods), that contains fat. >>

Most plant fats also r0x0r...it's a good thing, because that's all I'm getting. :)
 
biz0r said:
It costs small amounts of energy only to move the water through your system....water is not 'digested', it is absorbed. It may cost your body a few more calories, but you aren't going to start losing more weight simply by increasing your water intake necessarily.

Come on people, think!
Click to expand...
are you kidding? water tricks your body into thinking its full... especially ice cold water, because it cools your body down and forces it to work harder to get back to normal temp, thus burning more calories.

this is a trick a lot of anorexics/bulemics use.

also, people with those diseases have lists of "safe foods" that supposedly increase metabolism but they for sure burn more calories digesting it than is in the actual food. here is the list:

[n]egative calorie foods
The following foods do have calories. However, it is believed by many, including doctors, that they take more calories to digest than are actually in them.

[a]
# apples
# apricots
# artichokes
# asparagus


# beet greens
# beets
# blackberries
# blueberries
# broccoli
# brussels sprouts
# buffalo fish

[c]
# cabbage
# cantaloupe
# carrots
# cauliflower
# celeriak
# celery
# cherries
# chervil
# chicory
# chinese cabbage
# chives
# clams
# cod
# corn
# crabs
# cranberries
# cucumbers
# currants
# damson plum
# dandelion greens

[e]
# eggplant
# endive

[f]
# flounder
# frogs legs

[g]
# garlic
# grapefruit
# grapes
# green beans

[h]
# honeydew
# huckleberries

[k]
# kale
# kohlrabi
# kumquats

[l]
# leeks
# lemons
# lettuce
# limes
# lobster
# loganberries

[m]
# mangoes
# mushrooms
# muskmelons
# mussels
# mustard greens

[n]
# nectarines

[o]
# okra
# onions
# oranges
# oysters

[p]
# papaya
# parsley leaves
# parsnips
# peache
# pears
# peas
# peppers
# pineapple
# pomegranates
# prunes
# pumpkin

[q]
# quince

[r]
# radishes
# raisins - *new*
# raspberries
# red cabbage
# rhubarb
# rutabagas


# salsify
# sauerkraut
# scallions
# sea bass
# shrimps
# sorrel
# spinach
# squash
# strawberries
# string beans

[t]
# tangerines
# terrapin
# tomato
# turnips


# unsweetened apple sauce - *new*

[w]
# watercress
# watermelon
Click to expand...

linky
 
faithfully dangerous said:
are you kidding? water tricks your body into thinking its full... especially ice cold water, because it cools your body down and forces it to work harder to get back to normal temp, thus burning more calories.

this is a trick a lot of anorexics/bulemics use.

also, people with those diseases have lists of "safe foods" that supposedly increase metabolism but they for sure burn more calories digesting it than is in the actual food. here is the list:


linky
Click to expand...

If you will read and comprehend my post completely, you will see I said: "It costs small amounts of energy only to move the water through your system....water is not 'digested', it is absorbed. It may cost your body a few more calories, but you aren't going to start losing more weight simply by increasing your water intake necessarily."

And from that you should have gotten the idea that I meant in GENERAL it is not a method of weight loss and should not be considered an option for NORMAL people. The conditions on which anorexics/bulemics (and others) use it would be considered an 'exception to the rule', which is exactly what I was trying to convey when I said 'necessarily'.
 
Originally posted by biz0r
If you will read and comprehend my post completely, you will see I said: "It costs small amounts of energy only to move the water through your system....water is not 'digested', it is absorbed. It may cost your body a few more calories, but you aren't going to start losing more weight simply by increasing your water intake necessarily."
Click to expand...

Perhaps miss FD and I are both reading your statement "the wrong way"... but I don't get it either lol. It sounds like you're saying water has calories?

I'm sure I must be misinterpreting it though. I can't imagine someone would actually think water had calories LOL
 
No, water does not have calories. It only costs energy for your body to physically truck the water around and through your system. This costs you some amount of energy to do so, and thus you could say you 'burn' calories by drinking water. But that amount is so insignificant you would never ever notice it. Now, other people can use water to fool their bodies into thinking they have a stomach full of food, and that will allow one to 'lose' weight easier (more like allowing your body to eat itself alive)...but thats just not the same thing and so it is an exception.

I hope that clears things up a bit on what I am trying to say...
 
Ok I get it now :D

I have to say I'm really intrigued by that list you posted, Liz. I eat a lot of those foods regularly (I fuckin LOVE fruit!!) and of course, I'm a calorie counter :p

I think I'm going to try and google this "negative calorie food" thing to see more about it. I mean it says "many people including doctors agree" that your body burns more calories digesting the food, as compared to the calories IN the food but... well, I dunno.... just sounds too good to be true ;)
 
While it is true that food with a lower GI (Glycemic Index - http://www.glycemicindex.com/ ) cost your body more energy in order to extract what energy is IN the food you eat, I do not believe it is possible to consume a 'negative' food that would cause your body to physically work and tone/trim itself down. Eating enough of whatever type of food to cause something like that would assuredly cause you to feel extremely weak as all of your energy would be in digesting your food!

Once again, please think people...geez. The math for losing weight is simple, depending on your genetics this varies, but: output > input = lost weight. That means you have to use more energy than your body is trying to store with your current food intake.
 
ok, i see what you meant now, i just know that for ME, i lost weight the minute i upped my water intake. if i felt hungry, i'd drink a cold glass of water, and wait 15 minutes... normally, after 15 minutes, i wasnt hungry. this is partially because of the fact that most of the time, when you are hungry, you are really just dehydrated.
 
You are fooling yourself if you think you are dehydrated when you are actually hungry. Hunger is far different than thirst...you KNOW when you fiend water you are dehydrated, now when you FIEND FOOD what do you think your body is trying to tell you? Like I said, do NOT starve your body, and do not trick your body into thinking it is not hungry when it is....as all you are doing is starving it of its requirements. If you get hungry, just eat SENSIBLY/correctly. I eat ALL day...but what I eat 'makes or breaks' me.
 
biz0r said:
Once again, please think people...geez. The math for losing weight is simple, depending on your genetics this varies, but: output > input = lost weight. That means you have to use more energy than your body is trying to store with your current food intake.
Click to expand...

I know this and so does FD. We aren't stupid!!! We know a lot on the subject of nutrition and exercise :p

What I am saying is that its still intrigues me to learn about these "negative calorie foods" because I'm interested in stuff like that. Doesn't mean I'm going to "depend" on the concept of negative calorie foods to maintain my weight or lose a couple pounds. I just found it interesting.
 
Eating a handful of peanuts or a Tbsp of peanut butter every day is the single best thing for losing weight besides exercise... People generally see that peanuts are almost pure fat and try to avoid them. What they don't know is that almost all the fat in peanuts is both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat (GOOD fat) and is not stored. Peanuts also increase testosterone quite a bit, which is a powerful hormone involved in burning fat and building/toning muscle (everyone knows that). One more peanuts do is make you feel very full, so you are less likely to eat foods that are bad for you. Plus it tastes good.


I also reccomend Complex carbs and high protein foods. Lots of water also.
 
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