cleaningout:

So that’s it for the metabolism series. Over the last week I’ve sprinkled little bits of knowledge on you from scientific studies about metabolism, fasting, fat loss, etc. A lot of it came from the IF (intermittent fasting) group, since they’ve done this research before. A lot of it came from my obsessive love for PubMed. But most of it really came from a need to understand why we do these “diety” things we do. So, now that I’ve looked at all this, I will reiterate what I touched on in my interlude last week.

Do whatever the fuck you want and absolutely NEVER apologize for it.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you won’t lose weight because you don’t like to eat breakfast, or because you eat two or three meals a day, or that because you exercise fasted you’re going to destroy your muscles. Don’t change your schedule and life around to accommodate something you will ultimately despise for destroying your social life. What works for other people may or may not work for you.

Don’t let those posts saying, “I eat 7 times a day and look like this!” trick you into eating 7 times a day. Cause =/= effect. Just because Joe Schmo can eat 2,000 calories a day split over 7 meals doesn’t mean that you can, or want to, or even are able to. Don’t freak out and shove breakfast down your throat when you’re not hungry because someone told you it will “kick start your metabolism!” Don’t buy into a diet based on restriction (no matter how healthy it seems) just because it means you’re inadvertently cutting out high calorie foods. Cravings will kill you. Your destroyed social life will kill you.

This is where I plug Intuitive Eating. Sure, you could go out and spend $14 on the book (which may be a great investment) or you could just stop and listen. Are you hungry right now? Are you hungry for everything on that plate? How do you feel after you eat it? Was it delicious? Gross? Do you feel like crap now? Listen to yourself. Listen to your body. Do certain foods make you feel gross? Stop eating them. Do you want a piece of cake? Eat it. How did it taste? Good? Bad? Do you feel ill a few minutes/hours later?

Want to lose weight? Create a calorie deficit. Eating “clean” and ignoring portion sizes will make you gain weight. Eating into a deficit of crappy foods will make you lose weight, but may make you feel crappy. Listen to your body.

I hate to be a broken record here but no one knows you as well as you do. It’s a lifestyle - not a diet, not a science experiment…it’s your life.

So that’s it. If you want to lose weight track your calories and track your weight. Do you gain weight on 1700 calories a day? Lower it. Feel like you’re lacking in nutrition? Call a nutritionist. Feel like your workout just isn’t cutting it? Look to a professional. Master your metabolism by creating a lifestyle revolving around YOUR needs, not other people’s needs.