Following a very strict diet that restricts calories, fat, and carbohydrates may seem like a great idea if you are attempting to lose a lot of weight and get into the best shape of your life. But the truth is that very strict diets could actually ruin your metabolism. Knowing the facts will help you make the right diet choices that will promote a faster metabolism to burn through calories and fat more effectively. Check out the information below to learn more about this important topic.
Eating Too Few Calories Is a Bad Idea
Again, you might think that restricting your calorie intake every day will not ruin your metabolism, but the opposite is actually true. While it is good to watch the number of calories that you consume so that you can effectively burn through all of them based upon your activity level, the key to your success will depend upon the types of foods that you are eating. If you are consuming low calorie foods that are also low in the nutrients that your body needs, you will end up slowing your metabolism.
The key is to consume foods that are high in nutrients and low in calories on a consistent basis. In other words, eat real, whole foods, rather than processed options. Healthy foods with higher fat, protein, and carbohydrates are still better for you than nutrient-depleted foods.
How Often You Eat Doesn’t Affect Your Metabolism
A lot of people think that you will ruin your metabolism if you do not eat small meals regularly throughout the day, but it turns out that this is actually not the case. Whether you consume your entire day’s worth of calories spread out throughout the day or you end up consuming all of those calories in a single meal doesn’t matter.
What matters, as stated above, is what you are eating. High quality whole foods are the best way to give your body the nutrition it needs to keep the metabolism going strong. However, if you are the type of person who tends to get crazy cravings throughout the day if you don’t eat often enough, you should consume several small meals to keep it under control.
Rather than restricting the number of calories that you eat and following a strict diet, consider focusing more on the quality of your food. This simple step will help keep your metabolism in a state of balance for optimal weight loss.