One thing that most fitness experts will agree on though, is the incredible weight loss benefits of eating 6 meals a day as opposed to eating 3. By breaking up your meals into 6 small meals you are speeding up your metabolism, which means the food you do eat is broken down more quickly.

Just as important, if not even more important, is the fact that you will very rarely be hungry since you are eating so frequently. This means you won’t get those incredible urges to eat until you’re stuffed, which slows down your metabolism even more than its normal 3 meal a day speed.

To add on to it, since large meals cause most people to be sluggish and sit/lay around, you may very well be more active, which obviously means even more calories burnt!

When it comes down to it you’re eating the same amount of food, you’re just eating smaller portions. It may seem hard to believe that you can lose weight by eating the same amount of food just spreading it out throughout the day, but it’s proven and very true!

Go ahead, give it a shot. Whether you’re just trying to shed a couple extra pounds or you have lots of fat to lose, 6 meals a day works!

img credit: Kanaka

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So how do we do it? Obviously eating right and exercising are very important, but if you don’t work on increasing your metabolism it could take longer than expected!

In other words, if you want to burn fat, you need to speed up your metabolism! Fortunately there are several things you can do, which help do that very thing:

Eat more frequently, but reduce the quantity
This is something that is getting more and more press these days and for good reason! It’s recommend that you eat every 3 hours, but less volume. So, one plan could be to eat breakfast as normal (you heard right, it really is the most important meal of the day,) but split your lunch and dinner each into 2 half portions, equaling 4 small meals (5 counting breakfast.) Eating smaller portions more frequently causes your metabolism to work almost constantly, so it actually tricks it into burning more!

Consume more Protein
Protein isn’t just for body builders! Protein is mostly made of Amino Acids, which are harder for your body to burn than carbohydrates and fat. Because of that, your body burns more calories breaking down those amino acids. So go to GNC, or wherever, and get a big tub of protein and start drinking protein shakes after every workout, whether you’re trying to build muscle or not, but ESPECIALLY if you’re trying to build muscle mass!

Lift Weights
Speaking of building muscle, it’s said that one pound of muscle burns almost 10 times as many calories as one pound of fat! When you strength train your metabolism goes into overdrive and it settles back down hours after your workout. Protein increases metabolism on it’s own and it also helps improve overall muscle gain, so protein and strength endurance combined will really increase your metabolism and strength! And the more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism will get.

Eat spicy stuff
I know some people hate spicy foods, I was one of those people until I started having a really odd craving for spicy foods a few months back. Jalapeno and Cayenne peppers contain a compound called Capsaicin, which research has shown temporarily increases the rate of your resting metabolism.

Interval Workouts
People who do repetitions of high-energy cardio bursts can lose twice as much weight as those who do steady workouts. Going from aerobic (low intensity) to anaerobic (high intensity) combines the best of both worlds. During the aerobic phrase of the workout you’re burning optimal fat. During the anaerobic phrase you’re improving your overall cardio and making your body work harder. So doing different types of interval training, like circuits etc. are a great way to increase your metabolism and improve your overall fitness.

Drink Cold Water
Drinking water in general is an essential part of health in general, but it’s very important in weight loss believe it or not! Not drinking enough water can and most likely will slow down your metabolism and digestion. It will also cause a decrease in energy, which 99% of the time will mean less activity and less activity means less calories being burned!

Drink at LEAST 64 ounces of water every single day and the colder the better! Research has proven that cold water can actually burn more calories than room temp. water!

img credit: Fuschia Foot

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• Don’t get Ripped Off by “Mom and Pop” Gyms
• Gain Confidence: It’s about Appearance and Health, not Weight!
• Healthy Eating is Challenging, but so much more Rewarding!
• Lose Weight with 6 Meals a Day
• The Overlooked Importance of Lower-Body Workouts