Metabolism Makeover

I went to a community ed class this morning titled "Metabolism Makeover: 7 Strategies For Fighting Fat After 40." I signed up for this class after browsing through the brochure...I was drawn immediately to the class title because...well I'm over 40 and I'm fat.

I was so impressed and inspired with this class. I was hoping that it wasn't the same old same old stuff that I already know that everyone tells us: Calories in, calories out bla bla bla. I'm so over all of that. My entire adult life has been spent trying to lose weight and frankly I'm sick of it. I've done every diet imaginable...herbalife, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers (like 20 times now), asparagus pills, Adkins, Protein Power, South Beach, Cabbage soup....Arrrrrrrrgggggghhhhh. Unfortunately the problem started when I decided I needed to lose weight at the ripe old age of 23...when my ex husband told me I was fat. Looking back I realize that I wasn't fat, infact I was at a lower weight at that age than what I'm wanting to get to now! What I do know now is that I messed up my metabolism by "dieting" at a young age when I really didn't need to!

Okay I got off track. My plan is to summarize all the wonderful information that was gleaned from this class today. I cannot help but want to share it with everyone. There is way too much information for one post so I will deliver it in small doses.

Before I go any further I want to give credit for all this information. http://improveyourposture.com/blog/ Is the blog/website for Janice Novak M.S. who taught this class. Her Blog and website focus on posture improvement which is her main gig now...but she also teaches about fat and metabolism.

She started out with Weight Loss Basics:

• Eat something within 1 hour of waking
• Eat smaller meals/snacks every 3 hours (do not go longer than 4 hours without eating)
• Meals or snacks should contain no more than 500 calories and you should never eat to the point of being stuffed
• Stop your eating by 7:00-7:30--When you stop eating 3 hours before bedtime your body will begin to burn your own fat for fuel. If you like immediate visual reinforcement you can buy those urine ketone strips and test it yourself...check your urine first thing in the morning before eating anything, it will show you as being in a ketosis range if you have been burning fat during the night....if you ate something before bed (that had calories in it) then it will show that you aren't in ketosis.

There is nothing earth shattering here but she gave us the science behind the "rules" and that is the information that I need. She made the interesting point that all of the "guidelines" that are out there regarding how much exercise we all need to lose weight and how many calories we need to eat etc, are results of studies that have been done on Men. Women are different!

I have ketone strips on my list!

Next topic will be about your Thyroid.