Contrary to popular belief, what you eat—and when you eat it—can’t boost your metabolism overnight. There’s also no concrete evidence that supplements, special diets, spicy meals, or green tea will make a dent in the number of calories you burn each day.
It’s how much you eat that makes the difference. Health asked three women to test this concept in a 6-week program (see the December 2006 issue). Calorie control was a key part of our testers’ success. Each woman consumed between 1,100 and 1,500 calories, which they tracked using a food diary. They also followed the healthy-eating strategies recommended by the American Dietetic Association’s Rachel Brandeis, MS, RD.
“The right eating plan can ensure that you’ll feel good while you’re exercising and that you’ll have the energy to get through your workout as well as the rest of your day,” she says. Here, Brandeis shares the eat-right advice that helped our testers.
• Stay above 1,100 calories a day or you can send your body into “starvation mode,” burning fewer calories than normal to preserve energy. (You can check foods’ calorie counts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s database, nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search.)
• Eat a meal or snack every 3 to 5 hours (5 or 6 small meals, or 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks total), so your blood sugar won’t drop and your body will stay fueled for exercise and everyday activities. Between-meal snacks should be 100 to 200 calories each.
• Wake up to breakfast—and eat it within an hour of rising. This may not technically boost your metabolism, but it’ll keep you from getting ravenous by lunchtime.
• Exercise in the morning? Nosh on something small (even if it’s just half a banana or some juice) to raise your blood sugar for energy to do your workout.
• Have a small snack 30 to 60 minutes after exercising to replenish your glucose (the primary source of energy during exercise) and keep from crashing or getting superhungry and shaky later on.
• Choose meals and snacks with a satisfying, low-cal mix of protein, complex carbohydrates, and a little healthy fat. Try low-fat yogurt sprinkled with whole-grain cereal, rye crackers with hummus, or an apple and low-fat cheese.
• Drink lots of water—at least 6 to 8 glasses a day—because it’s easy to get dehydrated when you’re exercising a lot (and that makes workouts feel harder). Plus, many women mistake thirst for hunger and end up overeating.