What’s up everyone? Dr. Mike here ready to drop a simple yet powerful tip on you for the benefit of your health!
I believe that this tip is SO simple to implement that it blows my mind when people actively choose not to do it.
In fact if your goal is to lose weight or to maintain optimal body composition (ratio of lean muscle mass to body fat) then this is a MUST.
Simple Tip For Fat Loss
The individuals that I consult with regarding nutrition have this tip drilled into their minds.
Do you want to know what it is?
I’m almost embarrassed to have to share this because it is so simple and so easy to incorporate. But too many people skip right over this powerful tip that I feel obligated to share it!
Here it goes:
If you want to lose weight you MUST eat a protein rich breakfast within 1 hour of waking up.
I told you that this tip was super simple. But when working with individual’s day in and day out I am absolutely astonished at how many people skip this all important meal. AND how many individual’s choose the wrong “foods” to stat their day.
So let’s dive a little deeper into why it is so important to follow this tip if you want to lose weight.
On average most individual’s sleep for approximately 7-8 hours. If you’re not sleeping at least 7-8 hours per night then we need to talk. It’s important to your health!
During your sleep your body continues to perform vital processes to keep you alive, rejuvenates itself as well as goes into repair mode. You know it needs to “fix” all of the wear and tear that you subjected it to during the course of the day.
All of these processes are energy intensive. The question becomes where is all of this energy coming from?
You’re not actively eating while you’re asleep. Well at least I hope you’re not.
So where does the energy come from? It comes from stored energy in your muscles and liver. This is the energy source that helps keep you going during the course of the night.
After a long night of rejuvenation and repair your energy tank is on empty come morning time.
What your body needs first thing in the morning in order to kick start your metabolism and to get your day going is calories.
But not just any old calories. Your body needs rock solid nutrient dense calories that are rich in protein in order to put your metabolism into hyper-drive and to properly regulate your hormones for the remainder of the day.
This is KEY!
Key To Fat Loss Success
Let me give you an example.
Have you ever “crashed” in the middle of the day? You know what I’m talking about. You hit that wall where you have no energy, you feel mentally exhausted and feel like you could just crawl up into a ball and take a nap?
But you can’t take a nap because you are at work. So what do you do? Of course you reach for that quick fix JOLT. Coffee, soda, sugar etc. Your body is craving a quick boost because your hormones are out of whack!
I’m willing to bet if you can relate to this scenario (and we all have been here at one point in our lives or another) that you either A. Skipped breakfast or B. had a standard American breakfast that is rich in processed grains and sugar.
Am I correct?
Why is this a problem?
BREAK-FAST is just that. It’s a time when your body is BREAKING its overnight FAST. It’s hungry for some good quality nutrition and it wants it fast (well within 1 hour of waking) to help set the tone for your day.
If you choose to skip breakfast your body will “eat itself”. Really! If your body has exhausted all of its energy stores located in your muscles and liver it will begin to start breaking down your muscle mass for energy.
This is a HUGE no-no if you desire good health, loss of body fat and longevity. When you skip breakfast you will lose weight (well maybe depending on what you do with the remainder of your day) but it will be at the expense of your calorie burning, metabolically active, rock star tissue called muscle. This is not HEALTHY weight loss.
If you choose the second option and select a typical American breakfast you are just as doomed and will be on a hormonal rollercoaster for the remainder of your day.
When I say breakfast what “foods” come to mind?
Most working, on the go individuals think about: cereal, bagels, toast, pancakes, French toast, muffins, Danish, oatmeal, “cereal” bars, granola, doughnuts and as an afterthought maybe I’ll hear eggs, bacon, or sausage.
Can you relate?
This is your WAKE-UP call!
The above grain and sugar rich breakfast solutions will start your day off on the wrong foot.
Consuming the typical American breakfast fare will cause your blood sugars to soar through the roof. This then triggers a massive release of insulin to help bring your blood sugar back down to earth. In doing so insulin will pump the extra sugar into your fat cells (yes this is how you put on weight) and you will crash.
Because you have crashed your body will look for a quick fix. It becomes like a drug addict looking for that next quick fix. So what does it crave? You guessed it! More sugary and grain laden “foods” which will spike your blood sugar, light up the pleasure centers of your brain only to repeat the entire crash process again.
The result? You gain weight, don’t sleep well, have no energy, develop low grade chronic inflammation and are on the fast track to developing a chronic disease.
Sounds like fun right? NOT!
Taking care of this wonderful gift called your health doesn’t need to be hard. A little effort goes a long way.
Many individuals make it sound like it is the toughest thing in the world to be healthy. I don’t have time. It’s too expensive. I don’t know how to (fill in the blank) etc.
Yet when their health deteriorates and now they need to make time to go to the doctor, their medical expenses increase and they need to learn how to take their medications they find that perhaps it may have been easier and worth it to do a little preventative maintenance and to invest in themselves.
You need to decide to make YOUR HEALTH a PRIORITY! It’s a great INVESTMENT!
The one solid health investing tip that I would like to share with you today is to eat a protein rich breakfast within 1 hour of waking up.
I want you to think outside of the typical breakfast food “box”. Pass on the bagels, cereal, toast etc.
Breakfast is just another meal (the most important one) in your day.
So select nutrient dense and protein rich foods like you would with any other meal.
Some examples of high performing protein rich breakfast foods include:
Eggs, protein shakes, nuts/seeds, and lean meats (don’t snub your nose until you try it. They are a great way to start your day :) ).
Get creative with your leftovers. My breakfast will often consist of a piece of chicken, beef, or shrimp combine with leftover veggies from the night before. Or I may have a protein shake with coconut milk, protein powder, frozen berries, kale/spinach and some ground flax.
Delicious and nutritious!! And I have plenty of energy during my day, with no cravings or crashes!
Why?
Because protein helps to stabilize your blood sugar and prevents spikes in insulin. It also helps to regulate vital hormones so that you don’t crave the “quick” fix.
Research has proven that when you start your day with a protein rich breakfast you will be less hungry throughout your day, have fewer cravings and will have a positive impact on the hormones that control your metabolism.
You will become an energetic, lean mean fat burning machine!! This translates into losing body fat! Yeah!
So what do you say?
Let’s make a deal!
You will never skip breakfast again and that you will be sure to choose a breakfast that is rich in protein?
At the very least try it for at least 14 days and let me know if you notice a difference.
C’mon that’s not too much to ask is it?
It’s a great investment in yourself and your health which will provide you with grand returns for a lifetime.
Invest in yourself now!
As always, I hope this information has served you and will take you one step closer to your desired health goals.
Did you like this information?
If so, please be sure to let me know what you liked by sending me an email at DrKirk@PerformanceHealthandChiro.com or leave me a comment on Facebook. I would love to keep the conversation going.
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Until we chat again remember: Eat Well, Move Often and Stay Healthy!