13 Amazing Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet

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Are you are looking for a diet plan that benefits your heart, brain, and overall health? If you are, the Mediterranean diet can be the perfect fit for you. There are so many amazing benefits of the Mediterranean diet. This popular diet plan blends all ancient cooking methods and traditional flavors with the very basics of healthy eating.

People living along the bank of the Mediterranean Sea are famous for their longer life spans. The not-so-surprising secret behind their impressive health status and longevity is undoubtedly an active lifestyle and better weight management. The most important of all is a diet rich in nuts and produce and low in sugar, red meat, and saturated fats. This dietary lifestyle, famously attributed to the Mediterranean diet offers a lot of health benefits. They include weight loss, better brain health, and improved heart health. The Mediterranean diet is highly recommended to be followed by many health experts around the world.

This article will discuss the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and why you should incorporate it into your daily diet.

What is the Mediterranean Diet?

When you think about the Mediterranean food, your mind probably jumps to pizza, pasta, or baklava. Maybe even delicious lamb chops from Greece. However, you may be surprised to know that these dishes do not exactly fit the definition of a Mediterranean diet.

The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating that involves the use of traditional cuisines of all the countries located along the border of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a little difficult to define this diet. It is typically high in fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, and olive oil.

The main components of this diet which are behind the Mediterranean diet benefits include:

Eating more fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains
Moderate consumption of dairy products
Consumption of fish, eggs, beans, poultry, and fish on a weekly basis
Limited intake of red meat

Other aspects of the Mediterranean diet include enjoying a glass of red wine occasionally. Being physically active, and of course, sharing meals with other members of the family are traditional for this area of the world too.

Now that you understand the concepts of this diet, let’s move on to discuss the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #1: Weight Loss

Of course, this is the one we love the most. The most awesome benefit of the Mediterranean diet is WEIGHT LOSS. For people fighting chronic obesity for a long time, weight loss is among the most important Mediterranean diet benefits. Research has suggested that following this diet plan can not only help people lose weight but also maintain this healthy weight for a long time. In fact, if followed correctly, this diet plan alone can help you lose as much weight as you can on a low-carb diet. Studies have also found that the Mediterranean lifestyle can also reduce the risk of abdominal obesity in people. [8]

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #2: Stroke Prevention

The most convincing evidence that connects the Mediterranean diet with a reduced risk of stroke is the 2013 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This study found that adhering to the dietary protocols of this diet can reduce the incidence and mortalities related to stroke by 30 percent. [2] This is primarily because the Mediterranean diet focuses on natural fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that reduce the risk of hypertension, which is the number one risk factor for stroke.

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #3 Relief from Depression and Anxiety

Did you know that psychiatrist recommend a diet rich in vegetables and healthy fats? This is because this type of diet aids in treating anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. These foods, especially eggs, spinach, and kale, are particularly rich in carotenoids that balance the good bacteria in your gut. Balancing this good bacteria helps improve your mood, all thanks to the gut-brain connection. Because all these foods make up a major part of the Mediterranean diet, you can expect to experience an improvement in your mental health and energy by simply eating them. [3]

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #4: Blood Sugar Stabilization

Blood sugar stabilization is one of the most useful benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

Unlike other diet plans, the Mediterranean diet is mainly based on healthy carbs such as whole grains. These types of carbs usually bring along with them a lot of benefits. Consuming complex whole-grain carbs, such as quinoa and buckwheat as opposed to refined ones can keep your blood sugar levels within a healthy range. In addition to keeping blood sugar levels low, complex carbs provide you with high levels of energy.

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #5: Postmenopausal Benefits

This is one of the lesser-known Mediterranean diet benefits that not many people are aware of. Following this diet plan can improve bone mass and enhance muscle mass, particularly in postmenopausal women. Considering how menopause can affect them both negatively, adopting on this diet seems like a good idea. [4]

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #6: Better Gut Health

Gut health is closely determined by the balance between the good and bad bacteria inside the body. This bacterial collection, collectively known as the gut microbiome, has been found to improve in people following the Mediterranean diet. This is due to its high fruit and vegetable content.

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #7: Cancer Risk Reduction

Cancer reduction is also a hidden benefit of the Mediterranean diet.This antioxidant and anti-inflammatory-rich diet can particularly protect against cancers of the stomach, breasts, prostate, and head and neck. According to experts, these protective properties can be mainly attributed to the higher consumption of fruits, veggies, and whole grains. [5]

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #8: Longevity

The Mediterranean diet is a nutrient-rich dietary lifestyle that improves general health. As health is improved, you reduce the risk of several, potentially-fatal diseases like stroke and heart disease. You can expect to enjoy a longer, healthier life as a part of the most important benefits of a Mediterranean diet.[6]

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #9: Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes

While many people may find it counterintuitive that a diet plan with so many carbohydrates and ancient grains can help prevent diabetes, certain factors make it easier to comprehend. For example:

The Mediterranean diet includes whole grains and good carbohydrates coming from vegetables only, both of which do not affect your blood glucose as much as refined carbs do.
This diet does not encourage eating too many desserts and sweets
It includes lots of protein and healthy fats.
It encourages daily exercise which helps in the management of diabetes.

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #10: Better Cognition

Better cognition one of the most popular benefits of a Mediterranean diet, especially among aging individuals. Evidence suggests that following this diet plan can reduce cognitive decline while preventing diseases like Alzheimer’s.

A 2016 review published in a journal named Frontiers in Nutrition analyzed the results of 12 independently carried out research studies to conclude that adhering to the Mediterranean diet can boost the health of the brain while reducing cognitive decline and minimizing the risk of encountering any diseases related to memory. [7]

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #11: Arthritis Relief

Limited evidence suggests arthritis improvement as one of the potential benefits of the Mediterranean diet. This is because a lot of foods that are typically included in this diet possess anti-inflammatory properties, such as olive oil, berries, and leafy greens. These foods can reduce the swelling around joints and improve pain management.

The Arthritis Foundation has officially endorsed this particular dietary plan to help manage the symptoms of arthritis in a better way.

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #12: Improved Blood Pressure and Cholesterol

High blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels are two important markers that not only determine your overall health status but also decide the risk of many diseases. If either of these markers is beyond the normal range, it may lead to different health problems that can cut down the lifespan significantly.

Fortunately, there are different ways to manage to lower LDL cholesterol and keep your blood pressure within the normal range. The Mediterranean diet is one of them. Scientists have worked hard to evaluate how these two markers are affected by dietary habits in different individuals. So far, they have concluded that those who adhere to a Mediterranean diet are better able to regulate their cholesterol. [9]

Similarly, following this diet can also help lower blood pressure in all people, irrespective of whether they suffer from hypertension. [10]

Mediterranean Diet Benefit #13: A Healthy Heart

The earliest study that established a link between the Mediterranean diet and improved heart health dates back to the 1950s. Scientists discovered that people residing in the southern side of Italy had a low risk of heart disease. They had a much lower risk of encountering heart disease and its related mortality compared to those living in the posh areas of New York. [1]

Since then, sufficient studies have been conducted validating improved heart health as one of the possible benefits of a Mediterranean diet. Following this diet can also help improve the blood cholesterol level which further improves heart health.

Conclusion

For people looking forward to spending a healthier, longer life with high quality, the choice of a diet plan plays an important role. Because of the potential Mediterranean diet benefits mentioned above, it can be considered a viable choice for ultimate health. On the diet you can live a great life with better heart health, improved cognition, healthy body weight, and a lot more health benefits.

7-Day Easy Metabolic Confusion Meal Plan for Extreme Fat Loss

By

Melinda

0

Confusing your metabolism to lose weight has been a well-known approach for some time now. But have you ever wondered what it is, how it works, or which metabolic confusion meal plan must be followed in order to achieve maximum benefits?

This article will help you understand the basic concept behind metabolic confusion and the mechanism it follows. It will also provide you with a 7-day metabolic confusion meal plan to help you reap maximum benefits.

What is Metabolic Confusion

Metabolic confusion was introduced to the fitness world a few years back as a guaranteed way to shed extra pounds. Despite being overshadowed by the new diet trends coming one after the other, it still remains as a popular and effective method to achieve your weight loss goals.

The concept behind this dietary approach is quite simple. Instead of eating the exact same number of meals holding the same caloric value, you have to follow a metabolic confusion diet plan in which:

You should eat at least 4 or more meals per day (be careful not to overeat)
Every meal must have a varying number of calories. For example, if one of your meal has 500 calories, the next one should comprise of 100 calories. This is also known as calorie shifting. This allows you to have high-calorie days followed by low-calorie days.

When you follow these two rules, a state of metabolic confusion is created in your body. This means that your body tries to make adjustments in your metabolisms depending on your pattern of eating when in actual, there is no pattern. This gives your metabolism a boost and helps you lose body weight quickly.

***Keep reading to gain access to our free metabolic confusion meal plan downloadable pdf.

Metabolic Confusion Meal Plan Approach

In order to get maximum benefits from this diet, all you have to do is eat at least four healthy meals per day while ensuring that every meal has a different caloric value. Generally, people are encouraged to eat low-carb food items like shrimp and veggies because they have low calories. For example, if you have a daily calorie intake of 1200 calories, divide your 4 meals into 2 meals with 400 calories alternating with 2 meals with 200 calories.

Carb Cycling: Best Metabolic Confusion Meal Plan Approach

There are different ways to trick your metabolism and lose weight. Out of all these methods, carb cycling is considered as the best metabolic confusion meal plan to follow. It is an excellent nutrition strategy that alternates between high and low intakes of carbohydrates.

The goal behind varying your carb intake is to help your body access the stored fat and use it as a fuel instead of relying on glycogen. This is combined with exercise, particularly on low-carb days which further boosts the fat-burning ability of the body.

metabolic confusion meal plan — Carb Cycling is a simple way to induce metabolic confusion

Carb cycling can be accomplished in different ways and depends on the individual goals of a person. To integrate carb cycling in your metabolic confusion meal plan, you must break your diet into varying phases of carb intake. For example, you can have low-carb phase and the high-carb phase. Ideally, you must consume more carbs when you are physically more active and reduce their intake during the rest days.

For following the carb cycling meal plan, it is important to determine the number of carbs to eat. For this purpose, several factors must be taken into consideration such as your weight, age, basal metabolic rate, height, activity level, the macronutrient breakdown, etc.

There are many ways to carb cycle to induce metabolic confusion. Here is a sample carb cycling schedule.

Day	Carb Intake	Grams of Carbs
Monday	High	200 g
Tuesday	Moderate	100 g
Wednesday	No/Low	0 – 50 g
Thursday	High	200 g
Friday	Moderate	100 g
Saturday	No/Low	0 – 50 g
Sunday	No/Low	0 – 50 g

Carb Refeeding for Increased Metabolic Confusion

To further increase metabolic confusion, people who carb cycle often do carbohydrate refeeding. This is a day or period where you significantly increase your carb intake level to cause your metabolism to respond more intensely. Here are two methods of carb refeeding.

Method 1: Low-carb diet is followed for 7 to 14 days followed by a day where you increase the intake of carbohydrates significantly. This is known as refeeding and is used more commonly as a reward for being devoted to a low-carb diet for such a long time. This helps build the psychology of this entire metabolic confusion meal plan. It also ensures that your body is as near to starvation mode as possible but does not cross it.
Method 2: A refeeding day is incorporated in the metabolic confusion meal plan after 3 to 4 days of following a low-carb diet. This method is especially useful for those who find it difficult to cut carbs from their diet for weeks.

Irrespective of the method you follow, it is important for your body to work out on refeeding days.

***At the end of this article, check out our 7-day metabolic confusion meal plan.

Best Carbs for Carb Cycling Metabolic Confusion Meal Plan

On a high-carb day, try eating starchy carbohydrates coming from foodslike oatmeal, potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, fruit, and whole-wheat bread. These starches possess more complexly-structured carbs that require more energy to break down. Be sure to include lean protein sources like chicken, turkey, and fish. Also, consuming whey protein power is highly recommended. Here is a low carb whey powder we recommend. We have included it in our 7-day metabolic confusion meal plan.

Isopure Low Carb Protein Powder

On low-carb days, you must stay away from starchy vegetables and fruits. You are still allowed to consume low-carb veggies such as eggplant, leafy greens, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, avocados, or cauliflower. You may get protein from lean beef, chicken breasts, and turkey.

5 Benefits of Metabolic Confusion Meal Plans

Here are five benefits of following a metabolic confusion meal plan include:

Weight Loss: A metabolic confusion meal plan leads to a calorie deficit which promotes weight loss.
Fat Burning: A low-carb diet allows your body to switch your fuel from carbohydrates to fats.
Muscle Recovery: High-carb days help refuel your muscle glycogen and provides your body with all essential nutrients.
Energy Enhancement: High-carb days in a metabolic confusion diet provide energy for working out.
Insulin Regulation: Low-carb days prevent your sugar levels from spiking while enhancing weight loss. High-carb days, on the other hand, provide a sufficient amount of sugar for the preservation of muscle tissue

Concluding Thoughts on Metabolic Confusion

Following a metabolic confusion meal plan is a great way to reach your weight loss goals without completely depriving your body of all the nutrients. By switching between high-carb and low-carb days, it is possible to shed the several pounds without completely eliminating carbs from your diet.

We have created a 7-day metabolic confusion diet meal plan for you. Simply complete the form below and your will be taken to a page to download the free pdf file.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at melinda@libifit.com

Till next time…

7 Scientifically Proven Foods to Improve Happiness, Increase Productivity, and Boost Sex Drive

By

Melinda

0

It is a famous saying that, “you are what you eat.” Your food choices are extremely important because they largely affect your health. It is these foods that determine how you feel, act, and work. So if you have been feeling low lately, unable to perform on your job, or having trouble getting excited between the sheets, chances are you are not eating the right kind of food.

So you wonder…how can food lift your mood and improve your sex drive? By controlling the production of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin in your brain. Keep reading and I’ll explain.

The Role of Neurotransmitters in Brain Health

The human brain is just like an electrical circuit controlled by certain chemical agents called neurotransmitters. There are hundreds of neurotransmitters working in your nervous system every minute to accomplish various functions. Among these neurotransmitters are dopamine and serotonin which are in charge of the “pleasure system” of your brain.

Both serotonin and dopamine help you feel happy and invokes a sense of reward in order to increase performance productivity. They also increase attention, sharpen focus, and increase your ability to work. Dopamine also increases the blood flow towards the sexual organs by vasodilation of the arteries. This helps increase the sex drive.

Individuals having low dopamine or serotonin levels often suffer from feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and at times despair. They are sometimes not able to cope with stress and tend to isolate them from others, leading to a decreased happiness level. They are easily distracted, unable to focus, and often find it hard to finish tasks within the deadline. [1]

So if consider yourself a periodic or chronic victim of dopamine or serotonin deficiency, the following 7 foods will help you regain happiness, improve focus, and increase your overall interest and desire for sex.

Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons are extremely important to improve mood and increase your body functioning. This is mainly due to the presence of vitamin C.

The presence of vitamin C is necessary for your body to produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine. These neurotransmitters, in turn, stabilize your mood and prevent the feelings of unhappiness.

A clinical study has indicated that replenishing the levels of vitamin C in hospitalized patients can lead to a 51% decrease in psychological stress and a 71% decrease in mood disturbances. [2] Once you regain control of your mood, it becomes easier to find happiness, increase mental capacity, and improve sexual performance.

Spinach

Spinach and other leafy greens are a rich source of vitamin B6. This nutrient is famous for its positive effects on the production of serotonin. By increasing the levels of this happy hormone, spinach helps you to feel good about yourself hence, makes you happier.

Folate deficiency has strongly been associated with clinical depression and reduced productivity. [3] Fortunately, spinach is a rich source of folate and can help you overcome a depressive phase in an efficient way.

So try including as much spinach as possible in your daily diet. Remember to consume it in raw form to gain maximum benefits.

Salmon

Salmon along with other cold-water fish such as herring, tuna, and mackerel are also a rich source of vitamin B complex. As mentioned before, these vitamins are important for stimulating the production of serotonin which makes you happy, relaxes your mind and helps with performance anxiety.

In addition to this, salmon is also a rich source of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids called the omega-3s. These omega-3 fatty acids can also trigger the release of serotonin from brain and help in regulation of mood. [4] Lastly, salmon along with other types of fish is a great source of selenium, a trace mineral. Low levels of selenium have been strongly associated with depression.

So if you believe depression is one of the reasons for your unhappiness, reduced focus, and tensed sexual life, try eating as much salmon as possible.

Chocolates

Who doesn’t love chocolates? It is not only delicious but also elevate your mood by regulating neurotransmitters. Serotonin is one of the neurotransmitters affected by chocolate which, in turn, regulates mood, appetite, and sleep patterns. [5]

Like all other starchy foods, chocolate is also a rich source of tryptophan, an amino acid that gets converted into serotonin within the brain. Moreover, it also contains an antioxidant called resveratrol that boosts the production of dopamine and improve the sharpness of brain and treat problems with libido. Sometimes chocolate can even be better than sex…just kidding!

Cheese

Tyrosine is an important amino acid found in most of the dairy products including cheese. This amino acid supports your brain to produce norepinephrine and dopamine. [6] Both of these neurotransmitters possess stimulating properties and perk you up, increase the alertness levels, and sharpen your mind.

An increased dopamine level due to cheese will also ensure that you are able to perform better sexually. This will help you achieve satisfaction in your personal life which consequently increases the overall levels of happiness and quality of life.

Coffee

Many of you have witnessed the powerful effects of caffeine on your brain. It drastically increases your energy levels and boosts overall productivity. In addition to avoiding grogginess, it also stimulates the release of dopamine, especially in the area controlling focus and attention.

It is a common misconception that consuming coffee alters the blood sugar levels, exerts stress on your adrenals, and disturb the hormones controlling sex drive. Most of these facts are nothing but myths and coffee consumption has nothing to do with increased adrenal stress or a low sex drive. It may slightly alter sugar levels but only in people suffering from diabetes type 2.

Research has indicated that men who consume 2-3 cups of coffee per day are at a lesser risk of developing erectile dysfunction. [7]

Bananas

Bananas are a rich source of an enzyme called bromelain which not only increase sex drive but may potentially reverse male impotence. In addition to this, bananas are a rich source of vitamin B and potassium which increase your energy levels and sharpen focus.

Tyrosine, the building block of dopamine is also found in abundance in bananas so make sure to eat enough of this fruit. [8]

Check out this video for more diet tips on how to increase serotonin.

Diet & Nutrition : How to Increase Serotonin With Foods & Vitamins

Watch this video on YouTube

Conclusion

The seven food items mentioned above have been scientifically proven to increase the levels of serotonin and dopamine, the mood-regulating neurotransmitters of the brain. Using these foods on a regular basis can, therefore, increase happiness, productivity, and sex drive leading to a better quality of life.

For more information like this concerning diet, exercise, productivity, and how to just be phenomenal woman, sign up for our newsletter.

Till next time…

7-day Proven Diet & Exercise Plan for Endomorph Females

By

Melinda

0

The Endomorphic Body Type

An endomorph body type refers to a body type, which is adept at storing fuel with fat and muscle usually concentrated at the lower parts of the body. Endomorph females who have this body type frequently experience struggles losing weight and managing your overall fitness levels.

Endomorphs tend to gain weight easily while having a difficult time losing it. Females who have this body type are usually curvaceous and soft while showing a feminine body shape. Males with the endomorph body type, on the other hand, tend to have round and soft bodies.

If you notice that you have problems losing weight even if you exert a lot of effort then there’s a great chance that you fall into the endomorph category. Among the most common characteristics showcased by endomorphs are the following:

Soft and round physique
Naturally chubby
Long trunk and tapered limbs
Short neck
Wide bone structure
Prominent upper arms and thighs
High fat-to-muscle ratio
Have muscles concealed beneath layers of subcutaneous fats
High BMI or weight range
Strong bones
Poor muscle definition

As an endomorph, you have a higher chance of gaining weight easily because of your poor metabolism but there is still a way for you to drop the excess weight and enjoy a leaner and more balanced physique. All it takes is to develop a diet and exercise plan, which greatly considers your body type as you can expect to respond well to it.

Getting a more balanced physique for endomorphs is actually all about developing your shoulders as well as getting rid of the excess weight from the lower part of your body. You can also take advantage of a cardio plan with low to medium intensity. As far as your meal plans are concerned, it would be best to focus on a 1,750-calorie meal plan daily, which is rich in fiber.

Best Diet Approach for Endomorph Females

Your body type actually plays a major role not only in figuring out the best sports and exercise plan that’s suitable for you and how easily you gain and lose weight but also in determining the kinds of foods that can fuel your body and promote weight loss. If you’re an endomorph and one of those women struggling with weight loss then note that the best diet plans for you are those that are low in carbohydrates and high in fiber.

Note that as an endomorph, you have a high insulin and carbohydrate sensitivity. Your body converts foods rich in carbs into sugar, increasing their chances of being stored as fats instead of being burned for energy. With that in mind, it would be best to stick to a low-carb diet for several days a week. By significantly reducing your carb intake, you can encourage your body to burn fat.

Here are just some reasons why a low-carb diet works for endomorphs:

Increases your Consumption of Protein

By creating an endomorph diet plan, which has a lower amount of carbs, you also get the chance to increase your intake of protein. It’s actually beneficial for you, especially if your goal is to lose the weight. What’s good about increased protein intake is that it also leads to quick satiation. With that, expect the low-carb and high-protein diet to give you full control of your appetite.

An increase in protein intake is also helpful in retaining or gaining lean muscle mass when you’re losing weight. A higher amount of protein in your diet plan results in a higher lean muscle mass and an increase in the amount of fats burned during the weight loss process.

Reduces your Sugar Intake

When following a low-carb diet, one of the carbs that you have to get rid of from your meal plans is sugar. It, therefore, automatically reduces your intake of sugar and reduces your risk of dealing with metabolic problems caused by fructose. Note that if your liver accumulates excessive amounts of glycogen, the fructose that will reach there gets converted into fat.

This will result in a high level of blood lipid or increased risk of experiencing fatty liver. This further results in insulin sensitivity, poor metabolism, and glucose tolerance, causing you to gain more weight. That won’t be the case if you stick to a low-carb diet since your sugar intake will be reduced dramatically.

Increases Fat in your Meals

What’s good about increasing fat in your meals while taking in fewer carbohydrates is that it also works in slowing down the gastric emptying process. This results in making you feel full for longer because it takes a longer time for food to reach your gut. You will have lower appetite, which will subsequently reduce your calorie consumption, making it possible to attain weight loss in the process.

Other Potential Benefits

A low-carb diet is also good for endomorph females because it works fast and aids in minimizing your caloric density while increasing your nutrient density at the same time. It also helps you remove foods that are really rich in fat from your diet, such as potato chips and cheesecake. Furthermore, it lets you enjoy flavorful foods, so expect to have an easier time sticking to it for a long time.

Steps to Attaining Success when Following the Low-carb Diet

#1 – Eat Frequently

Taking frequent meals is the key to success when following a low-carb diet. You need frequent meals to gain the right balance of cortisol and insulin. Your goal should be to eat around 5-6 small meals daily spaced out every 2-3 hours.

#2 – Include Complete Protein and Healthy Fats in your Meals

Make sure that each of your meals comes with one source of complete protein. Some options are free-range and wild-caught animal proteins. Healthy fats should also form part of your meals. Aside from enhancing the flavors of the foods you take in, healthy fats also aid in quick and proper nutrient absorption. Some excellent sources of healthy fats are nut oils, avocado, olive oil, and coconut oil.

#3 – Make Green Veggies a Part of your Diet

The best recommendation is 2-3 cups of green veggies incorporated into your meals. Aside from being rich in nutrients, these vegetables also help you get fuller for longer. They also provide a good supply of fiber into your diet.

#4 – Stay Away from Drinks Rich in Calories

Ensure that your diet includes only those liquids that do not contain calories. Some of your best options are coffee, tea, and pure water. Stay away from sweetened drinks.

#5 – Customize your Carbohydrate Consumption

It would be best for you to customize your carbohydrate consumption based on your specific needs. For instance, if you fall under those who are overweight with minimal activities (just like most of the endomorph female population) then make sure that your daily carb intake is only 50 grams to guarantee weight loss.

7-day Endomorph Low-carb Diet Plan

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
1	½ banana 1 glass protein shake ½ cup oatmeal	1 6-oz. can tuna with sesame seeds and low-fat mayonnaise ½ peach Celery sticks	1 cup veggies 6-oz. lean protein 1 sweet potato	1 tbsp. pumpkin seed 1 peach
2	1 slice ham and cheese ½ slice whole-grain toast ½ cup blueberries	6-oz. lean protein ½ cup edamame 2 cups romaine ¼ avocado	8-oz. steak ½ cup strawberries ½ cup broccoli	1 glass protein shake
3	½ cup porridge containing 1 tbsp. crushed walnuts ½ cup soy milk	1 grilled fish fillet 2 cups veggie salad	100-g steak ½ cup wild rice (cooked)	1 pear Brazil nuts
4	Poached eggs with 1 slice of cheese 1 cup coffee with cream or milk 3 pcs. strawberries	6-oz. lean protein 1 small sweet potato 1 cup veggies ½ cup berries	chicken breast cup strawberries and walnuts cup cabbage salad	Soy yogurt with granola
5	2 slices of carrot and cheddar sandwich Some slices of pineapple	1 salmon steak ½ cup green beans small side salad	Grilled Chicken Breast 1 cup rice	1 orange Almonds
6	½ cup oatmeal 1 banana Protein shake	roasted chicken breast Vegetable salad with at least 7 veggies	Lean chicken sausage Mashed potato Steamed veggies	2 rice crackers
7	Scrambled egg whites ½ cup grapes 1 cup coffee or tea	Spinach salad containing almonds ½ cup pineapple	Pork chop 1 cup cucumber salad ½ cup cantaloupe	Some celery sticks

Endomorph Weight Training and Exercise Plan

One of the most common misconceptions when it comes to working out is that women should avoid lifting weights and focus on cardio workouts even more. It’s the reason why there is only a small number of women doing weight training. It’s time to change that misconception, though as weight training is actually helpful in trimming inches from your waist and hips and transforming your whole health and body for the better.

Here are five of the benefits that women, especially endomorphs, can get from weight training:

Benefit 1: Loses Body Fat

With weight training, building muscle will be much easier for you. The good thing about building and increasing lean muscle is that it also improves your metabolism, resulting in an improved ability to burn more calories throughout the day. An average woman who does strength training 2-3 times weekly for a period of 2 months can even gain almost 2 lbs. of lean muscle while losing 3.5 lbs. of fats.

Benefit 2: Improves Strength without Bulking Up

Most women do not strength train because they are afraid that this will cause them to bulk up. It’s actually a misconception as such case won’t happen. Note that women don’t have enough testosterone designed to gain and build muscles as men. That said, expect weight training to actually help you develop strength and muscle definition without the bulk.

Benefit 3: Adds Curves to your Body

Another positive benefit of weight training to endomorph females is that it adds more curves to their body. Your gained muscle can actually help you obtain a nice hourglass figure. Weight training is, therefore, the answer to your desire to develop lovely curves and retain them.

Benefit 4: Elevates Energy

Weight training can also help elevate your energy. It has a positive impact on your energy balance. That said, it would be best to grab a barbell in place of your afternoon coffee. Aside from lifting your energy, this workout can also improve your mood because it helps release endorphins.

Benefit 5: Promotes Better Heart Health

Weight training also makes you less prone to developing heart diseases. In fact, lifting weights can lower your chances of having risk factors for heart disease, like large waist circumference, increased glucose level and blood pressure, and high triglyceride level.

Check out the video below to learn more tips on workouts for endomorph body types.

High Intensity Interval Training

Aside from weight training, high intensity interval training (HIIT) is also a great exercise for endomorph females. HIIT refers to workouts with an aim of alternating intense activities and fixed periods of activities that are less intense. It could also be alternated with a period of complete rest.

An example is running intensely for a minute then alternating it with walking for two minutes. Do this for 5 times within a 15-minute workout. If you’re an endomorph then HIIT is also a good workout for you. Here are the reasons why:

Increases your Metabolic Rate

A sluggish metabolism is a common problem among endomorphs. This problem can actually be solved with the help of HIIT. It lets you burn calories and increase your metabolic rate even hours after your exercise. It is also capable of shifting your metabolism towards utilizing excess fats for energy instead of carbs.

Burns Fats and Calories in a Short Period

As an endomorph, you can greatly benefit from a workout that burns fats and calories within just a short period, and that’s what you can expect from HIIT. A 15-minute HIIT workout can even let you burn more calories than walking or jogging on a treadmill for at least one hour.

Loses Fat Instead of Muscle

Cardio workouts are often linked to muscle loss. This isn’t the case with HIIT. In fact, you can combine HIIT with weight training to ensure that you preserve your gained muscle while shedding excess fat and weight.

Conclusion

Endomorph females, while facing struggles with weight loss, can actually attain their target weight if they just customize their diet and exercise plan based exactly on their body type. If you’re an endomorph then you’ll gain favorable results by tailoring your workout plan through weight training and HIIT and your meal plan through a low-carb diet.

Foods to Eat to Get Thick: Eat Your Way to Nice Curves

By

Melinda

0

Have you ever wondered what are the specific foods to eat to get thick? If you answered yes to that question, then you will be happy to know that getting thick, meaning having a bigger butt and nice thighs while still showing off a small waist, is possible through a proper diet. You just have to know the right foods to eat to get thick and head to the grocery store.

Most of the foods that you can eat to become thicker are actually effective for muscle recovery, strength, and growth. They are glute-growing foods that you can safely incorporate into a healthy diet. Paired with proper and regular exercise, you can expect these foods to eat to get thicker to give you a little more “junk in your truck.”

The Importance of Clean Eating

Just like when you are trying to lose weight or maintain health, clean eating also plays a major role in thickening your butt, growing your thighs, and getting those curves. You need to make some improvements to your diet. Also, make sure that it is clean the majority of the time. Clean eating to get thicker means eating lean protein, healthy carbs and fats, and consuming antioxidants.

When determining the foods to eat to get thicker, remember that your main priority is on how to grow your glutes. Those are the muscles composing your butt. To do this, you need foods rich in dietary protein. Lean protein helps build and maintain your muscle mass especially after your workout. Here are a few lean “booty building” proteins to add to your diet now.

Chicken Breasts
Turkey Breast
Whey Protein
White Flesh Fish
Plain Greek Yogurt
Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
Lean Beef
Pork Loin
Egg Whites

Some of these foods among other are discussed in-depth down below.

foods to get a bigger butt — Chicken breasts are excellent foods to help you get a bigger butt.

Incorporating a high amount of lean protein into your diet is only the beginning. You also need antioxidants, healthy fats, and healthy carbs. All these nutrients that you can practice clean eating and promote the growth of your muscles. They do so by keeping your cells fueled, boosting your ability to recover, and lowering inflammation induced by exercises.

How Much Should You Eat to Thick?

Now the question is how much should you eat? Since you are seriously thinking about gaining weight in your buttocks and thighs, then calorie counting is not specifically a goal. It isn’t how much you are eating overall, it is how much of each macro-nutrient group you are eating. There are three macro-nutrient groups are protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

Protein is one of the most important macros for muscle building and getting thick. Therefore you need to make sure you are eating at least one times your body weight in grams of protein. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you need to eat 150 grams or more of protein per day.

To truly get thick, you need to eat a higher amount of carbs, but the RIGHT carbs. You should target 150 – 200 grams of healthy complex carbs per day. Don’t know what complex carbs are? Check out this video.

Fats are certainly necessary to get PHAT (pretty, hot, and tempting)! However, just as with carbs, you must eat the right types of fat. Good fats are unsaturated fats. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are healthy and help to lower disease risk. You should consume around 45 – 50 grams of fat per day. Some healthy fat foods are: avocados, dark chocolate, cheese, chia seeds, extra virgin olive oil and nuts. Here is a graphic discussing different types of fat from https://www.heart.org/

Top Foods that Go Directly to Your Buttocks and Thighs

Now, here are some of the healthiest foods to eat to get thicker butt and thighs. Include them in your clean eating diet and you will surely notice huge improvements in those areas granted you incorporate a targeted exercise regimen.

Eggs

Eggs definitely top the list of foods to eat to get thick. As a matter of fact, this protein-rich food is a favorite of many bodybuilders. Aside from being rich in protein, eggs also contain plenty of healthy fats, iron, vitamins, carotenoids, zeaxanthin, and lutein.

Aim to supply your body with around 21 grams of protein from white or whole eggs. One egg has about 7 grams of protein. That means, three eggs per day should suffice. There are several ways to prepare eggs, boil, scramble, poach or even in an omelet. Just add them to your daily breakfast and you should be good to go. Doing so promotes more effective muscle-building, which can benefit your thighs and buttocks.

Brown Rice

Brown rice is also one of the most highly recommended foods for clean eating. What’s great about it is that it is also ideal for those in search of foods to get a bigger butt. Brown rice is better than white rice for you as was stated in the video above. It helps to boost your energy and falls into the category of complex carbohydrates.

If you want to grow your butt and thighs, consuming brown rice before each workout can benefit you a lot. The reason is that it contains BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids). This specific amino acid works in lowering your risk of experiencing muscle fatigue and damage. It also aids in the recovery of your muscles.

Moreover, brown rice supplies your body with carbs as well as protein. This is a good thing as protein is necessary for the growth of your muscles. One thing to remember about brown rice is to measure your servings. Also, measure the rice once it is cooked. You should have about ¾ – 1 cup of rice when you eat it. Don’t go overboard.

Nuts

Increase your intake of nuts, too, as they are among the recommended cleanfoods to get thick thighs and butt. Among your best choices for nuts are cashews and almonds. The two contain healthy calories (around 15o to 170 for each serving).

In addition, they also contain a lot of fiber, healthy fats, and protein. With that in mind, you can expect your body to utilize the calories present in nuts without adding weight to unwanted places. They instead put those added weight to your butt, which is where you actually want it to go. However, if you eat too many nuts, you will gain weight in the WRONG places. You must make sure eat no more than two or three handful of nuts per day and keep track of the fat grams you consume.

Lean Meat

Of course, you also need to eat lean meat if you want to increase your intake of foods to eat to get thick. The reason is that this meat is rich in protein. It is what you need to build the muscles in your butt.

Moreover, protein can be your best ally during your workouts. Protein is the key to muscle repair and recovery. Make sure to consume lean meats, like fish, chicken, and lean beef as listed above.

Consuming high amounts of lean protein can help you build muscle without worrying about gaining excess fats. Also, lean meat contains plenty of essential vitamins and minerals necessary for improving your health.

Beans

Beans are also among the best sources of protein. That said, beans are definitely among the clean foods that get you thick. By increasing your intake of beans, you can definitely build the muscles in your butt naturally.

If you are vegan, then you will also surely love this muscle-growing benefit of beans. It is rich not only in protein but also in fiber. In addition, it is low in fat. It also contains several amino acids necessary for muscle growth.

You will also love the versatility of beans. They are versatile that you can prepare them in various ways. They work incredibly as a side dish or as a part of your main meal. You may also incorporate beans in various dishes to increase their protein content and enhance flavor.

Flax Seeds

Aside from being rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, flax seeds are also rich in phosphorus, B-vitamins, and magnesium. Adding these seeds into your meals can definitely increase your intake of protein. Foods to eat to get thick thighs and butt are full of Omega-3 fatty acids.

As a matter of fact, you will already receive 4 grams or so of protein with just around 2 tablespoons of these seeds. This is vital for muscle-building that can support the making of a bigger butt.

Legumes

The list of the bestfoods eat to get thick will never be complete without including legumes, a plant family composed of lentils, peanuts, peas, and beans. One reason why it considered one of the great foods to get bigger butt is that it has high protein content. This specific nutrient maximizes muscle synthesis, which can make your glutes grow significantly.

One cup of chickpeas, for instance, already contains almost 13 grams of protein. In addition, legumes also supply your body with vital micronutrients. An example is magnesium, a mineral that supports the production of energy and the contraction of your muscles.

Legumes to eat to get a bigger butt — Legumes to Eat to Get Thick

Greek yogurt

You should also make Greek yogurt a part of your diet if you are searching for foods to get a bigger butt. It is a nutritious food that aids in growing your butt. It offers such a benefit especially if you think about its high-fat content.

The fat content in Greek yogurt is even higher compared to other yogurt, which is why it can definitely thicken and add mass to your buttocks. While high-fat content is not good for you when taken in huge doses, it is still beneficial for you to eat Greek yogurt in moderation. Just make sure to pair it up with other clean and nutritious foods, too.

Avocado

Avocado is another of the healthiest and cleanest foods to eat to get thick in the category of healthy fats. One advantage of avocado is that it is a tasty fruit, so making it a part of your regular diet will not be a problem. It can supply your body with not only protein but also healthy fats and fiber.

Moreover, it is rich in potassium, magnesium, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin C. You can also receive enough antioxidants from avocado – among which are carotenoids, such as cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and lutein.

What’s great about these antioxidants is that they can prevent inflammation, injury, and soreness of your muscles after exercise. With that, expect to be able to recover faster than usual. One more nutrient that is so high in avocado is potassium, which is extremely helpful in the growth and contraction of your muscles.

avocado for bigger butt — Eat avocado as one of the foods to get thick

Quinoa

Are you not fond of eating rice? Then a healthy and clean alternative to eat that is also one of the most incredible foods to get a bigger butt is quinoa. It can support your goal of becoming thick with its high protein content.

In addition, it also contains plenty of amino acids. It is a fantastic source of manganese, magnesium, and iron, too – all of which can support your body’s development as well as muscle metabolism.

Tofu

If you are searching for vegan foods to eat to get thick, then tofu is an option for you. It is extremely high in protein, which is the reason why a lot of vegans who prefer consuming protein from plants include tofu in their diet. You can also get healthy fats and carbs from tofu.

Aside from being completely plant-based, increasing your consumption of tofu is also good for your health. It can lower your cholesterol level as well as make you less prone to dealing with high blood pressure and heart diseases.

Moreover, tofu boasts a high amount of isoflavones. This substance offers the advantage of making you less prone to prostate cancer, chest problems, and Type 2 diabetes.

Milk

Make sure to drink milk regularly if you are aiming to have a bigger butt. You can’t just choose any milk, though. It’s best to go for whole milk as it can support your goal of developing a firmer and rounder butt.

If possible, drink whole milk after your workout. The reason is that doing so can stimulate muscle protein synthesis, which is beneficial for muscle-building.

Pairing Your Diet with the Right Workout

Basically, most of the foods to eat to get thick are high in protein. The reason is that this nutrient is what will support your goal of gaining muscles. Aside from adjusting your diet, you also have to pair it up with the right workouts.

You need to look for exercises that target growth your thighs and butts while burning unwanted calories in other areas. Here are just a few great examples of exercises for firmer, bigger, and rounder butt and thighs:

Basic Squat

The basic squat is a simple yet effective exercise that will let you gain muscles around your thighs and hips. The whole premise of this exercise is to lower your hips after being in a standing position and go back up to standing again.

What’s great about the basic squat is that you can perform the exercise with or without weights. For instance, you can perform air or bodyweight squats, allowing you to squat without adding any resistance.

You can intensify your squats by adding some type of weight or resistance. You can squat why a barbell, kettlebell, or regular dumbbells. Regardless of how you do the basic squat, you can expect it to target your thighs, butt, and calves. So adding squats to your foods to eat to get thick, can get you closer to nice curvy figure you want.

Deadlift

The deadlift is also a great addition to your workout routines if your goal is to thicken up. It is a form of exercise that requires heavy lifting. You can perform a deadlift in a variety of ways. Check out this video on how to deadlift.

When performing the deadlift, note that the majority of the power is taken through your lower back and hips. With that, expect this exercise to help in strengthening your lower back.

It also makes your glutes grow while providing an opportunity for your buttocks and thighs to gain weight.

You can also deadlift with a kettlebell. Here is another great instructional video for deadlifting with a kettlebell.

Hip Thrusts

Hip thrust are effective at working the hamstrings (the back of the leg) and the butt. To do a hip thrust, you start in a seated position on the floor in front of a bench. You can add weight via a barbell to your hip crease using some type of padding. Squeeze your butt and stomach and lift your hips until your back is parallel with the floor. Squeeze your butt and hold this position for two seconds at the top. Lower your hips and repeat. See the demo videos for how to do hip thrusts with and without weights.

Without A Barbell

With Barbell

Hydrants with Leg Extension

Hydrants with leg extension is an exercise that should be done regularly along with consuming those foods to eat to get thick. To do this exercise, begin on all fours. Your knees should be hip-width apart while you let your wrists stack over the shoulders.

After that, bend your knees at a 90-degree angle. Raise your right leg to the point that it gets to your hips’ height. Extend the raised leg to your side.

Stop for a bit then bend your knees once again. Bring back your leg to the starting position so you can finish one rep. Check out this demo video.

Resistance Band Butt and Thigh Exercies

One of the best tools you can use to get thick is a resistance band. Resistance band training along with the right diet can help you get some junk in your trunk fast. The beauty of resistance training for a bigger butt and thighs is that it can be done anywhere. You can do a resistance band workout at home, at the office, or at the gym to supplement your gym workouts.

There are so many different exercises you can do with a resistance band or what some call a hip circle. If you are ambitious, you can create exercises yourself! Here is a video showing 10 different resistance band exercises you can do for your lower body.

Here is a set of resistance bands we love. We love them because they have various ranges of resistance so that as you get stronger, you can keep your workout intensity. Another awesome thing about this, is that if you have a desk job, slide the band over your thighs and work your butt sitting right at your desk! Click on the link below to grab this set of bands from Amazon now. https://amzn.to/2Um1rz8

Concluding Words on Foods to Eat to Get Thick

When determining what foods to eat to get thick, those high in protein should be on top of your choices. This because protein can maintain any muscle mass that is already existing while also promoting the growth of your muscles. However, carbs and fats are very important as well.

Just make sure that you also combine your diet with highly targeted exercise, particularly resistance band training. Avoid overeating on the foods recommended for thickening the butt and thighs, too. There is such as a thing as “too much of a good thing.” Any amount of overeating will lead to fat gain…in the wrong places.

The ultimate rule here is to still be in control of what and how much you eat so you can truly get the result you want, which is to have those nice curves.

Fasting 101: A Beginner’s Simple Guide to Intermittent Fasting

By

Melinda

0

FASTING 101: GETTING STARTED WITH INTERMITTENT FASTING

Looking for an intermittent fasting 101 guide? Well you have found it! With so many theories about health and weight loss, it becomes hard for somebody to know which will work best. Knowing the trend to adopt to achieve your weight loss and health is not easy because there is something new almost every day.

Although most of them are authentic and will work, the trick lies in deciding which method is best for you. Most of the methods are hard to follow because they are very restrictive when it comes to eating. Other than keeping a restrictive eating method, it is far much better to restrict eating, which is referred to as intermittent fasting.

Here is what you need to know before you get started with intermittent fasting:

HOW DOES INTERMITTENT FASTING WORK?

Fasting 101 begins with an explanation of intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting differs from the other dietary methods in that its main focus is on the eating plan other than what you eat. Intermittent fasting gives you an eating schedule on when to eat, and it switches between fasting and eating on a regular plan. That means you only eat at specific times, fast for several hours during a specific day or eating at certain times in a given week. The best thing about the method is that it is said to have several health benefits and is also a good way of managing your weight.

THE HISTORY OF INTERMITTENT FASTING

The history of intermittent fasting dates back to our forefathers, who survived through hunting and gathering before farming began. They used to survive for many days without food because it could take many days and a lot of effort to hunt for game or gather berries. As opposed to the current state, many people used to play a lot because there were no shows to watch. At the same time, snacking was not as common as today because people take snacks a lot as they stay awake more, catching their favorite shows.

THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING 101

Intermittent fasting does not specify the kind of foods to eat. All it does is to give a pattern of eating and fasting. Other than majoring in what to eat, the main focus is when. It provides a timetable of when to eat. You can therefore refer to it correctly as an eating pattern.

INTERMITTENT FASTING METHODS

There are varied ways to apply intermittent fasting. It is all about splitting your day or week into eating times and fasting times. During the fasting periods, you should eat either very little or nothing at all. Here are some of the ways you can apply to achieve your intermittent fasting. In addition, here are 101 fasting methods to achieve the best results.

EAT-STOP-EAT

In this method, you will need to fast for 24 hours once or twice a week. That means you do not eat anything else after dinner until the next day at dinner time.

THE 5:2 DIET

The 5:2 diets involve consuming only 500-600 calories two days a week, not following each other. In the other five days, you eat in a usual way.

THE 16/8 FORMULA

The 16/8 formula is also called the lean gains protocol, where you skip breakfast and restrict your eating periods daily to eight hours. That may mean from1-9P.m. You keep your eating pattern to the eight hours, and for the rest 16 hours, you leave them for fasting. If you keep this pattern and reduce your calorie intake, you can achieve substantial weight loss. But you must make sure you do not compensate by taking more during your eating times.

THE BENEFITS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING

A Fasting 101 guide would not be complete without a discussion of the benefits. Although many research studies are still going on for intermittent fasting, here are some of the benefits that research has revealed so far.

BRAIN FUNCTION

Studies have already shown that intermittent fasting helps to improve metabolic features which are important to brain health. At the same time, it also boosts verbal memory in older adults. There is also research to supports that intermittent fasting can protect against brain damage due to strokes.

HEART HEALTH

Intermittent fasting is found to reduce blood pressure, which rests the heart rate and improves heart health. Here is a great article on scientific research surrounding heart health and intermittent fasting. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7415631/

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE

Studies have shown that young people who fasted for 16 hours showed signs of losing fat but maintained their muscle mass. On the other hand, mice fed on alternative days showed some improvement in their running by improving their running endurance.

DIABETES AND OBESITY

Studies showed that when adults carry out intermittent fasting, they can lose weight and prevent obesity. It can, in turn, improve their diabetes condition.

Here is a great video detailing more benefits of intermittent fasting.

Intermittent Fasting 101 Tips and Additional Info

Here are some fasting 101 tips and additional info for your intermittent fasting journey to help you learn what to do and what not to do during your intermittent fasting.

Intermittent Fasting has Some Side-Effects

Like all the other eating trends have their side effects, intermittent fasting also has its side effects. For that reason, not everyone can practice it. For instance, expectant mothers may not practice fasting as it can be harmful to their health. Also, people who are already with a diabetes condition should not practice this kind of fasting.

The best thing that such individuals can do is reduce the amount of food they eat and maintain a small portion eating pattern. It is essential to consult your dietarian before you begin this practice, especially if you have any health condition.

CAUTION: ENSURE HEALTHY EATING DURING THE EATING PERIODS

Although intermittent fasting is not about the kind of food you eat, it does not allow you to eat unhealthy foods. Therefore, if you want to see effective change, you must maintain eating healthy foods when you eat.

AVOID OVEREATING

After a long day of fasting, for instance, if you fast for 16 hours, it is possible to be tempted to overeat because you will feel famished. It is important to remember that overeating will sabotage your health goals.

YOU MAY BECOME DEHYDRATED

When you fast for 16 hours, it is very possible to have your body dehydrated. Therefore it is advisable to drink enough water to thwart dehydration. Dehydration can cause other health problems and eventually affect your expected goal. Therefore ensure you keep water close to you and take enough during your fasting period.

If you are planning to try a different method of healthy living, try intermittent fasting. It is not only healthy, but it will also help you manage your weight.

CONCLUSION

This fasting 101 guide was a simple intro to intermittent fasting. It really is not as complex as you may have thought. While there are different approaches, the overall goal is weight loss and improved health. If you want to learn more about how to ease into intermittent fasting and what is ideal for women, check out our article on crescendo fasting.

https://www.libifit.com/crescendo-fasting-how-to/

Crescendo fasting is an excellent method to help your body quickly become acclimated to fasting.

Till next time…

Ultimate High Thermic Foods List: To Boost Your Metabolism Fast

By

Melinda

0

High thermic foods can be the key to your weight loss. Identifying the best plan for weight loss can be challenging. Are you tired of dieting and working out to see minimal to no change whatsoever? Low metabolism or lack of high thermic foods can be the problem. In fact, metabolism is the biggest culprit why an average Joe barely gains weight after months of shoving doughnuts. While you on the other hand gains a pound from looking at a doughnut.

A fast metabolic rate can speed up converting food to energy. This reduces the risk of obesity and other bodyweight issues. Here, is an overview of the thermic effect of food as well as high thermic foods to improve your metabolism.

Here is a complete guide on the high thermic foods to boost your metabolism! At the end of this article, get a downloadable high thermic foods list to craft a metabolism boosting diet.

The Thermic Effect of Food Explained

The thermic effect of food refers to the response of the metabolic rate to at which your body burns calories when food is ingested. When you eat any food, your body must use some amount of energy to digest, absorb, and store the nutrients you have just consumed. So as a result of the thermic effect of food, your metabolism actually increases slightly to burn the calories you eat.

On average, about 5-10% of the calories ingested are burned as a result of the thermic effect of foods. That means for example if 500 calories are consumed, between 25 and 50 calories will be burned by your body to digest, absorb, and store the nutrients from the food. Thinking about a full day of eating, if you are eating 1500 calories per day, 75 – 100 calories will be burned due to the thermic effect of food.

Use this thermic effect calculator below to determine the thermic effect of the foods you consume. The easiest way to use the calculator is to input calories (kCal) amounts.

Thermic Effect of Food Calculator

Thermic Effect of Food Calculator by GIGAcalculator.com

What are High Thermic Foods?

High thermic foods, also known as diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) or specific dynamic action (SDA), help to burn off the calories you consume through heat. They are not only used to provide energy to the body but plays a big role in regulating the digesting, absorbing and metabolizing process to make it some of the must-eat foods to incorporate into your regular diet.

However, not all foods come with a high thermic effect. While you can use a general rule of 5-10% of calories contributing to the thermic effect of food, there are estimates for the individual macronutrient groups (fat, carbohydrates, and protein). Fat is believed to have the lowest thermic effect of only 0 to 3%, while carbohydrates have about 5 to 10%. As a general rule of thumb, protein comes with the highest thermic effect of 20 to 30% to help burn fat the most effectively.

This means foods don’t just directly burn fat. Instead, it’s the energy stores that help speed up the digestion and absorbing process to aid fat burn and high thermic foods are known to shed that fat faster than any other kind of food.

High Thermic Foods

It is no secret that some people manage to lose weight faster than others. The best part? There is no rocket science behind it!

As long as you have your fundamentals straight and consume fewer calories than you burn, you are set to shed some solid pounds every week. However, keep in mind that all calories are not created equal. This is obvious from the different thermic effects of fats, carbohydrates, and protein. However, there is a way you can satisfy your taste buds, all while making sure you don’t gain a tremendous amount of weight. You can construct a meal plan of high thermic foods to give you a significant boost in fat burning.

Here are some of the groups high thermic foods to help you boost metabolism and make your journey towards weight loss more enjoyable. You can download our printable pdf of list of 100 high thermic foods to use to create the ultimate fat burning diet.

1. High-Fiber Foods: Carb High Thermic Foods

Foods with high fiber are considered high thermic foods. The best way to incorporate high fiber foods into your diet is to remove unrefined grains and replace them with fiber rich foods to ensure you are making the most of the perks of each of these foods and boosting up the metabolism.

Not just that, high fiber foods have the potential to lower cholesterol levels, control blood sugar levels and improve overall liver health. These foods include:

Berries
Artichokes
Beets
Mangoes
Pears
Brussels sprouts
Avocados
Pistachios
Chickpeas
Almonds

2. Lean Meat or Plant-based Proteins

Highest qualities, organic lean meat makes up most of the high thermic foods you can find. These protein sources offer a high thermic effect as well as keeping you feeling full. So not only does it help you extract the most amount of minerals and nutrients out of your regular food, but it can also reduce your daily intake of meals as well by reducing your appetite.

However, if you are vegan, plant-based protein can also do wonders yielding the same perks and utilizing more energy while digesting it. Here are some of the lean meat or plant-based proteins you should add to your regular meals:

Lean meat (chicken, turkey, beef)
Tofu
Mycoprotein
Beans
Quinoa
Peanuts
Lentils
Dairy

3. Wild-caught seafood

The high protein concentration in wild-caught seafood makes up an excellent source for increasing the thermic effect in boosting energy production during the digestion process. In addition, these omega fatty acids-rich foods are also known for improving thyroid hormones.

That’s not it; seafood can play a huge role in enhancing the hepatic mitochondrial enzyme involved in thermogenesis.

4. Eggs

Here comes the favorite of most protein obsessed healthy and bodybuilders enthusiasts. Eggs are most certainly on the list of high thermic foods. Hard-boiled alone comes with 6.29 grams of protein to make it an ideal way to speed up your metabolism and get effective results in a few weeks.

It is easier to digest and uses its energy expenditure to arm your body up for digesting other less thematic foods. This way, you can make a difference in your life by simply adding a few eggs to your daily diet.

5. Flaxseeds: Protein High Thermic Foods

Flaxseeds are packed with vitamins, proteins and other key nutrients to help make them one of the most functional foods to improve food digestion in your body. But, that’s not it; these seeds are an exceptional way to heal other health conditions like cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes.

If you think that’s enough, wait till you find out what else it can do for your health:

Autoimmune diseases
Cancer
Osteoporosis
Arthritis
Neurological disorders
Prevents constipation

Here are more benefits of flax seed.

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=19&contentid=Flaxseed

6. Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts are armed with essential minerals required to speed up your metabolism. They also help maintain the healthy content of fat in your system. Like other proteins, this nut also ensures to keep you feeling full for long periods of time. This prevents the nightmares that come with midnight overeating.

The selenium present is significant for the thyroid gland to regulate metabolic function and offers a recommended dietary allowance of 55 mcg per day.

Research has also proved that Brazil nuts can also aid the cholesterol levels of healthy people. This makes it a great way to help you in your journey to improve your metabolic rate.

Other benefits of Brazil nuts include:

Reduces inflammation
Great for heart diseases
Aid Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases
Lower blood sugar levels

7. Chili pepper

Eating spicy foods like chili pepper is known for speeding up metabolism in your body. The main compound present, capsaicin, is responsible for weight management by reducing your appetite and increasing the speed at which your body burns fat.

In fact, a study published in 2012 indicated that consuming chili pepper can lead to burning extra 50 calories each day. These minor changes in your fat shedding rate can eventually add up to ensure you consume fewer calories than you burn.

It’s not that easy to jump into something this spicy to lose weight. Therefore, opt for foods that include sugars or honey to balance out too hot meals and make your fat loss process even more fun and scrumptious.

8. Coffee

Although coffee may not be the permanent way to boost metabolism, it can offer incredible short-term results to help you get started on this journey. What’s more, it is straightforward to include into your diet!

Drinking four cups of coffee every day has shown a 4% reduction in overall body fat due to fast metabolism. The antioxidants present will not just drive out the free radicals that make up the biggest culprit behind most body issues but also offer a myriad of beauty benefits.

However, to keep yourself in prime shape, you should equip yourself with other high thermic foods along with workouts to enhance the benefits of coffee.

Here is a simple workout to help burn fat.

https://www.libifit.com/simple-endomorph-workout-plan-to-reduce-belly-fat/

The only condition? To get the best results, it’s best to avoid adding sugar and cream to your coffee as it can add in a few extra calories to your regular cup of coffee. Another thing to bear in mind is the quantity you consume every day. In general, more than four cups of coffee can do more harm than good.

Apart from that, here are some of the other benefits of coffee that you may not be aware of:

Stronger DNA
Help process glucose (sugar) better
Great for liver health
Reduces chances of colon cancer
Improve physical performance

9. Dark Leafy Greens

Who hasn’t heard of the benefits of leafy greens, right? But do you want what and how exactly it can help speed up your metabolism and thus weight loss?

The dark leafy greens contain high-fat burning capabilities to make it among the best thermic foods you can find.

Many fitness enthusiasts count on dark leafy greens to help improve proper blood circulation to provide better oxygen throughout the body. Some of these greens include:

Collard greens
Mustard leaves
Arugula
Swiss chard
Dandelion greens
Kale
Turnip greens
Beet greens

10. Broccoli

Lastly, is included in the group of high thermic foods. Broccoli is packed with glucoraphanin, which helps keep your metabolism retune to recover from all the effects poor eating habits have on your body. This can also play a large role in reducing weight gain due to age or diabetic factors that can eventually add to more health issues.

Be it raw, boiled, or roasted; there are countless ways you can spice up ordinary broccoli. It is a staple for many people in their weight loss process.

All in all, broccoli and other cruciferous veggies are responsible for maintaining a healthy digestive that involves preventing age-related diseases and slowing down many forms of cancer. Therefore, it is crucial to include broccoli in your everyday life.

Some other benefits of broccoli include:

Great source of protein
Packed with fiber
Armed with vitamins
Builds up folic acid
Support healthy cells and tissues
Aids constipation

100+ High Thermic Foods

Here is are table showing 100+ high thermic foods. You can download a free organized printable pdf file by entering your email address below. This file is formatted for easy navigation and use.

Conclusion

Now that you understand the thermic effect of food, and have seen groups of high thermic foods, you can create a fat burning diet. Eating foods from this list of high thermic foods will automatically rev up your metabolism.

Unconditional Self-Love: Be “Crazy in Love” With Yourself

By

Melinda

0

Have you ever pondered what unconditional self-love really means? Is it difficult for you to fathom loving yourself without limits? Well my friend, reading this article will put you one step closer to a life-changing understanding. Every mantra that has ever adjoined you to, ‘love yourself’ will now make perfect sense.

Unfortunately, no fireworks or dramatic pause may accompany this revelation. But honestly, it should because learning to love yourself without boundaries can open up so many possibilities in life! So here’s everything you need to know about loving yourself unconditionally…

Meaning of “Unconditional Self-Love”

Unconditional self-love means accepting your shortcomings and flaws as true and loving yourself anyway. As the phrase suggests, you have to look past your perceived inadequacies and love despite them. This rings true for people who struggle with their general appearance and choices.

Rather dwell on what you think should be your ideal look, size, and body type, appreciate what you’ve got. If you don’t, you create room for self-doubt and shaky esteem. Dwelling on what is not present, will leave no time to learn to love and accept who you truly are.

Unconditional self-love is the cradle of confidence. How could anyone would walk through life ready to blaze trails except for the one who understands and accepts themselves? Ask for to see a happy person and you would see someone who is overtaken with self-acceptance.

Cultivating Unconditional Self-Love In Spite of Your Appearance

You automatically feel confident when you wear a pretty dress or beautiful style. When you feel that you are “slaying”, you just feel different. Unfortunately, self-love is not something you gain with a new pair of heels or a sexy dress. It is not something money can buy or that possessions can give to you. And neither is it something your number of likes, follows, and comments on social media can give.

Here is a great article on how to avoid allowing social media to make you feel bad about yourself. https://thoughtcatalog.com/elysejackson/2017/01/read-this-if-you-feel-like-social-media-is-making-you-depressed/

Unconditional self-love is an in-depth appreciation of our bodies, strengths, and imperfections.

To override your lack of confidence when you feel you aren’t pretty enough, skinny enough, or thick enough, here’s a formula. It’s simple. First, find something to admire yourself about. Most people have something on their body they like. If your stomach is a little pudgy, but your eyes are beautiful, focus on the beauty in your eyes and not your stomach. When you look in mirror, don’t criticize yourself, praise yourself. Not in an arrogant conceited way, but in a way to highlight your areas of beauty.

Also, think about what you are good at. Remind yourself of your strengths. Even if they are small. If you are great at being a mom, then tell yourself, I am a good mom who gives my all. Or, if you are a great problem solver or listener for your friends, thrive in that. Whatever it is, know your strength. Understand that your confidence can grow from all those things too.

It might take several conversations with your mirror but you will eventually win. Then you’ll understand that your appearance is but a tiny part of you and shouldn’t influence your confidence. Because acceptance is key to unconditional self-love, you’re only truly practicing self-love when you love despite your appearance.

Foster Unconditional Self-Love In Spite of Past Failures

There are several lessons to learn from failure. But we’re often consumed with disappointment and self-pity that we never learn them. Tying your self-esteem to your successes and accomplishments can be dangerous. The effect is that when you don’t succeed, you fall into a well of self-beating. This well may be bottomless and you may never pull yourself from it.

How do you circumvent this? Learn to forgive yourself. Whenever you fail, do not roll in the ashes of misery forever. Pick up whatever lessons you can from the ash and dust yourself. Tell yourself you didn’t fail, you LEARNED!

But in all honesty, you would only be able to do this if you adjust your mindset to failure. And what is the ideal mindset to failure? Understanding that failure is a normal process for growth. Accepting and understanding this would help you react more positively towards failure.

Doing this is one way to practice unconditional self-love. You cannot claim to love yourself when you still magnify past failures and as a result demean your self-confidence.

Developing Unconditional Self Love In Spite of What Others Say

Many people still struggle most with this one. They hide from the limelight and often sell themselves short because they are afraid. They’re afraid of people’s opinion of them and scared that they would not measure up.

It’s easy to flip your hair and claim other’s opinions do not matter. But if you’re constantly seeking validation and approval, you just might care more than you think. And frankly, no one solves a problem by not acknowledging it.

One way to deal with this particular situation is to recognize what the people who say mean things about you really mean to you. You may realize that most of these people are people you don’t care about. And because they matter little to you, their opinion of you is of no consequence. If the people do mean a lot to you, understand that you don’t mean the same to them. Walk away!

Hopefully this prompts you to think about toxic people in your circle. It takes tact and courage but you should cut them all off, literarily. People will always talk but you should learn to live above the chatter. Love yourself by extricating yourself from such situations. Show unconditional self-love by never validating yourself through their words.

Embracing Unconditional Self-Love In Spite of Your Current Situation

If you’ve ever hit an all-time low, you know the depression and self-pity that comes with it. Whatever may be the cause of your situation, learning to practice self-love despite it is good advice. Imagine if self-love was something you only practiced when the goings are good, would that be healthy? If you are currently unemployed, single, divorced, broke, whatever the case, love yourself.

You have to learn to love yourself irrespective of your current situation. Be committed to self-growth and self-care despite the odds against you. Hold your head high, breathe, and thrive. As an old gospel song we used to sing church said, “I’m so glad, trouble don’t last always.”

7 Practical Ways to Develop Unconditional Self-Love

To be effective in this lifelong love story with “you”, here are some practical ways to help you.

1. Override Your fear

Harboring petty fears can be bad for your self-love journey. Whether it’s the goosebumps-inflicting type or paralyzing fear, you have to beat it. Loving yourself entails letting go of your fear.

Fear is an illusion that keeps us trapped in stagnancy. Therefore, learning to overcome your fear is a step in the right direction to self-growth. Don’t be afraid to fail. Understand that you will either succeed or LEARN…not fail!

2. Stop Making Self-deprecating Remarks About Yourself

Your journey towards unconditional self-loveis propelled forward by never make self-demeaning comments about yourself. You may often catch yourself saying things like, “I’m terrible at this”, I look fat in these pants,” or “I don’t like my hair.”

Rather than saying these things and ruining your self-confidence, make positive self-affirmations. Say things like, “I am beautiful,” “my hair always looks good on me,” “I am loved,” when you do this, watch your self-confidence reach an all-new high.

3. Enjoy Your Company

If you’re going to be deliberate about loving yourself, one way is to spend time with yourself. If you’re in a relationship, you’re going to spend time with the other person to strength the bond. Loving yourself is no different. In the same manner, you need to spend time with yourself, alone. Girl have a party of one!

Take time out from the buzz of social media and the news and enjoy your company. Have a glass of wine. Get a massage, or just have quite time. One great thing you can do when spending time with yourself is journaling. You can journal your way into self-discovery. There are several self-love journals prompts to guide you. Meditation is another way to spend time with yourself. It is also very therapeutic.

Here is a great article on 50 self-love journal prompts. Grab a journal on Amazon and commit for 50 days to journaling on self-love. https://www.libifit.com/self-love-journal-prompts/

Set aside some time in your routine dedicated to just you. Unconditional self-love requires you learn to enjoy your own self.

4. Exercise Your Body

Exercising your body is one way to practice unconditional self-love. It keeps you fit and healthy and able to take on life’s struggles. Workouts are also recommended because they make you feel good. When you work out, your body releases a hormone called endorphin. This hormone is called the feel-good hormone.

Exercise also decreases the stress hormone called cortisol. Therefore, you’re less prone to stress and more relaxed and happy. Love yourself enough to make time to exercise. We are all busy. However, saying, you don’t have time to exercise is saying, you just don’ have time to love yourself.

5. Leave Toxic Relationships

Your best ticket to unconditional self-loveis by surrounding yourself with positive people. These are people who encourage you and are committed to self-growth too. Try to identify the toxic people in your circle and slowly pull away.

We tend to fall into the misconception that we need several friends. But if you have a few genuine people in your corner, they are worth a thousand friends!

6. Engage in Your Hobbies More

If you live a fast-paced life, you’re most likely to be living a stressful life. Are you a workaholic often driven to several hours of work? Too much work can take its toll on your health. Learning to know when to stop and take a rest is self-love.

Rather than burying your nose at work all the time, engage in your hobbies. Try to engage in those activities that give you joy. Learning to relax and have a good time is necessary for your health.

7. Love Yourself The Way You Love Others

It is easy to love others and never imagine that we need to extend the same love to ourselves. We love our children, our parents, friends, spouses, and partners and give ourselves to them totally. There is no shame in that, we should do those things. However, we should always love ourselves as we love others. You make sure your kids are prepared, well rested, and secure. Do the same for yourself. You may be a caretaker for your parent. The same care and concern you give them, give it to yourself…or at least a portion of it. You don’t neglect the people you love so don’t neglect yourself.

Conclusion

Unconditional self-love will drive you to new heights of self-growth and self-care. And frankly, the relationship with yourself is just as important than any external one. And loving ourselves makes it easier for others to love us. This love for self is like a radiant light that shows the very best in us.

Mesomorph Celebrities: How They Keep Their Bodies Fit

By

Melinda

0

Mesomorph celebrities have bodies we all drool over. Here are 9 mesomorph celebrities who we love. Read about their training regimens, diets, and how they keep their bodies fit.

What are Body Types?

If you are wondering what mesomorph means, it is simply a body type. There are 3 body types. These body types as a collective are called somatotypes they are ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph. Somatotypes are a system used to categorize our body types. Our focus will be on getting the best out of a mesomorph body. Somatotypes give insight into body shape, how bodies burn fat, as well as build muscle. While body types are highly debated, understanding your body type is a great start concerning how to model your diet and exercise regimens.

Mesomorph Body Type

Mesomorph body types are seen as ideal for those who workout or are into fitness. This body type makes gaining muscle, losing weight, and gaining weight much easier. Having naturally muscular arms, legs, and, the chest is one of the characteristics mesomorphs have. Unlike the endomorph and ectomorph, your body is balanced you are not too fat or too skinny. Let’s check out some of the some mesomorphs we all know. Grab a glance of how both male and female mesomorphic celebrities keep their beautiful physiques.

Female Mesomorph Celebrities: Gemma Atkinson

Gemma Atkinson is not only an actress, but a model, and a TV personality. Her most important role is as a mesomorph celeb who trains hard. Her most notable role was when she played Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks, a tv series. Being a model, she is required to be in great shape. Gemma’s diet plays a huge role in keeping her fit. We will be looking at her diet because it’s the other factor in becoming fit.

Gemma’s Diet

Mesomorph celebrities understand there are three components to reaching your fitness goals training, discipline, and diet. Diets are complex because there are several factors to consider before sticking to a diet. Based on our height, weight, and body type certain foods can optimize our results. We have a treat for the ladies that want to look like Gemma. We have her weekly diet and, her adjusted diet after becoming a mommy.

This diet is packed with protein and, this helps when you want to gain muscle. You can start your morning off with an omelet, avocado, spinach, and salmon. Later on in the day, like Gemma, you can have a chicken salad. Include a snack like a banana with a teaspoon of almond butter. Finish your day with a vegetable stir-fry some chicken and sweet potatoes.

Gemma’s Training

All these mesomorph celebrities are dedicated to their training regimes. Gemma is no different before and after giving birth. She has managed to look exactly the same, if not better than before. Her training consists of working with barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells also doing cardio. Skip rope is her go-to cardio exercise incorporating burpees. To intensify her workouts she wears a weighted vest and does compound exercises. Compound exercises are squats, pull-ups, bench-press, and tricep dips. Exercises that target more than one muscle group are called compound exercises. We will look at more mesomorph celebrities hopefully you’ll find one that inspires you.

Female Mesomorph Celebrities: Angela Basset

Next on the list is the beautiful Angela Basset. Not only does she not age, but she is also in amazing shape. This Academy award-nominated actress and producer has been in several memorable movies. Malcolm X and Black Panther are just a few movies she has been in. By the way, she has found the fountain of youth because she is over 60.

Angela’s Diet

Maybe her secret is what she eats so, let’s look at her diet. Angela has completely cut sugar, bread, and alcohol from her diet. Her diet consists of mainly protein and vegetables. Switching up her food from day-to-day.

Angela’s Training

With the help of her personal trainer, and here mesomorph body type, Angela has an amazing body. She says her six-pack abs come from cardio and more cardio. She is a big fan of circuits, those that include jump squats, push-ups, and mountain climbers. Anything that gets the blood pumping faster works for Angela and we can see why.

Female Mesomorph Celebrities: Madonna

She is a musical legend, a living legend, and a pioneer in pop music. She has had a long and memorable career filled with success, controversy, and shocking moments. One thing we are not shocked about is her physique. She is as fit a fiddle, her fitness can be attributed to incorporating dance. Maybe working out to Madonna’s music is the answer to reaching your fitness goals.

The Queen of pop is similar to Angela Basset in that she has aged well. They also share being mesomorph celebrities, having mesomorph body types. Her music will live on forever and it seems like her beauty will too. With albums such as Madonna, Like a virgin, and True Blue, she is an icon.

Madonna’s Diet

What does the queen of pop eat? we have been wondering too so, we got answers. Her diet is very healthy, and her meals include salads, almond milk, and veggies. She has cut out a lot of food groups from her diet. The likes of sugars and protein sources like meat and wheat products are a No. Her diet is quite strict and is not for the faint-hearted. The price of looking toned like Madonna is losing some comfort food.

Madonna’s Training

The queen uses her dancing abilities as a way to stay fit. She does a lot of cardio exercises, like running she also is a fan of yoga. She also does boxing and has dance sessions that are over an hour long. This is how a lady that is over 60 stays looking young. She can definitely give a lot of 20-year-olds a run for their money.

Female Mesomorph Celebrities: Janet Jackson

Known for music, she has also been labeled a style icon. Her dancing skills make anyone jealous, I include myself in that list. The fact that she has rock-hard abs and can dance seems unfair. Her family is musical royalty, and she has upheld her family name.

Janet’s Diet

Janet’s diet consists of four meals daily that are around 1400 calories. She has cut out all processed foods from her diet. Hydration is one of her secrets because she drinks around 75 ounces of water daily. Based on her dietary rules you can make this a fat loss diet.

She also had a second diet after having a child. This diet had carbs, like pasta but was mainly high in protein and healthy fats.

Janet’s Training

Her training shares some similarities to that of Madonna’s. They both use dancing as a way of training. Her workouts are mainly steady-state cardio and variations of cardio such as boxing running.

Female Mesomorph Celebrities: Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba is an actress and businesswoman known for her roles in Dark Angel and The Fantastic Four. She is gorgeous and looks amazing. Another member of the mesomorph celebrities team. However, she is more of a mix of ectomorph and mesomorph making her an ecto-mesomorph. She has taken a back seat in acting to focus on her business ventures. The honest company is her startup and is valued at approximately $1.7 billion.

Seemingly successful at everything she does, she is winning at body goals too. Having a mesomorph body type has definitely benefitted her. Let’s take a look at what her secret is beside the mesomorph body type.

Jessica’s Diet

Almond butter may just be the secret because everyone seems to be using it. She has a lot of protein smoothies with almond butter and coconut water. Fresh veggies are a must for Jessica and Cornish game hen. Stir fry is another favorite of hers with lasagna she enjoys hearty meals.

Breakfast meals could be avocado on toast or poached eggs. She also really enjoys popcorn made with coconut oil and sea salt.

Jessica’s Training

For Jessica Alba like results try working out 4 times a week. For a tight core, she does pilates and attends spin classes to cover cardio. She is a fan of HIIT (High-intensity interval training) Getting the heart pumping and breaking a sweat. She also enjoys squats and lunges.

Male Mesomorph Celebrities: Mark Wahlberg

Alright, now that we have explored beautiful ladies, bring on the mesomorph beef! Let’s start with Mark Wahlberg. The man that has a talking bear, and no not a grizzly. Ted is the bear’s name and we’re still awaiting Ted 3. Mark Walhberg is a true workaholic it shows in the work he does in movies. His body also proves he is a workaholic in the gym too. Just look at his arms, he is shredded.

Mark’s Diet

Mark recently gained a lot of weight for a film called Stu. We won’t look at his diet and workout plan for this movie. He is known for being in phenomenal shape and his mesomorph body type helps.

His diet consists of protein-heavy food like egg whites, turkey burgers, and beef steaks. Avocado, peanut butter, eggs, and sweet potatoes are his other favorite meals. He consumes a lot of calories but manages to lose even more when trains.

Mark’s Training

He has the body of a bodybuilder you tell by how he looks. His exercise routine is also a dead giveaway. Deadlifts, bench press, cardio in the form of jump rope, treadmill, and bicep curls. You can use resistance bands as your warm-up to prepare for a grueling session.

Male Mesomorph Celebrities: Chris Hemsworth

The god of thunder is what he is called in other parts of the universe. The Thor actor may be from Asgard, but he is built like a Greek god. The Australian has been in good shape ever since stepping onto the scene. Over the past couple of years though he has become a beast. Roles play a part in his look, but he simply is a gym rat at heart. He is so invested in working out that he created a fitness app called Centr.

Chris’s Diet

Hemsworth’s diet changes based on the film he is working on. However, generally he enjoys steak, fish, chicken, sweet potatoes and white rice. In between his larger meals, he will supplement with plant based protein shakes. Hemsworth also does not shy away from snacking. He regularly snacks on yogurt, berries, and crackers and Vegemite. Learn what the heck Vegemite is here. https://www.thespruceeats.com/vegemite-an-australian-icon-256166

Chris’s Training

This is more of a bodybuilder workout plan. His workouts are not only for appearances they also build strength. Back squats, pull-ups, deadlifts, and bicep curls are just the beginning. Battling rope this strengthens your core is one of his go-to’s.

Male Mesomorph Celebrities: Matthew McConaughey

Mr. alright, alright, alright himself he has had a long acting career. The Oscar-winning actor has played some iconic roles. He is known for his signature catchphrase of alright, alright, alright. What a lot of people don’t know is he is of a mesomorph body type. He is in great shape, and today we will find out his secret.

Matthew’s Diet

Matthew worked with a nutritionist to get the best diet plan possible. Fortunately for you, we have the plan, and you won’t have to see a nutritionist. We cut out the middleman for you. Low-GI food is his go-to, this includes fish and plums. Foods that don’t increase sugar levels are really good for this diet.

You can have protein shakes as a snack and protein bars. The key to this diet is lean foods like chicken breast and egg whites. Broccoli, spinach, salads, beans, and a lot of water. Alcohol is limited to a glass of wine daily and sodium should be at a minimum.

Matthew’s Training

The key to his lean physique is loads of cardio and core training. He is into circuit training exercises that get the heart pumping quickly. You can break down training into 3 circuits like the first circuit can be for legs. The second and third can be core and cardio.

These circuits can include lunges and squats for legs. The core exercises are crunches, planking, leg raises, and mountain climbers. Lastly cardio can be as simple as skipping rope or running on a treadmill. Swimming is another great form of cardio.

Male Mesomorph Celebrities: Ryan Reynolds

An actor, and producer is known for roles such as the Green Lanter, and Deadpool. He has had a bit of a rollercoaster of a career but finally is thriving. A very charismatic and funny individual who is in great shape. The roles he plays require him to be in good shape and he doesn’t disappoint. Let’s see what this mesomorphic celebrity does to have a Hollywood bod.

Ryan’s Diet

His diet for staying lean requires you to eat every 2-3 hours each day. Cutting out sugar having healthy fats like avocado and sticking to veggies. Foods he has constantly are protein bars, chicken breasts, eggs, and tuna. you can have protein bars as a snack in between. Switching to brown rice instead of the normal rice and eating a lot of fruit.

Ryan’s Training

Funny-man Reynolds doesn’t joke around when it comes to his training. Like most action heroes, his workout routine changes based on the movie he’s on. However for the most part, Ryan trains more for functionality than aesthetics. He incorporates a lot of stability and core work. He also integrates plyometrics, TRX suspension training, kickboxing, and yoga into his routine.

Mesomorph celebrities were shared in this article as a form of inspiration. You can look as good if not better than any of them. However, if you never get their body’s, health is what is important. Discipline is the one true quality you need to get the right results. Having the right combination of diet and workout routine is also important. With this information, you have the tools to create a better you. Remember, there is no value in a beautiful unhealthy body. Health first!

Till next time…

50 Self-Love Journal Prompts to Change Your Life

By

Melinda

0

When I began my self-love journey, self-love journal prompts were my best ally. For one, they helped me make self-love affirmations every day. I was able to draw myself out of the mentally dark place I was. My low self-esteem which I thought was a foregone conclusion spiked up.

Using these prompts to guide my journaling, I was able to come to a full understanding of myself. I grew so much in self-love and self-care. Everyone around me noticed the changes. But I was only able to achieve this because I understood what self-love meant. So…

What Is Self-Love?

Interestingly, self-love is a concept as old as time. And you may wonder why a concept this popular is practiced by a few. Well, one thing I know is that self-love is multifaceted. No surprise there because we are all unique individuals. Therefore, it can mean different things to different people.

But as a general rule, self-love is the acceptance and appreciation for one’s intrinsic qualities. It is never allowing yourself to be trampled by others because you appreciate your worth. Same way, you will be committed to self-growth when you accept your limitations.

All in all, self-love culminates in every conscious action that promotes self-growth. And this growth may be spiritual, emotional, and physical. It means acknowledging yourself for what you are at every point. And this acknowledgment should birth forth acceptance. The place of self-love journal prompts in this discovery cannot be overemphasized!

A basic way to practice self-love and self-care is to prioritize yourself. Therefore, self-love is not selfish. It is knowing when to say no to nerve-wracking demands from people around you. It is being assertive, lest your rights are trampled.

Now, self-love may also extend into the physical. By this, I mean that you should care for your body and your health by extension. For people who practice self-love this way, it’s about caring for their bodies. This includes making healthy lifestyles choices and staying true to your health goals.

Why Is Self-Love Important?

We may entertain the idea that self-love is a concept for idle hands. What with the way it has been beaten down with all the social media hashtags. But Interestingly, self-love is important because it has been linked to overall well-being. A study carried out by health professionals showed general improved health among those practicing self-love. Disorders like irritable bowel syndrome, suicidal ideations, fibromyalgia, etc have a strong correlation with the state of your mind. There is a scientific link between self-esteem and physical health. Read about it here https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2610014/

We are generally happier and confident when we practice self-love. There’s an inner sense of satisfaction that can only come with self-love and self-care. At once, we’re at par with nature and our circumstances. Here is a great video on how to practice self-love. Before endeavoring to employ the power of self-love journal prompts, check out this video.

Consequences Of Lack Of Self-Love And Self-Care

Almost like clockwork, the most confident individuals are those who practice self-love. Suffice to say, a lack of self-love reduces your self-esteem. Are you constantly chasing the silhouette of perfection? Or constantly chastising yourself for every wrongdoing? These are unhealthy habits that create setbacks in your self-love journey. This is one of the reasons self-love journal prompts can be so powerful. They can combat this.

There’s no gainsaying the boost on your self-esteem with self-love affirmations in scenarios like this. A lack of self-love will have you ceaselessly comparing yourself with others. Imagine not appreciating the beauty that is your person! Yes, an absence of self-love will do this to you.

Another drawback is that you neglect your health. This can be in form of working for long hours or bad lifestyle choices. The connection between our minds and the state of our health is staggering. That’s why a lack of self-love can deal a terrible blow to your health.

Self-Love Techniques

I have established that self-love leads you to make good decisions regarding your health and state of mind. Therefore, I want to show you some of the ways some self-love journal prompts can help.

Accept that you’re human and prone to mistakes: Simple as this may sound, several of us are plagued with the ills of perfectionism. Learn to accept that you’re not above mistakes. You can learn to make self-love affirmations whenever any mistake threatens your self-esteem. Some self-love journal prompts cater to this.

I came across a study that talked about how our outlook on failure can be all wrong. Almost everything of substance in life can only be learned through failure. So rather than beating yourself up, see failure as a necessary process!

Practice healthy habits: When you deliberately try to abscond from unhealthy habits, that is Self-love. Understand that caring for your body by taking care of its needs entails self-love. This includes exercising, eating healthy, and resting adequately. You can keep track of your success through some self-love journal prompts.
Streamline your wants: An integral part of self-love is recognizing what you need as against your wants. In that line, your needs should always supersede your wants. Because wants are inexhaustible, learning to forego them creates a feeling of satisfaction.
Understand your fears: Rather than not hiding from your fear, try to understand it. One way to understand your fear is by journaling. Interestingly, what some people call procrastination may just be unacknowledged fear. Scrutinizing your fears through some self-love journal prompts may make you aware of areas in your life in need of work.
Protect your peace: This may involve letting go of toxic people in your life. No matter how hard you try, you cannot control people’s actions towards you. The only alternative is to choose your peace through self-love. This is indeed self-love because self-love is not selfish.
Sometimes unhappiness with our weight and our bodies an impair our self-love. Check out this article on 10 ways to improve body positivity and self-love: https://in.nau.edu/ucan/10-self-care-activities-for-body-positivity-and-self-love/
A positive body image can be further increased with weight loss. Weight loss helps you to feel better physically and mentally. One of the main obstacles of weight loss is mindset. Check out this article on how to foster a weight loss mindset.
https://www.libifit.com/weight-loss-mindset-to-keep-weight/

Power Of A Self-Love Journal

The benefits of meditation are astounding! And journaling is one way to meditate. You may compare journaling with a session by a psychologist. It sure helps to put your feelings into words for perspective. A self-love journal is just the right tool you need together with some self-love journal prompts.

Most of the time, when we can articulate our anxiety in a self-love journal, they become less overwhelming. Some good self-love journal prompts can help you articulate these fears on paper.

A self-love journal may help you evaluate your relationship with others. If you’re constantly penning down negative thoughts about someone, it gives you the clarity you need. And that is to let them go. Remember, self-love is not selfish, you’re only prioritizing your peace.

50 Self-Love Journal Prompts

Like all good things in life, self-love takes time. Therefore, I have enumerated some writing prompts that can lead you to self-discovery and acceptance. You should find them very useful.

What are the things I currently accept as true about my person?
What are the things I don’t like about myself?
Do I confidently accept compliments from people?
What are the things I love about my physique?
What do I like about my personality?
What makes me happy?
When do you feel the most loved?
What are the types of people I want in your corner?
What are some of my successes that make me happy?
What do my friends love about me?
What are the areas I need to improve in my behavior?
What bad habits do I need to quit?
How often are my kind to strangers?
Do I have set goals? What are they?
Do I harbor false beliefs about myself?
Are there toxic people in my life?
What do I think can help build my self-confidence?
How often do I do nice things for myself?
Where do you see me in few years?
Do you think I work hard to achieve my goals?
Am I currently carrying more burden than I can lift?
Do I have friends cheering me on every step of the way?
What are some past experiences that I am yet to heal from?
Where am I downplaying my strengths?
Do I consciously or subconsciously compare myself to others?
Am I often harsh in the judgment of myself? How can I stop this?
Are there currently things I haven’t forgiven myself for?
Do I feel confident in my dress style? What can I do about that?
What are the qualities that are unique to me? Do I appreciate them enough?
What can I do today that would make me very happy?
Am I conscious about my health? What are the things I can do to preserve my health?
Do I allow myself to be trampled upon by others? How can I stop this?
How would my day go if I practiced self-love?
Who are the people I think practice self-love? How can I emulate them?
What are the legacies I want to be remembered by? How can I live them out?
What are my hobbies? How can I try to include them more in my daily routine?
Do I overwork myself? What are the reasons why I work too hard?
Do I treat my loved ones well? How can I treat myself the same way?
How would my perfect day look like? How can I try to live it every day?
What or who brings me the most peace?
Do I let people encroach into my boundaries? Does this upset me? How can I stop this?
What does self-love mean to me as a person?
How can I commit to loving myself every day?
Do I bend myself over trying to please others?
What am I doing well so far in my self-love journey?
Would my former self be content with my new self?
What are the things I would love to hear from friends? How can I often tell myself these things?
What are my aspirations? How can I try to attain them?
How can I erase some negative thoughts about my physique? How can I make these thoughts into one of acceptance and love?
Some self-love affirmations I need to repeat to myself daily.

Use these powerful prompts to change your life. I have found that writing things down makes them real. These self-love journal prompts can be used as therapy to restore your self-love. Use them as a way to start building or rebuilding your self-love to improve your quality of life. Go grab a blank journal today and get started. Commit to writing on these prompts for the next 50 days. Send me a message at melinda@libifit.com to let me know if they help to change your mindset and jumpstart your self-love. Till next time!

Breaking a Keto Plateau: 9 Proven Methods to Restart Weight Loss

By

Melinda

0

A keto plateau can be the most de-motivating and stressful experiences during your weight-loss journey. It can be frustrating to face the weight loss stall if you know you’re doing everything right. You might come to a point where you check and find no improvement at all. What could be more disheartening than that?

You have been on the keto diet for some time, and everything was working fine. But then it stopped; the weight that seemed to melt away is no longer budging. The fat-burning experience suddenly came to a weight loss brick wall.

Before pinpointing the reason, let’s first find out why this is happening. To answer that let’s first understand what weight loss plateau is. Then identify the factors responsible for weight loss stall?

What is a Keto Plateau?

A keto plateau is essentially the stoppage of weight loss on a keto diet. It is the phase where you no longer see any change in your weight. You are usually in a keto weight loss plateau if you have experienced no weight loss over the course of at least a month. Typically, you shouldn’t classify stalled weight loss of less than 4-5 weeks a “plateau.” However, even if you are following all keto diet rules, a plateau may happen and you stop fat loss. This can happen to anyone and is fairly normal. By following some tips and making some changes in your routine, you can start regaining your weight loss.

Understanding Fat Loss vs. Weight Loss

A normal misconception that many of us have is the difference between fat loss and weight loss. In contrast, both may seem the same, but they are not. Fat loss is the reduction of body fat and is more specific than weight loss. Weight loss is a reduction in the overall body weight. This weight includes muscle, fat, and water from the body.

When you start a diet, the first thing in your mind is to lose weight. Well, not exactly. By wanting to lose weight, what you really want is to lose the fat. The primary goal of weight loss is to preserve the muscle while losing the fat loss. This is the significant difference between fat loss and weight loss. In fat loss, we tend to lose the extra fat, while in weight loss, we lose the muscle size. We want to retain muscle because more muscle burns fat. In most cases, for those needing to lose more than 10 pounds or so, weight loss is true fat loss.

How to Identify a True Keto Weight Loss Plateau

A true keto weight loss plateau is that one phase in your ketogenic diet is when you stop losing weight. When despite doing following all of the keto diet rules, your weight loss comes to a screeching halt. Questions like ‘I tried everything, why has my weight loss stalled?’ or ‘Am I doing something wrong?’ could be stressful. A true keto weight loss plateau happens when you’ve followed a low carb diet plan, focusing on fat consumption just as the diet prescribes.

During the early stage of any diet plan, many people lose weight very quickly. But that weight loss is the water weight. After a point, the weight loss can slow down and, like all diets, move in a non-linear way.

For a true keto weight loss plateau, you need a consistent trend of weight loss. A keto plateau needs to be preceded by at least three months of consistent weight loss. This will help you to validate that you were actually losing weight on keto in first place. Some people experience weight loss stalls between 3 months to 6 months into the ketogenic diet. It is important to note that weight loss is not a one-dimensional process. Our body adapts to new changes, and when it happens, its nutritional needs also start to change. So, breaking a keto plateau starts with recognizing that you’ve hit a plateau. It could be because of the fluctuations in water weight, muscle glycogen, or stress.

Below are defined the nine methods on how to break a weight loss stall.

First Method to Break a Keto Plateau: Incorporate Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is all about what and when. It is an effective way to end the weight loss plateau. In intermittent fasting, the most important thing is not WHAT you eat but WHEN you eat. Fasting for extended periods each day can help your body burn fat fast. There is scientific evidence which points towards the benefits of intermittent fasting as well.

Mark Mattson, Ph.D., John Hopkins neuroscientist, has studied intermittent fasting for 25 years. According to him, the human body has evolved and can go through without food for many hours or even days. Incorporating intermittent fasting in your ketogenic diet can help burn calories and hidden carbs.

Intermittent fasting harmonizes perfectly with keto. Fasting is a ketogenic diet as it burns fat through ketosis to produce energy. It is also essential to notice that fasting can boost metabolism. Hence, giving the digestive tract a well-deserved time to rest. Combining keto with intermittent fasting has helped many people break the keto plateau.

Checkout this article on starting intermittent fasting.

Easy Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan PDF to Jumpstart Weight Loss

Second Method to Break a Keto Plateau: Temporarily try Carb Cycling

If you are on the keto diet, carb cycling shouldn’t be a foreign word for you. Any low carb diet involves cutting out a certain amount of carbohydrates. Carb cycling is a practice of staggering the number of carbohydrates you eat. Some days you eat more carbohydrates while somedays you eat less. The major benefit of a low carb diet is that it helps with weight loss and insulin sensitivity.

Below is an example of how to do the 5-day carb cycling method using 200 grams of carbs:

--Day 1: 150 grams

--Day 2: 100 grams

--Day 3: 50 grams

--Day 4: 125 grams

--Day 5: 200 grams

By following carb cycling, you will introduce new stimulus to your body cause it to react. When that happens, make sure you track your carb intake. If you consume too many carbs, you could begin to put on weight. Practicing this way of eating has notable results in the body. It gives the energy to perform for the next week’s exercises.

It will jumpstart your metabolism. Hence, enabling the fat-burning process to resume and breaking a keto weight loss plateau.

Here is a great resource for carb cycling

https://www.libifit.com/using-the-carb-cycling-diet-to-shed-pounds-fast/

Third Method to Break a Keto Plateau: Track Calories and Cut Calories

If you hit a keto weight loss plateau, you should start to track your calories and possibly even cut them. Sit down and make a list of all the things you have been following in your ketogenic diet. This will help you analyze your calorie intake, which might be the reason for the weight loss plateau. Even though counting calories is not imperative on a keto diet, this is not a license for you to just eat uncontrollably.

Eating out at restaurants, too much snacking, drinking alcohol are ways to add calories unknowingly. Keep a regular check on your food intake and make a journal. Whenever you find any excess calorie intake than necessary, begin to cut it out.

You have to make yourself aware of how many calories you are actually consuming. Counting your calories for a few days can be eye-opening. To make it easy, you can write your food intake in a journal and monitor the calories consumed.

Fourth Method to Break a Keto Plateau: Start Resistance Training

While dealing with a keto plateau, feelings of frustration and dejection will haunt you. One way to relieve that frustration is resistance training. Resistance training is an excellent way to break a keto weight loss plateau. Any practice that involves pushing, pulling, and applying strength is resistance training. The simple way to provide resistance to the body is to move against gravity, such as pushups or plank. To resume the fat loss, resistance training can be very beneficial as it reduces belly fat.

Pushing weights or doing body weight exercises challenges your body and muscles in new ways. Introducing new stimuli to your body whether it is through diet or exercise will cause your body to react. Resistance training can be done at home or in a gym. Resistance training also prevents unwanted muscle metabolism when you’re on a low carb diet. There are several great resistance training workouts and programs. Check out this article on workouts for endomorphs. Even you are not an endomorph body type, you can certainly benefit from the workouts in this article.

Fifth Method to Break a Keto Plateau: Eat More Lean Protein

Protein is an essential part of a balanced diet. But before that, let’s first discuss what lean protein is. Seafood, or meat, or poultry can be labeled as lean protein. It contains less than 10 grams of total fat and 4.5 grams of saturated fat. It also has less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams. Lean protein plays a major role in limiting your saturated fat intake.

It is recommended to consume higher of amounts of lean protein when you are facing a weight loss stall. Some of the lean protein you can take are beef, ground beef, pork, deli meat, etc. The other options in lean protein are skinless chicken or turkey breast, eggs, tofu, and legumes.

A well-formulated ketogenic diet recommends a protein intake of 1.2 g/kg to 2.0 g/kg. However, it may vary depending on your body type.

Consuming more lean protein and less fat will help to increase lean muscle and provide you with healthy calories.

Sixth Method to Break a Keto Plateau: Increase Your Workout Intensity

When you are experiencing keto plateau, you should consider increasing your workout intensity. Through the help of personal trainer, do some heavy weight lifting workouts. The term “heavy” is relative to your strength. Both men and WOMEN, can do heavy weightlifting and resistance training. These types of intensive workouts will help boost fat loss. If you want to speed fat loss, don’t be afraid to get in the gym (or in your home gym) and lift heavier weights.

Increasing workout intensity does not only include weights, it encompasses all types of exercising. If you are running…run faster. If you are walking…walk faster or further. If you are doing HITT or circuit training, rest less between intervals. The idea of increasing workout intensity is making your workouts harder.

Seventh Method to Break a Keto Plateau: Reduce Snacking

Excessive snacking can cause a weight loss plateau and even weight gain. Snacking can be a nightmare for your keto weight loss journey. It fills your body with plenty of empty calories. Below are few tips to help how to stop snacking and breaking the keto plateau:

Proper meals intake: Proper meal intake must be practiced if you want to break the keto plateau. Eating enough can stop the excess craving. Also, make sure you eat on time. Untimely eating is not beneficial either.

Sufficient water intake: Drink the proper amount of water required for our body. Water helps boost metabolism, flush out toxins, prevent damage to kidneys. It also regulates body temperature. Water is a natural appetite suppressant. Therefore, never skip the water.

Stop buying too much: Whenever you are shopping, make sure you don’t buy excess or bulk snacks. Determined a fixed budget for the snacks to check on how much you should buy. Also, make it hard for you to get your hands on snacks. Don’t buy them and have them conveniently in the pantry.

Observe the time of snacking: Keep in mind you have to save yourself from mindless snacking. Know the cause of your snacking. In many cases, people start eating when they are stressed, bored, anxious, or lonely.

Distance yourself from stress: Stress plays a significant role in increasing craving and hence snacking. Often, people start eating out of impulse when they are stressed. Keep a regular check on your mood. If you want to eat unnecessarily, it might be the stress cause

Eighth Method to Break a Keto Plateau: Decrease Dairy and Nuts Intake

Dairy and nuts are favorites of many people. It is wise to decrease the dairy and nuts intake. Nuts are a legitimate part of the ketogenic diet. However too many nuts can become a problem. Nuts are high in calories and can result in negative effects. Here are some of the nuts you can consume on the ketogenic diet within reason: Pili nuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts.

Ninth Method to Break a Keto Plateau: Reduce Alcohol Intake

Alcohol could be a culprit in your weight loss plateau. The amount of calories in alcohol can cause your body to enter a fat loss plateau or even gain weight. Not keeping an eye on your alcohol intake can make your body burn the alcohol instead of anything else—ketones, fat, or carbs. To suppress the cravings to some extent, you can drink small portions of wine. Drinking alcohol in excess of that, on a regular basis, can be devasting to your weight loss.

Conclusion

Experiencing a keto plateau can be demotivating. It could be heartbreaking after all the extraordinary efforts you put in. After following a keto diet and denying yourself, a keto weight loss plateau is not a fun place. However, when you are on a weight loss stall, don’t be disheartened. It is normal. There is no need to lose your confidence and quit. It can happen to anyone.

By following the simple tips mentioned above, you can easily break the keto plateau. You can restart by reevaluating your eating habits, stress, sleep pattern, etc. Also, some significant steps such as controlling alcohol habits can be beneficial as well. No matter what, losing confidence negatively impacts your weight loss journey. Also, feeling discouraging can be sabotaging for your mental health.

Always be positive and do your best. Make sure to sign-up for our newsletter and continue to check out our site for ways and methods to help you on your health and weight loss journey.

Caloric Deficit Meals for Fast and Easy Weight Loss

By

Melinda

0

Caloric deficit meals are an indispensable part of any weight loss journey. Your weight loss goals will become more realistic if you follow a caloric deficit meal plan. Remember, caloric deficit meals are synonymous with fat loss, healthy cooking healthy and a healthy lifestyle healthy.

This guide will delve into the specific ways you can prepare tasty caloric deficit meals. Our simple caloric deficit meal plan comes complete with healthy recipes healthy. We’ll also cover how these caloric deficit meals work and how they can help you start healthy eating healthy. So, be sure to keep reading.

What is a Caloric Deficit?

Before we diet delve into the specific ways to prepare a meal plan and cooking healthy cooking, we must first discuss what we mean when we talk about caloric deficit meals. That said, it would be impossible to do so without also tackling the matter of calories and calorie expenditure.

Put simply, calories are units of energy. You get these from the food you eat and the beverages you drink. You burn these calories as you go about your day – this is called calorie expenditure. There are three ways your body burns these calories:

Activity energy expenditure – This is probably the most well-known way to burn calories. All calories burned through various forms of physical activity are categorized under active energy expenditure. This includes everything from exercise-related activities like jogging and lifting weights to non-exercise-related activities like using your computer, doing household chores, etc.
Resting energy expenditure – While you may not realize it, your body is burning calories even if you are idle – albeit at a dramatically reduced rate. This is because your body still needs to burn calories to perform bodily functions like breathing and blood circulation.
Thermic effect of food – Another way your body burns calories is by digesting, absorbing, and metabolizing the food that you consume.

If you wish to achieve a calorie deficit, then you will need to consume fewer calories than you burn. Take note that most people have a calorie surplus. This means that they are consuming more calories than they are burning. Put simply, if you wish to lose weight, then you will need to follow a caloric deficit meal plan.

caloric deficit meals 7-day meal plan — deficit calorico

How Does a Calorie Deficit Work?

It is clear now that a caloric deficit meal plan is indispensable if you are planning on losing weight. This is because regularly consuming caloric deficit meals is the best way to ensure that your number of calories consumed is smaller than the number of calories you burned.

Everyone needs to burn calories to ensure that their body can perform its vital functions. That said, it is worth noting that the specific number of calories a person needs each day will inevitably vary depending on several factors including

Age – It is no secret that our metabolism slows down as we age. This means that the number of calories your body can burn will also decrease over time. This will become more noticeable as you approach middle age.

Height and Weight – Height and weight will inevitably affect the number of calories your body needs. The number will increase the taller and heavier you are.

Sex – Men and women have different metabolic processes affected by hormones and other chemical processes. So, it should come as no surprise that the number of calories they need to burn will also be different. Additionally, because men have a more robust build (taller and heavier), they generally need more calories daily.

Body composition – When we speak of body composition, your body is split into two categories: fat mass and lean mass. This plays a major role in terms of your metabolic rate – how fast your body can burn calories. By decreasing your fat levels, you effectively give your body a major boost. This is because the leaner you are, the faster your body burns calories. Here is a great article all about body composition.

What is Body Composition?

Physical activity levels – Take note that your physical activity is an important factor as it affects your activity energy expenditure. For instance, if you are living a sedentary lifestyle, then you might find yourself having a harder time losing weight solely through caloric deficit meals. Instead, you should also start incorporating a simple exercise routine to go along with your caloric deficit meal plan. 30 minutes of physical activity should be enough, especially for beginners.

Again, everybody burns calories. However, the rate at which you burn it and the number of calories your body needs will be affected by these factors. Needless to say, you need to take note of these different aspects if you wish to come up with a caloric deficit meal plan that fits your needs.

What are Calorie Deficit Foods?

There is a common misconception that clean eating and caloric deficit meals mean sticking to a bland meal plan. It should be made explicitly clear that there is no shortage of perfectly delicious foods that are also low in calories.

Below are some of the foods you must include in your caloric deficit meal plan. Aside from being staples of a low calorie meal, we also did our best to choose specific foods that are rich in vitamins and nutrients. This way, you can rest easy knowing that you can come up with caloric deficit and healthy meal plans.

Broccoli – Broccoli is perhaps one of the most nutritious vegetables around. A cup or 91 grams contains a mere 31 calories while also giving you your entire vitamin C requirement for the day. Moreover, broccoli is also said to contain anti-cancer properties. Needless to say, it is a worthy addition to any healthy meal.

Brussels Sprouts – These vegetables are natural nutritional powerhouses. You can eat them raw or cooked. A single cup contains 38 calories. Like Broccoli, they also effectively prevent DNA damage thanks to their high vitamin C content.

Carrots – Carrots are another worthy addition to your weight loss meal. This is because a single-cup serving of carrots (128 grams) only contains 53 calories. It also has 4 times the daily requirement for vitamin A as well as a host of other nutrients including beta-carotene.

Cauliflower – Cauliflowers are hard to miss with their distinctive white head inside green leaves. Incredibly filling and tasty, they have become the go-to replacement for grains and vegetables with high levels of carbohydrates. To be more precise, a 100-gram cup of cauliflower is said to contain a measly 25 calories. If you are trying a low calorie diet, then you simply must look for ways to incorporate this vegetable into your meal plans meal.

Cabbage – This is another staple in salad recipes. If you want to keep your meal plans healthy then you must find ways to include Cabbage. This is because it contains 22 calories per single-cup serving.

Celery – Perhaps one of the most iconic healthy foods around, celery has become synonymous with weight loss. If you are trying to come up with a tasty and healthy low calorie meal, then celery is your best bet. This is because it only has 18 calories per 110-gram serving. This is made possible by its high water content and its long, green stalks that contain great amounts of insoluble fiber that the body can’t absorb – drastically reducing its calorie count per serving. Using celery in caloric deficit meals is a great idea.

Kale – Another superfood that has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, Kale has certainly earned its acclaim. This leafy green vegetable boasts impressive nutritional benefits being one of the best sources of vitamin K in the culinary world. To put things in perspective, a single 67-gram cup of kale has around seven times the daily dietary requirement vitamin K. Even more impressive, a cup of Kale only contains 34 calories.

Watermelon – Delicious and refreshing, it should come as no surprise that this is our favorite addition to this list. As you would expect from its name, watermelon has an incredibly high water content making it a very hydrating fruit. This would also explain why a 152-gram cup of diced watermelon only contains 46 calories. Even more impressive, it is also incredibly rich in different kinds of vitamins and nutrients, especially vitamin C.

Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt – Defiantly rich and creamy, Greek yogurts are proof that eating healthy doesn’t need to be boring. Its distinctively decadent flavors make it hard to believe that a 100-gram cup only contains 56 calories. In addition to this, Greek yogurt also serves as an excellent source of protein, zinc, calcium, and potassium as well as vitamins B12 and B6.
Broths – Broths are criminally underutilized in most diet plans. This is a shame considering that they can are incredibly versatile and surprisingly easy to make. By simply leaving your chicken, beef, or vegetables to boil, you get a myriad of culinary possibilities. You can use these as a base for your soups and stews or you can also opt to drink them directly. A 240ml cup of broth usually has no more than 7–12 calories.

These are just a few of the foods that you can include in your caloric deficit meals. As a general rule, incorporating these low-calorie foods into your caloric deficit meal plan serves as a convenient way to achieve your fitness goals.

Here is a great video with more low to zero calorie foods.

How to Calculate Caloric Deficit

Use this calculator to determine the optimal number of calories to consume each day to put you in a caloric deficit to facilitate weight loss.

CALCULATE YOUR OPTIMAL CALORIES

Imperial

Metric

Basic Information

Sex

Age

Height

ft

in

Weight

lbs

Activity Level

Sedentary

Spend most of the day sitting, with little or no exercise

Light

Exercise 1-3 times/week

Moderate

Exercise 4-5 times/week

Active

Daily exercise or intense exercise 3-4 times/week

Very Active

Intense exercise 6-7 times/week

Extra Active

Very intense exercise daily, or physical job

Goals

Select your goal

Enter your email for results:

Grab a downloadable pdf 7-day 1200 calorie meal plan as well as easy low calorie meals by entering your email address in the form below.

How Can I Easily Create a Caloric Deficit?

Creating a caloric deficit to lose weight shouldn’t be that much of a problem if you are using the right approach. Presented below are some of the tips that might make your road to fitness that much easier:

Count Calories – This should go without saying. The calorie calculator above should help you with this task. Take note that if you wish to lose around 1–2 pounds a week, then you need to consume 500 calories fewer than your body needs.
Meal Prep – Preparing your meals is the best way to make the most of your caloric deficit meals. The importance of rep can’t be overstated. This is because it gives you the level of control you need to ensure that you are getting the least number of calories from the food you consume. Use easy caloric deficit meal recipes to ensure meal prep is not cumbersome.
Prepare Tasty Meals – There is a common misconception that clean eating and reducing calorie intake means sticking to bland hospital food. However, this is far from the case. You are completely free to make the most of your meals by making them as tasty as possible. Making sumptuous meals from healthy ingredients is a reward in itself. Be sure to check out our guide in the next sections.
Stay Hydrated – Increase your water intake and eat more fiber. This will help you feel full throughout the day and prevents you from going after snacks.

Caloric Deficit Meals

Here are seven simple low calorie meal recipes to push you into a caloric deficit.

Halibut with Herbs and Capers

4 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes Start to finish: 25minutes

Ingredients

1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped pitted green olives 2 teaspoons drained capers, rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound halibut fillet, cut into 4 portions

Instructions

Place onion, parsley, cilantro, lemon zest, lemon juice, olives, capers, garlic and pepper in a food processor; pulse several times to chop. Add oil and process, scraping down the sides several times, until a pesto-like paste forms. Pat halibut with the herb paste. Cover and refrigerate for 30

Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a 7-by-11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the halibut in the dish and spoon any extra herb mixture on top. Bake, uncovered, until the fish is opaque in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve

Nutritional Information:

199 calories

10 total fat (1 g sat)

36 mg cholesterol

2 g carbohydrate

24 g protein

1 g fiber

125 mg sodium

Savoy Cabbage with Peppers

4 servings

Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil, preferably canola oil 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 cups thinly sliced Savoy cabbage
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup defatted reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4cup chopped bottled roasted red peppers Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add caraway and mustard seeds and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in cabbage and jalapeños and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in chicken broth and cover the pan tightly. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the cabbage is tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in red peppers and season with salt and pepper. (The cabbage can be made up to 8 hours ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.)

Nutritional Information:

51 calories

3 g fat mono

0 mg cholesterol

6 g carbohydrate

2 g protein

48 mg sodium

Caloric deficit meals for breakfast can be hard to find. Here is a great quiche breakfast recipe.

Vegetable Quiche Cups To Go

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach 3⁄4 cup liquid egg substitute
3⁄4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheese 1⁄4 cup diced green bell peppers
1⁄4 cup diced onions
3 drops hot-pepper sauce (optional)

Instructions

Microwave the spinach for 21⁄2 minutes on high. Drain the excess liquid.
Line a 12-cup muffin pan with foil baking cups. Spray the cups with cooking spray.
Combine the egg substitute, cheese, peppers, onions, and spinach in a bowl. Mix well. Divide evenly among the muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Quiche cups can be frozen and reheated in the microwave. Any combination of appropriate vegetables and reduced-fat cheeses may be used.

Nutritional Information:

77 calories

3 total fat (2 g sat)

10 mg cholesterol

3 g carbohydrate

9 g protein

2 g fiber

160 mg sodium

Marinated Flank Steak

Serves 6

Ingredients

small red onion, quartered 1⁄3 cup balsamic vinegar 1⁄4 cup capers, drained
tablespoons chopped fresh oregano 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1⁄2 pounds flank steak 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Instructions

Sliver one-quarter of the onion and set aside. Chop the rest of the onion. Mix it in a bowl with the vinegar, capers, oregano, and garlic. Combine 1⁄4 cup of this mixture with the slivered onions and set aside.
Sprinkle both sides of the steak with the salt and pepper; prick well with a fork. In a large zip-top food-storage bag, combine the steak with the remaining onion mixture. Marinate for 1 hour or overnight.
Heat the grill or the broiler, positioning the oven broiler rack so that the meat on the rack in the pan is 4″ from the heat source. Remove the meat from the marinade, and place on the grill over direct heat or on an oven rack set in the broiler pan. Discard the marinade. Grill or broil for 4–5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
Place the meat on a platter and pour the reserved onion mixture over the steak.

Nutritional Information:

176 calories

9 total fat (4 g sat)

50 mg cholesterol

3 g carbohydrate

19 g protein

1 g fiber

230 mg sodium

For those of you looking for steak caloric deficit meals and recipes, here is an excellent one.

Marinated Flank Steak Serves 6 Ingredients 1 small red onion, quartered 1⁄3 cup balsamic vinegar 1⁄4 cup capers, drained 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 1⁄2 pounds flank steak 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 1⁄4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper Instructions Sliver one-quarter of the onion and set aside. Chop the rest of the onion. Mix it in a bowl with the vinegar, capers, oregano, and garlic. Combine 1⁄4 cup of this mixture with the slivered onions and set aside. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with the salt and pepper; prick well with a fork. In a large zip-top food-storage bag, combine the steak with the remaining onion mixture. Marinate for 1 hour or overnight. Heat the grill or the broiler, positioning the oven broiler rack so that the meat on the rack in the pan is 4″ from the heat source. Remove the meat from the marinade, and place on the grill over direct heat or on an oven rack set in the broiler pan. Discard the marinade. Grill or broil for 4–5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Place the meat on a platter and pour the reserved onion mixture over the steak. Nutritional Information: 176 calories 9 total fat (4 g sat) 50 mg cholesterol 3 g carbohydrate 19 g protein 1 g fiber 230 mg sodium

Simple 1200 Calorie Meal Plan

Check out this 1200 calorie meal plan to put you in a caloric deficit. This plan is filled with caloric deficit meals made up of few calories. Grab a downloadable pdf of this meal plan as well as easy low calorie meals by entering your email address in the form below.

Can You Build Muscle in a Calorie Deficit?

This is another common question that inevitably arises. Some people are concerned that by hitting a calorie deficit, you may also end up with a protein deficit which can make building muscle incredibly difficult. In worst cases, fat loss can also happen alongside muscle loss.

However, the simplest solution to this is to choose your caloric deficit foods wisely. This means factoring in your fitness goals as you come up with a meal plan. Take note that it needs to go together with your exercise routine as well.

That said, if done correctly, your caloric deficit diet will push your body to burn its fat stores for energy while also using it to build muscle mass.

Risks for Eating Too Few Calories

Like with everything else, you must not overdo this approach to dieting. Otherwise, you may end up dealing with:

Lower Metabolism
Nutrient Deficiency
Fatigue
Weak Bones
Lower Immunity

To avoid these problems, be sure to follow our suggested meal plans.

Conclusion

At first glance, coming up with a caloric deficit meal plan may seem like a tall order. While a lot of people will claim that they want to start eating healthy eating, they simply have no idea where to begin. Luckily, this article presented a simple calorie meal plan designed to help you lose weight.

So, be sure to follow our suggestions and you should achieve your fitness goals in no time. Want this information at your fingertips? Enter your email address below and receive this 7-day meal plan and easy low calorie meals.

Carnivore Diet Meal Plan+ Beginner’s Guide + Carnivore Recipes

By

Melinda

0

Practicing a carnivore diet and following a carnivore diet meal plan is of much controversy. Some experts feel as if it is very risky and does harm, while others tout its effectiveness on weight loss and overall health. This article offers all of the information you’ll need to learn about the carnivore diet and offers a free carnivore diet meal plan to try out. Not to mention, 27 delicious carnivore diet recipes!

The carnivore diet allows you to consume a low-calorie diet through an all-meat diet. Initially popularized by Shawn Baker, a former American orthopedic doctor, the diet focuses on grass-fed meat and eliminates carbs.

Although the carnivore diet eliminates the carbs’-loaded diets that have been associated with various adverse health issues, it is controversial. We discuss more about carnivore diet to help you make a better decision.

WHAT IS THE CARNIVORE DIET?

A carnivore diet is a complete opposite of what you know about a vegan diet, where you focus on animal products alone. That means following a carnivore diet meal plan shunning grains, bread, and even fruits, and instead, taking animal foods such as fish, meat, eggs, and particular dairy products. In addition, proponents recommend taking low-lactose foods – this is sugar in dairy products.

The diet originates from the belief that ancestral populations mostly consumed fish and meat diets. The majority of the proponents also believe that most present chronic conditions are from high-carb diets.

While other diets such as Paleo and Keto limit carb intake, they don’t eliminate it like the carnivore diet. The all-meat diet is claimed to aid various health issues such as blood sugar regulation, mood issues, and weight loss.

BENEFITS OF THE CARNIVORE DIET

Weight Loss

There’s very little research on the benefits of an all-meat diet, but we can still use existing science to determine results. The carnivore diet has a high protein content and low carbs and is the most filling. It is the least caloric dish you can eat and filling to sustain caloric restrictions comfortably.

Therefore it is no surprise that carnivore diet eaters experience rapid weight loss, among other advantages.

Typically, the carnivore diet is meat-based and eliminates high-carb foods. That means you cannot take pastries, soda, candy, cookies, and buggers, and there is a benefit to it.

High carb foods and sugars are problematic for people living with specific conditions such as diabetes. But complete elimination of carbohydrates is not necessary for effective diabetes management.

Chronic Diseases

The low carbs and high fats diet force the body into ketosis. Your body uses ketones converted from fat as a source of energy. Typically, Ketosis has various benefits to the body and so is popular with the management of particular chronic illnesses.

Furthermore, entering ketosis has been shown to have neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. The diet enhances insulin sensitivity and is effective in suppressing hunger.

For these reasons, it has found application in managing Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease.

There is enough reason to believe carnivores are primarily in ketosis. Meaning that following a carnivore diet meal plan will put you in ketosis.

Woman hands touching belly and stomach painful suffering from chronic gastritis on white background. Healthcare concept.

Increased Energy

Any diet with high protein and low carbs has been shown to increase energy levels and reduce fatigue. Have you ever wondered why you feel tired after eating chips and burgers? It is because a high-carb diet releases a neurotransmitter associated with tiredness and fatigue.

This does not happen with a carnivore diet.

Some use the carnivore diet for cognitive and athletic performance and weight loss.

FOODS YOU CAN EAT ON THE CARNIVORE DIET

Thinking about creating your own carnivore diet meal plan? Here are some guidelines to follow.

You should eat turkey, lamb, pork, chicken, beef, salmon, organ meats, white fish, and sardines in a carnivore diet. You can also enjoy some herring, tilapia, lobster, crab, and mackerel.

Dairy products such as hard cheese and heavy cream in small amounts are allowed. Others include bone marrow, lard, and butter.

For your everyday energy needs, take fatty cuts of meat. There is no recommended daily portions intake. Eat as much as you desire.

According to some carnivore diet proponents, seasonings, pepper, and salt are allowed.

While some of the high-carb content foods such as soft cheese, milk, and yogurt are typically excluded, some choose to take them.

FOODS TO AVOID ON THE CARNIVORE DIET

Carnivore diets exclude all non-animal products and meats. In crafting your own carnivore diet meal plan, avoid these foods:

Vegetables such as peppers, green beans, potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower

Bananas, apples, oranges, kiwi, berries, and other fruits are excluded from the diet

Sugars such as maple syrup, table sugar, and brown sugar

Alcoholic drinks such as wine, beer, and liquor

You cannot take legumes such as lentils and beans, and grains such as quinoa, pasta, bread, and wheat

Nuts and seeds such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and almonds

Drinks apart from water such as fruit juice, tea, coffee, and energy drinks

CARNIVORE DIET 7-DAY MEAL PLAN

Check out this 7-day carnivore diet meal plan. You can download our downloadable carnivore diet meal plan pdf file below.

CARNIVORE DIET MEAL PLAN RECIPES

The diet plan above is only a start. Here are a few carnivore diet recipes to help add some spice up for carnivore diet meal plans in the future. Enter your email address below to grab 27 delicious carnivore diet recipes.

CARNIVORE BREAKFAST SANDWICH

This breakfast sandwich is full of protein and fats and is the perfect choice for one who is on a carnivore diet and keto and can easily enjoy protein and fat in their diet.

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serving size: 1 carnivore sandwich= one person

Calories: 448 kcal/ sandwich

Ingredients:

Sausage Patties Beef (2 in quantity)
One Egg
Cheddar cheese (1 OUNCE)
Butter (1 tsp)

Recipe:

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat and side by side form sausage into thin patties, only 1/2 inch thick. Cook patties until they brown on one side, flip, and cook for another 2-3 minutes thoroughly.
Fry an egg simultaneously in the same pan, and if required, use a little more butter in a different pan to avoid sticking and then assemble your carnivore breakfast sandwich. Keep the yolk runny just like a sauce.
For assembling, place one sausage patty on a plate and then top with fried egg, a slice of cheese, and another sausage patty.
Enjoy the prepared sandwich!

CARNIVORE WAFFLE

This recipe is also one of the easiest and yummiest carnivore breakfast dishes and includes a few ingredients.

Cooking time: 6-8 minutes

Serving size: 1 waffle= 1 person

Calories: 270 kcal/ waffle

Ingredients:

Two eggs
Raw breakfast sausage (¼ cup)
Coconut Oil Spray

Recipe:

In a bowl, crack the two eggs, whisk them into the sausage, and eventually break the link into small bits.
Spray the waffle iron with coconut oil spray to avoid sticking.
Pour the contents into the hot waffle iron and close the lid. Let them cook for approximately 3-4 minutes. Ready to be served!

RISKS OF THE CARNIVORE DIET

To be transparent, and give you the best information, here are risks of the carnivore diet.

High Cholesterol and Sodium

Complete elimination of the various food groups is not always good. It has a couple of risks.

For example, animal meats may be high in cholesterol and saturated fats. These can raise your bad cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease. Recent studies indicate that cholesterol and saturated fats may not increase the risks of cardiovascular diseases as previously believed.

carnivore diet cholesterol — Arterial blood pressure checking concept

But the consumption of high cholesterol and fatty foods may still have other risks which are currently unknown.

Furthermore, processed meats may contain excessive amounts of sodium which has been linked to adverse health outcomes such as kidney disease and high blood pressure. High doses of sodium can also cause swelling, headaches, and other conditions.

As such, the diet is not suitable for people with chronic kidney disease and those that need to limit their protein intake. Other populations such as the cholesterol hyper-responders need to be cautious when taking foods with high cholesterol.

Low Vitamin C and Other Essential Compounds

The overconsumption of particular macronutrients and the elimination of others can cause deficiencies. Plant-based foods are rich in antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, fiber, and other plant compounds, which lower various health risk factors. On the other hand, meat-based diets do not contain these compounds.

The only way to get vitamin C is supplementation, eggs, and organ meats. Your body needs vitamin C for body repair and to reduce the risks of chronic illnesses.

Lack of Fiber

Good gut bacteria and healthy bowel movements that come from plant fiber are necessary for health. A diet without fiber can increase your risk of colon cancer and cause constipation and a weakened immune system. Eliminating good bacteria from the gut can also cause various digestion issues as well.

CARNIVORE DIET AND MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS

Those practicing the carnivore diet and following a carnivore diet meal plan have reported mental clarity and focus. There is actual research to back this claim.

A sugar-heavy diet or a high-carb diet increases depression through inflammation. There is a study linking inflammation in the brain to depression.

A carnivore diet has zero glucose or sugar in it and is therefore beneficial. This improves your mental health through the reduction of inflammation.

Typically, the body begins running on ketones or fats for energy due to the restriction of carbs. The human brain prefers ketones over carbs as a source of energy. Besides, ketone bodies formed from the fat have neuroprotective properties. They are a more efficient brain fuel than glucose.

mental health_carnivore diet meal plan — Human brain over black background. 3D illustration

CARNIVORE DIET INCREASE BRAIN ENERGY

According to studies, ketone bodies increase energy levels in your brain cells through energy factories. But how does this happen? It is through GABA.

Ketosis increases gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA neurotransmitters in the brain. On its part, GABA attaches to the protein in the brain to produce a calming and soothing effect. This helps reduce feelings of fear, stress, and anxiety.

GABA receptors also reduce the risk of seizures. A few studies suggest that a meat-only diet has been shown to help with a seizure disorder. The researchers observed that the right GABA balance helped achieve a mental focus, reducing depression and stress. They also believe that the diet increases the antioxidant levels, such as Glutathione which treats seizures.

Carnivore diets and keto diets have been shown to reduce seizures. But these benefits are significantly more in children. The carnivore diet reduces inflammation and oxidative stress. According to the studies, reduced inflammation is from the energy that comes from ketone bodies. The diet also helps with weight loss, a process that provides the essential nutrients for reduced oxidative stress.

WHAT ADVOCATES OF THE CARNIVORE DIET SAY

Shawn Baker is the most well-known proponent of the carnivore diet. He is the founder MeatRX, a community of meat-eaters. He sees himself as a skeptic. However, he believes that the carnivore diet provides relief from chronic illnesses. He also believes improves the mind, and following a carnivore diet meal plan leads to weight loss.

Other advocates include Jordan Peterson. Together with his daughter, the famous intellectual has been telling people about the benefits of the carnivore diet.

MeatRX states that thousands of people have reduced symptoms of mental disorders, depression, digestive issues, diabetes, hormonal imbalances, and skin conditions, among others. The diet achieves all this without the need to count calories and timing the food intake. Your only task is to eat meat.

In the medical field, proponents argue that most studies linking meat with chronic conditions are from epidemiological studies. The studies are not done in controlled environments but through questionnaires about food. The method can only generate guesses about the links, and this is not sufficient.

WHAT CRITICS OF THE CARNIVORE DIET SAY

A carnivore diet meal plan is an all-meat highly restrictive diet. It has been criticized by dieticians and nutritionists. Eliminating the various sources of inflammation, such as sugars, is good for you. But without supplementation, the diet is not sustainable.

The carnivores point to the ancient meat-eating cultures to drive the point home. However, these ancient communities ate fresh, sometimes raw meat and organs that were nutritious. The critics also argue that the hunter-gatherer ancestors would mostly take a protein-dense dish after a period of deprivation and exertion.

In the majority of the time, these communities picked nuts and plants.

Critics also say that there are no studies to back up the claims about the benefits of the carnivore diet. Therefore, it is based on belief.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CARNIVORE DIET

Q: Is the carnivore diet dangerous?

The carnivore diet is disruptive to the digestive system as it does not contain fiber that adds water and mass to the stool. It can also cause diarrhea because the body is unable to handle an excessively fatty diet.

In addition, the lack of plant foods starves good bacteria, which opens the door for invaders in the gut. The diet can also cause fatty liver disease or abnormally low protein and life-threatening blood protein levels.

There can also be cases of painful kidney stones forming in the urinary tract or nutrient deficiencies.

However, a carnivore diet meal plan and a meat-only diet may not cause early death unless combined with at least one of the risk factors mentioned by JAMA. These risk factors are smoking cigarettes, alcohol abuse, obesity, and physical inactivity.

Q: Is the carnivore diet safe for people with diabetes or high cholesterol?

An all-meat diet is high in saturated fats, and so people with diabetes are at a much higher risk of heart disease. The risk is still high even when you choose lean meats.

From the review of over two decades of data, Harvard researchers found that high intake of saturated fats increased the risk of heart disease by 18%. Another 2018 study links the increased consumption of processed red meat to insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. This is something that should worry people with diabetes.

Closeup of insulin syringe in petri dish with pills over white background, diabetes treatment concept

Q: Is the carnivore diet Keto?

Both carnivore and ketogenic diets allow protein and fat, while also eliminating carbs. But carnivore diets take it a step further. The all-meat diet eliminates plant foods.

You can take leafy low-carb veggies and plant-based fat sources such as avocado, coconut oils, and nuts in a ketogenic diet. But you must get the correct ratio of carbs to proteins by calculating macros. In Keto, protein is limited to prevent going out of ketosis.

In contrast, there is no calculation to do or ratio preferences in a carnivore diet. You are encouraged to eat any amount of meat and fats.

On the other hand, some foods containing sugar, such as yogurt and milk, may be included in the all-meat diet, but not in Keto.

Q: Is the carnivore diet good for reducing depression?

The all-meat diet has been gaining steam in recent times. Mikhaila, the daughter of Jordan Peterson, said how her water, salt, and beef diet relieved her of depression. Mikhaila’s experience inspired her father to try the diet to alleviate depression, gastric reflux, and psoriasis, and was successful, as reported by The Atlantic.

Brett Lloyd is among the proponents of the carnivore diet, who in 2008 reversed symptoms of migraines, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia. According to the psychiatrist, his mood, concentration, sleep, and energy improved significantly.

Q: Can I eat processed meats?

You are free to eat processed meat products such as sausage and bacon in a carnivore diet.

Q: How long does it take your body to adapt to the carnivore diet?

The transition to the protein and fat-based diet from the carbohydrates-based diet will involve some physical changes. The microbiome of the gut bacteria will have to adjust, which could take around a week or two.

Q: How many calories per day should I eat on a carnivore diet?

The carnivore diet is different from the other diets in various ways. For example, you don’t have to worry about meal timing and calorie count. Sometimes, the low-calorie count can cause lethargy, and so it may be necessary to keep track.

If you are low on calories, red meat is calorie-dense. Use a calorie tracking app when necessary.

Q: Will the carnivore diet put you in ketosis?

Yes. Eating a carnivore diet will restrict your carb intake, and this will force some changes in your body. Instead of carbs, your body will turn to fats as a source of fuel, and hence put you in ketosis.

But it is never a guarantee. Overeating meat can increase insulin and blood sugar levels, which remove you from ketosis. Opt for fattier choices of meat such as cheese, butter, and eggs.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS ON THE CARNIVORE DIET

While the proponents of the carnivore diet say that it has several health benefits, it is restrictive. There’s also no sufficient research supporting the claims about the benefits of a carnivore diet meal plan. But the metabolic needs of everyone are different. Some can be more fat, or carb, or protein-adapted than others.

The carnivore diet is high in sodium and fats and does not contain the beneficial antioxidants and compounds you find in plants. If you are looking to improve your health outcomes, first seek professional help before taking drastic actions, such as eliminating particular food groups from your diet.