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How to do Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 40

By
Melinda
0
intermittent fasting for women over 40

Intermittent fasting for women is an effective weight loss approach especially women over 40.   As women age, losing weight becomes more and more challenging. Intermittent fasting provides an easy way for women to lose weight and achieve great health. This article will detail the specific benefits of intermittent fasting for women over 40.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting (IF) refers to an eating pattern which helps you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. It does not say much about the type of foods to include in your diet plan but focuses on when you should eat them.

There are different ways to perform intermittent fasting, all of which split the days into eating and fasting periods. Contrary to what people normally believe, intermittent fasting is actually easy to do.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 40

The advantages of intermittent fasting for women are well-established and science-backed. But why is it specifically beneficial for women over 40?

  1. Weight Loss

Weight loss is among the top benefits of intermittent fasting for women over 40. There are testimonies everywhere about how intermittent fasting has helped people lose substantial amounts of weight.  There are also academic studies that support this notion. [1]

  1. Lowering Cancer Risk

IF has proven to be an important prognostic tool against cancer. The initial evidence has found that the act of fasting inhibits certain pathways that may otherwise lead to the development and progression of cancer.

  1. Reducing Diabetes Risk

The risk of diabetes, which particularly heightens during middle age, can be successfully controlled through intermittent fasting. It does so by lowering insulin level and regulating insulin resistance in the body. [2]

  1. Anti-aging

IF has been reported to slow down the development of diseases that lead to death. Intermittent fasting for women over 40 can help them live a longer, healthier life as compared to those who follow a regular diet plan.

  1. Heart Health

It is normal for your cardiovascular health to start declining around age 40. IF can help slow down this deterioration and prevent certain cardiovascular diseases like hypertension by lowering LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. [3]

  1. Reduced Inflammation

Chronic inflammation damages your body, making it harder to lose weight.  [4] Following intermittent fasting, however, reverses inflammation and may improve your overall wellbeing.

  1. Muscle Preservation

One of the benefits of following IF is that it helps you lose more weight while retaining muscle mass. A higher muscle mass, in turn, helps you burn more calories, even when you are not involved in physical activities. [5]

  1. Decreased Cravings

Another benefit of intermittent fasting for women over 40 is decreased cravings. Switching to this diet alters your eating habits and naturally help you eat lesser than usual. This decreases the number of calories consumed per day and consequently, decreases body weight.

  1. Improvement in Mental Health

IF in females have been liked to neurogenesis: the process in which new brain cells are produced. Neurogenesis ultimately increases your brain performance, focus, mood, and memory. [6]

 

Types of Intermittent Fasting

Now that you know about the advantages of intermittent fasting for women over 40, you might want to know about the different types of IF.

  1. 16/8 Daily Fasting

The 16/8 method includes fasting every day for 14 to 16 hours with an eating window of 8 to 10 hours. Within this eating window, you can easily fit 2 to 3 meals.

For example, if you eat your last meal at 8 pm and do not eat anything else until 12 pm the next morning, you are technically fasting for 16 hours straight. During the fasting hours, you are allowed to drink coffee, water, and non-caloric beverages.

Women are generally recommended to fast for 14 to 15 hours.

  1. 5:2 Fasting

The 5:2 diet includes eating normally for 5 days a week while restricting your caloric intake to 500-600 for the remaining two days. On the fasting days, it is recommended for women to eat 500 calories.

For instance, you can eat normally on all days except Mondays and Thursdays. On these two days, you can eat two small meals, each will 250 calories.

  1. Eat Stop Eat

The Eat-Stop-Eat approach requires you to observe a 24-hour long fast once or twice a week. You can start fasting from dinner on day one and keep it going till dinner time the following day.

For example, if you take your last meal on Monday at 7 pm and don’t eat anything until 7 pm Tuesday, you have just observed a full 24-hour fast. Similarly, you can also fast from breakfast to breakfast, or from lunch to lunch. The end result would not alter.

You can drink non-caloric beverages such as water and coffee during the fasting hours. However, no solid food is allowed.

Intermittent Fasting for Women: Balancing Hormones and Crescendo Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a significant change and could cause issues if not entered into properly.  This is especially true if you jump in too aggressively at the beginning. Moreover, IF can sometimes cause hormonal imbalance in females if it is not observed properly.

This is because women tend to be extremely sensitive to the signals of starvation. If their body senses that it is in a state of starvation, it will increase the production of hunger hormone ghrelin and leptin leading to hunger pangs.

You may choose to ignore these hunger pangs but this will result in a vicious cycle that will throw your hormones off balance.

So, if you are a female over 40 who is trying IF for the first time, it is better to start with Crescendo Fasting.

Crescendo fasting requires you to fast for a few days per week instead of every single day. It is particularly helpful for women to lose weight without disturbing hormones. If done right, Crescendo IF can be a great way to shed body weight, gain energy, and improve inflammatory markers.

To follow Crescendo fasting, you need to fast on 2-3 non-consecutive days per week, for example, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It is recommended to perform aerobic exercises or a light cardio on the fasting days.

On your strength training or more rigorous workout days, you must eat normally. Be sure that you drink plenty of water and any other beverage with no added milk or sugar. After following the Crescendo fasting for two weeks, you can add another fasting day to your weekly schedule.

intermittent fasting for women
intermittent fasting for women weight loss

Special Tips for Intermittent Fasting and Women Over 40

 

The advantages of intermittent fasting for women over 40 are numerous. Make sure you get the most of these benefits by following these additional tips.

  1. Prefer Salads

Raw vegetables are a great source of vitamins, phytonutrients, minerals, and other useful substances. Moreover, they are also naturally high in antioxidants that protect your body against free radical damage.

So, try breaking your fast with a big bowl of salad containing fresh green vegetables like kale, romaine lettuce, or Swiss chard. Throw in some cucumbers, tomatoes and some avocados to get healthy fats. Use olive oil as a dressing and voila, you have a delicious homemade salad right in front of you.

  1. During eating, window eat foods high in fiber

Fiber is a great substance for digestive health. When you eat foods high in fiber, for example, whole grains and beans, the sugar in these foods is absorbed into the blood in a slow manner. This ensures that your blood glucose levels do not rise too fast.

Why is this helpful? Because abrupt spikes in blood glucose tend to fall rapidly, making you feel hungry soon after you eaten. This eventually leads to overeating.

In addition to this, fiber also enhances your metabolic rate in order to promote weight loss. So don’t forget to include fiber-rich foods in your eating window.

  1. Start with Crescendo Fasting

As mentioned before, women are more sensitive to fasting because fasting has a direct impact on their body hormones. This can alter their body functions and lead to a number of menstrual problems.

Because Crescendo fasting is specially formulated to help women observe IF without causing hormonal imbalances, make sure you adopt this method of fasting as you begin your IF journey.

Learn more details about crescendo fasting here.

Easily Begin Intermittent Fasting with Crescendo Fasting

  1. Monitor your Hormones Closely

While following IF, be sure to pay a close attention to how your hormones are responding to the changes in diet. Some of the hormones that you must keep an eye on include:

  • Insulin
  • Ghrelin
  • Leptin
  • Estrogen
  • Progesterone
  1. Know When to Stop

If you start feeling any abnormal symptoms, stop fasting immediately and contact your physician. Some of the symptoms to look out for include:

  • Increased stress levels
  • Hair loss
  • Low energy
  • Mood swings
  • Depression or anxiety
  • Muscle pain
  • Loss of menstrual cycle
  • Loss of libido

Intermittent fasting for women over 40

Additional Weight Loss Tips for Women Over 40

 

To make sure you lose the maximum amount of weight in the most efficient manner, follow these additional tips.

  • Get Enough Sleep

Poor sleep has been linked to increased hunger and weight gain because it disturbs leptin and ghrelin- the two important hormones regulating hunger. So keep these hormones in check by making sure you sleep 8 hours a day.

  • Strength Train

As you age, your body tends to lose muscle. The only way to get it back is to strength train. So gear up and sign up for a weight training session. The sooner you begin, the better.

  • Eat Less Sugar

As you age, you tend to become more resistant to insulin i.e. you have trouble absorbing glucose. Consuming sugary foods in such circumstances leads to the accumulation of glucose in the body causing a lot of risks. So cut down on everything that has sugar in it.

  • Keep a Food Journal

Keep a food journal to record your weekly eating habits. This will help you keep a track of what you are eating and may help you decide which foods are harming you.

  • Take a Probiotic

Probiotics are healthy bacteria found in your gut. Taking these supplements will improve your digestion and improve overall health.

If you are ready to give intermittent fasting a try, check out our intermittent fasting book and journal for women here:

Fasting Book

 

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Endomorph Macros to Lose Weight Fast

By
Melinda
0
endomorph_macros
endomorph woman

As an endomorph, your struggles to achieve weight loss goals seem to be endless. With a naturally heavy body and a wide bone structure, exercise is not enough to get you where you want to be. In addition to shedding your blood, sweat, and tears in the gym, what you need to do is to adopt a suitable diet with all the necessary endomorph macros in the right proportions.

Your body type plays a big role in how easily you can gain and lose weight.   This is very important for endomorphs who typically struggle with fat loss.  It also impacts what type of foods and how much of them best fuel your body and trigger weight loss.

Tracking your macros may turn out to be a bit overwhelming at first. How many calories should you eat? Which macronutrient ratio best suits you? Finding answers takes time and tweaking, but here is a simple way to get you started.

Three Body Types

The term ‘phenotype’ can be defined as the physical or biochemical features of an organism that are observable and are controlled by both genetics as well as the environmental influences.

There are three types of phenotypes:

  • Ectomorphs

People with this phenotype are naturally skinny. With a narrow bone structure, they often find it difficult to gain weight. Ectomorphs have a light build with smaller joints and lean muscle. They have a fast metabolism that helps them get away with almost anything they eat.

  • Mesomorphs

A mesomorph body is characterized by a large bone structure, high muscle mass, and a naturally athletic physique. This body type is considered the best for bodybuilding. It is quite easy for mesomorphs to gain and lose weight. They are naturally strong and a high tendency to gain muscle.

Mesomorphs have a moderate carbohydrate tolerance and metabolism speed.

  • Endomorphs

If you are naturally thick and broad, you are most likely an endomorph. Endomorphs have a soft and round body with poorly-defined muscles. They are naturally predisposed to gaining more weight and are always struggling with low carbohydrate tolerance.

The details of endomorph body type are mentioned below in detail.

The Endomorph Body

As an endomorph, you have a solid and a generally soft body. Your metabolism is a consequence of activity levels and body composition and is typically quite slow. This makes it more difficult for you to lose weight and a lot easier to gain fat.

Endomorphs usually have a shorter build with thick legs and arms. They have strong muscles, especially on the upper legs. As compared to muscle mass, endomorphs have a much higher percentage of body fat. They are rounder and heavier, but not always obese.

From a metabolic perspective, endomorphs tend to suffer from a certain degree of insulin sensitivity. They also respond poorly to carbohydrates. Consuming high-carb foods is not favorable for them as these foods are quickly converted into sugar in the bloodstream and are more likely to be stored as fat than be used to derive energy.

This is one of the reasons why endomorphs have a high fat percentage. This also makes them more prone to various diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems.

Other characteristics of an endomorph body type include:

  • Short limbs
  • Sluggish sympathetic nervous system
  • A tendency to gain weight easily
  • A tendency to store more fat, particularly in the waist and belly areas

Because endomorphs are much more sensitive to calorie consumption than the other two body types, they need to be extra careful about their diet. It is also important to ensure that their diet contains all the endomorph macros in the right proportions.

Endomorph Macros (Carbs, Protein, Fat)

Following the diet fit for your body type requires a lot of struggle. You have to ensure how many calories a day you must consume and what macronutrient proportion you should be following.

Detailed below are explanations for each of the diet macros and ideal ratios for endomorph macros.

  1. Proteins

Proteins generally require a lot more time and effort to get digested than carbs or fats. Some evidence suggests that your body has to work as much as 30% more to digest proteins as compared to other macronutrients.

This means that if you eat 100 calories worth of protein, your body can only access to 70. Proteins help build lean muscle which is metabolically active and makes weight loss a lot easier. Use this to your advantage and try covering 35% of your daily caloric intake with proteins.

  1. Fats

This may sound counterintuitive but eating healthy fats will help with fat loss. Adding fat to your everyday meals with also help control acidity and keep you healthier. As an endomorph, up to 40% of your calories must come from healthy fats.

  1. Carbohydrates

As an endomorph, carbohydrates are your frenemy. The reason being your troubled relationship with insulin. Insulin is a hormone that controls glucose absorption from the blood. Both protein and fat have a minimal effect on insulin. Carbohydrates, however, profoundly affect this hormone.

An endomorph’s body is not efficient enough to control insulin for lowering blood sugar. So, it is beneficial to keep the carbohydrate intake low to avoid any disturbances in your blood insulin levels. Approximately 25 to 30 percent of your daily calorie intake must come from carbohydrates.

Best Protein Sources for Endomorphs

Proteins are an important part of your diet. They are important building blocks of muscles, organs, hormones, skin, and pretty much everything that matters in a human body. So it is important to keep your protein intake high.

Consider adding the following high-quality proteins in your diet:

  • Eggs
  • Almonds
  • Chicken breasts
  • Cottage cheese
  • Greek yogurt
  • Milk
  • Lean beef
  • Tuna
  • Soybeans
  • All types of fish
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Shrimp

Best Carbohydrate Sources for Endomorphs

Endomorphs typically respond better to a low carb diet. However, this does not mean that you should entirely exclude carbohydrates from your meals. All you need to do is to be careful about not eating starchy or sugary carbs and focus on healthy carbohydrates instead.

The following types of foods can be used by endomorphs to maintain their daily carb intake:

  • Oatmeal
  • Yams
  • Brown rice
  • Quinoa
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Asparagus
  • Bell peppers
  • Lentils and beans
  • Couscous
  • Pumpkin
  • Beetroots
  • Oranges
  • Buckwheat
  • Bananas
  • Butternut squash

Most of the carbohydrates you consume must come from high-quality sources that take time to digest because of a high fiber content. Avoid eating refined grains like white bread, pasta, and white rice.

Best Fat Sources for Endomorphs

Healthy fats are an important part of an endomorph diet. It is also important to eat the right type of fats to maintain body weight and achieve your fitness goals more easily. About 1/3 of your fat must come from mono-saturated fats such as nuts, avocado, nut butter, and olive oil. The other 1/3 must come from polyunsaturated fats like flax seeds, fish, nuts, and fish oil. Finally, the last 1/3 must come from saturated fats like meats, eggs, butter, coconut oil, and other types of animal fats.

Instead of getting too caught up in the percentages, try focusing on including more mono- and polyunsaturated fats in your daily diet.

The top foods to obtain healthy fats are mentioned below:

  • Flax seeds
  • Almonds
  • Salmon
  • Hemp seed oil
  • Peanuts
  • Pecans
  • Dark chocolate
  • Eggs
  • Avocado
  • Olive oil
  • Nut butter
  • Tofu
  • Coconut oil
  • Fatty fish like sardines
  • Grass-fed beef

One note of caution.  Be sure to keep track of the amount of nuts you are eating.  Nuts contain a lot of fat and you can easily eat too much fat by chugging handfuls of nuts.  It may seem extreme but if you are going to eat nuts, you need to count or weigh them to keep track of how much fat you are consuming.

endomorph macros endomorph women weight loss

Top 5 Weight Loss Tips for Endomorph

In addition to eating all endomorph macros in the right proportions, follow the tips mentioned below to achieve your fitness goals.

  1. Drink 64 Ounces of Water Daily

Studies indicate that drinking water can enhance your metabolism and rev up your fat burning rate. [1] [2] Endomorphs generally tend to retain more water, so drinking more water can also help them flush out excess water from the body.

Aim at drinking 1-2 liters or 64 ounces of water every day.

  1. Eat Healthy Travel Snacks

Snacking on foods that are high in fat and proteins with a minimum amount of carbs is the best way for an endomorph to sustain energy. Try keeping nuts and seeds, such as hazelnuts, cashews, and almonds with you all the time as healthy travel snacks.

  1. Eat More Fiber

Studies have shown that soluble fiber can exert strong effects on your metabolism and health. It promotes fullness and slows down the emptying of your stomach to reduce your appetite and control weight gain. [3] So include barley, quinoa, and wheat bran cereal in your diet to get more fiber.

  1. Get Whey Protein Supplement

In addition to eating the proper endomorph macros ratio, it is beneficial for endomorphs to supplement their diet with whey protein. Whey protein is an excellent supplement to promote weight loss while preserving lean muscle. [4]

  1. Say No to Sugary Drinks

As mentioned before, carbs are not your frenemy. So, do yourself a favor and avoid sugary drinks. These drinks will increase the blood sugar and make your insulin levels go crazy and lead to a lot more weight gain. Cut back on fizzy drinks, sodas, and fruit juices that contain added sugars.

Eating the proper endomorph macros will help to ensure that your diet supports weight loss.  Determining and keeping track of protein, carbohydrates, and fats seems daunting at first.  However, most of us eat the same things every day on average so once you develop a routine, it should not be so tough.

If you want to learn more about how we can help with your endomorph weight loss journey, sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter.

Till next time…

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3 Simple Female Endomorph Workout Plans for Fat Loss

By
Melinda
6
female endomorph workout plan

With the perfect curves and cuts at all the right places, endomorph females have been considered as a paradigm of beauty for a long time. But as an endomorph, you need to tone up and slim down to flaunt your gorgeous curves. This wouldn’t be so hard if you follow some simple yet clever endomorph workout plans.

Three Body Types

Stop whatever you are doing for a minute and take a look at people around you. What do you see? No two people have the same built and body. But if you pay a little more attention, you may notice that there are certain similarities in body shapes.

The majority of people around you can be grouped into any one of the following three body types:

Ectomorphs

This body shape is characterized by a low body fat and a relatively thin frame. Ectomorphs find it difficult to put on weight and get away with overeating without gaining any significant weight. Other characteristics of an ectomorph include:

  • A flat chest
  • A super-fast metabolism
  • Small shoulders

Mesomorphs

With an average bone structure, mesomorphs are more athletic and muscular than ectomorphs. Building lean muscle is probably the easiest job for mesomorphs but they are equally prone to putting on weight.

Some other characteristic features of a mesomorph include:

  • Fast responses to exercise
  • Low body fat
  • Fast at sprinting
  • Symmetrical physiques

Endomorphs

With a broad body frame and sharp curves, endomorphs find it hard to lose weight. They have a relatively shorter build and a high tendency to store fat. The features of an endomorph female are discussed below in detail.

The Endomorph Female Body

Being an endomorph female is not always a pleasant experience. Endomorph women often times just feel fat. Finding the right pair of jeans is a nightmare. And even thinking about chocolate or donuts adds a few pounds to your body.

Physical Characteristics of Endomorph Women

Most female endomorphs can be described as small-waisted, curvaceous, pear-shaped, and sometimes full-figured. Endomorphs generally have rounder bodies, medium to large bone structures, short limbs, and small shoulders.

Endomorph females naturally lack an even distribution of body fat. They usually carry most of their weight in the lower parts of the body such as hips, thighs, and lower abdomen. This pattern of fat distribution makes it extremely hard for them to lose weight. However, with correct training and healthy nutrition, positive results can be achieved.

As an endomorph female, you naturally have a high percentage of body fat and much less muscle mass. Meaning sometimes endomorph women might be heavy and round, but not always fat.

Metabolic Characteristics of Endomorph Women

As far as the metabolic characteristics are concerned, endomorph body types usually have an increased sensitivity for insulin and carbohydrates. This means that their bodies break down carbs to form sugar which is more likely to be stored as fat than to be used for energy.

As a result, most of the endomorphs end up having a high percentage of body fat. This also puts them at a greater risk for developing certain health issues like infertility, problems of the gallbladder, diabetes, heart diseases, depression, and even cancer.

Endomorph females also tend to have sluggish metabolisms. This means that most of the food they eat goes straight to their fat stores, making it even more difficult for them to shed pounds.

Fortunately, there is a way to get rid of all these troubles.

Keep reading to learn about the best endomorph workout plans to lose fat and build lean muscle

Best Female Endomorph Workout: Cardio

As an endomorph female, your body is somewhat reluctant to gain muscle or become lean. It wants to stay round, soft and comfortable. Forcing it to do what you want requires consistency, dedication, and tons of hard work.

To cut back on body fat and prevent yourself from gaining weight, interval training with cardio is imperative. There are two types of cardio exercises, each with its own set of benefits.

Low-Intensity Steady State Cardio (LISS)

Low-intensity steady state (LISS) cardio is basically any cardio-based workout performed at a low intensity for a long period of time. The average duration of LISS cardio is 30 to 60 minutes.

Low-intensity cardio does not require a lot of exertion. It includes exercises which are relatively easier to perform like walking, cycling, and swimming at a relaxed level for at least half an hour. It is a perfect exercise for someone who is new to fitness and exercise and cannot handle more strenuous routines.

Light-intensity cardio is great for an endomorph female because:

  • It helps burn calories
  • It reduces fat on legs
  • It prevents bulking up

LISS cardio for endomorphs should be performed 2 or 3 times per week.

High-Intensity Interval Training

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) cardio is a more strenuous type of exercise that requires you to alternate between bouts of intense activity followed by less-intensive periods.

For example, sprinting at a fast pace for 10-20 seconds followed by walking for 1 minute is a perfect example of HIIT cardio. This exercise routine obviously requires more stamina but can help accelerate fat loss, especially on your lower body.

If you are short, performing this exercise twice every week can even help you get leaner legs.

What is HIIT? 7 Proven HIIT Benefits and How to Do It Properly | The Health Nerd

 

Fasted Cardio

Fasted cardio is another simple way to promote fat burning and lose pounds. It basically involves working out on an empty stomach.

 

Exercising in a fasted state-when your body is no longer digesting or processing food-can actually benefit an endomorph female. It can increase fat oxidation and lipolysis while decreasing insulin levels in the blood. [1] These two processes urge your body to break down fatty cells and use them as energy.

 

When the body is at rest, especially during sleep, the blood insulin level gradually begins to drop. This means that the body switches to fat as an energy source instead of carbohydrates, ultimately leading to weight loss.

 endomorph workout

Best Female Endomorph Workout:  Weight Training

Weight training is the main staple for every female endomorph workout plan. Since your main goal is to build muscle, boost your metabolism, and improve overall health, it is absolutely essential to strength train.

This means pushing every muscle of your body way out of its comfort zone and overloading it to force growth. This can be established by performing bodyweight exercises and/or lifting weights.

For endomorphs wishing to use their energy and time in the best possible way, full body compound exercises are the way to go.

Compound exercises refer to multi-joint movements involving several muscles or muscle groups at a time. A good example is a squat exercise. Squats engage a several muscles of the lower body, such as the hamstrings, the lower back, the glutes, and the quadriceps.

Some of the most common types of compound exercises include lunges, chest press, pull-ups, shoulder press, dips, rows, kettlebell swings, and deadlifts.

Compound exercises can have several advantages such as:

  • They help your body burn more calories throughout the entire length of workout
  • They simulate real-world activities and movements
  • They can help you lose weight while decreasing the risk of injury from sports
  • They may improve reaction time, coordination, and overall balance
  • They make it possible for you to get a full-body workout in a lesser time.

It is important to acknowledge that all types of workouts are not created equal. Using compound movements against isolation ones may have a significant impact on your gains and results.

Endomorph females should perform higher reps with lighter weights to increase fat burning. Perform 3 to 5 sets per exercise depending upon your body strength and the ability to recover. A typical high-rep workout usually includes 4 sets per exercise.

To burn fat in your body and gain lean muscle, include 3 to 4 weight training sessions in your weekly schedule.

The 6 Fundamentals of Muscle Growth | Mass Class

3 Sample Endomorph Female Workout Plans

Here are three sample endomorph workout plans to get you lean and in shape.  You can visit our exercise resource page for demos on how to perform these exercises.

endomorph workout

endomorph workout

See how to grab a free downloadable endomorph workout pdf below.

This is some text!

Optimize Endomorph Workout

Endomorphs usually have great endurance, sheer strength and a huge potential to transform their bodies. Optimizing your female endomorph workout plan with the right selection of diet can work like magic for you.

As an endomorph female, it is important not to consume too many or too little calories. You must be in a slight calorie deficit, but remember not to overdo it as you will be working out at the same time.

What to Eat?

Make healthy fats and proteins your new best friends. As an endomorph female you need to ensure that you are eating a diet rich in healthy fats and lean protein with limited carbohydrates.

Some good sources of protein to include in your daily meal plan are turkey, fish, chicken, protein powder, soybeans, and eggs. Good sources of healthy fats include seeds, nuts, olive oil, avocados, and salmon.

What not to Eat?

Unfortunately, carbs are not ideal for endomorphs. Your body type is not able to get away with a high-carb diet without putting on weight. But this does not mean you should completely avoid eating them.

Stick to a low carb diet and avoid processed foods such as white pastas, white rice, and white bread.

Some good sources of carbohydrates to stick to include oats, brown rice, white potato, and leafy greens.

Ideal Macro nutrients

Because your body tolerates protein and fats better than carbs, the following macro nutrient breakdown would be the most suitable for you.

  • 30% proteins
  • 20-25% carbohydrates
  • 45-50% fat

While you are following this diet plan, make sure to eat carbohydrates with high fiber such as vegetables and fruits.

The daily requirement for fiber is around 15g per 1000 calories. So if you are eating 1500 calories per day, you must be eating a minimum of 22.5 grams of fiber.

Fiber is also essential for the maintenance of digestive processes and body weight. Including it into your diet should be a priority.

Endomorphs must make sure that their workouts are tailored to their genetic characteristics. If you would like to download these workout plans in a nice pdf, please complete the form below and we will give you instant access.

Till next time…

Melinda

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Top 10 Mesomorph Diet Tips to Burn Fat and Build Lean Muscle

By
Melinda
0
mesomorph diet mesomorph female

Are you naturally blessed with an athletic body? Can you eat whatever you want without worrying about gaining pounds? Do your friends envy you for the perfect body you have? If this sounds like you, you are a mesomorph. As a mesomorph, you do not really need to struggle to be in a good shape. But having a fitness plan and a targeted mesomorph diet never really hurts.

The Mesomorph Female Type

Mesomorph females are considered as the “genetically gifted.” They have compact, strong, and naturally lean bodies with excellent postures. Their shoulders are usually wider than their hips giving them the famous ‘hourglass’ figure.

Mesomorph females usually have medium-sized bone structures and moderate body frames. They find it easier to build muscle but may also be prone to gain weight and body fat.

Other important features of a mesomorph body type include:

  • Efficient metabolisms
  • Strong and muscular bodies
  • Quick response to exercise
  • Symmetrical physiques
  • Low body fat
  • Fast at sprinting

Being a mesomorph does not mean you will magically put on muscle and stay lean. You have to put in work. Even if you do have a nice lean physique now, there is always a room for improvement.

Consider the following these 10 mesomorph diet tips to improve your health and maintain your fitness level.

Mesomorph Diet Tip#1:  Follow a High Protein Diet

While every body type requires fat, protein, and carbohydrates; mesomorph tends to respond much better to high-protein diets. You are likely to lose fat and maintain weight when one-third of your plate is filled entirely with protein.

Adding small quantities of protein in every meal will help you with muscle building and repair. That is why most of the diet plans targeting mesomorphs focus more on consuming beef, fish, turkey, chicken, Greek yogurt, lentils, and eggs.

Mesomorph Diet Tip#2:  Exercise at least 4 times per week (LISS and heavy weight training)

As a mesomorph, your body responds quite well to light-intensity steady state cardio (LISS). Balancing it with weight training is highly recommended to stimulate muscle growth.

Try to incorporate timed workouts in your daily routine to increase density and get killer results. Adopt a schedule of moderate repetitions using moderate-to-heavy weights.

Perform two to three sets with 8 to 12 repetitions each. Repeat this 4 day per week for arms, chest, legs, and back and shoulders.  Consider performing compound lifting exercises.

List of The Best Compound Exercises and Workouts

 

Performing light to moderate intensity cardio sessions at least thrice a week is also beneficial for a mesomorph female. It may not be as effective as weight training but can help improve your fitness level with minimal risk of injury.

Mesomorph Diet Tip#3:  Eliminate Low Fat and Processed Foods

Mesomorphs generally have a less body fat than endomorphs and do not gain fat easily. However, this does not mean that following a healthy clean diet is not necessary. As a mesomorph, you still need to monitor and control your calorie intake in order to avoid excessive weight gain.

How can you control your calorie intake?

Watch out for processed foods as they provide you with nothing but empty calories. This means cutting back on cakes, fries, crackers, biscuits, high calorie processed protein bars, and other related types of food.

To make calories count, try adding whole foods to your daily mesomorph diet plan. These foods are much more nutrient-dense and have lower quantities of sugar and unhealthy fat.

Mesomorph Diet Tip#4:  Eat Lean Protein

Mesomorphs tend to lose weight much more quickly with a high-protein diet. This is because proteins control hormones that determine your hunger levels. So by consuming lean protein, you are actually improving your satiety levels.

Lean protein is said to have a high thermal effect of food. This means that it burns the maximum amount of calories during digestion than fats or carbohydrates.

Some great sources of lean protein include black beans, hemp seeds, chicken, turkey, eggs, and lean beef.

Mesomorph Diet Tip#5:  Do Not Fear Carbs

Carbohydrates are a fairly important part of a typical mesomorph diet. Carbs provide energy to your body in the form of glucose. They also trigger glycogen re-synthesis in your muscles right after an exercise session.

Mesomorph females must mix up their carb choices to include fruit, vegetables, and whole grains like brown rice and quinoa. Adding fiber-rich carb sources such as sweet potatoes to your diet will also promote satiety and prevent overeating.

Lean more towards choosing colorful, seasonal vegetables and fruits and make sure they are organic.

The best time to consume higher carbohydrate foods for a mesomorph is before and directly after a workout.

Mesomorph Diet Tip#6:  Eat Healthy Fat

A mesomorph diet with moderate to high quantities of healthy fats can help maintain body weight. It can even accelerate fat loss as long as you do not eat more calories than you burn. [1]

Various studies have proven how a high intake of healthy fats can cause weight loss equal to that of a low-fat diet. [2] [3] Additionally, healthy fats such as coconut oil, avocado, seeds, and nuts also reduce inflammation and increase satiety. [4]

So don’t forget to add healthy fat to your daily diet.

Mesomorph Diet Tip#7:  Drink 64 ounces of water each day

Regardless of your body type, water is essential for proper growth and functioning. Water drives metabolic processes and provides suitable conditions for metabolic enzymes to work.

Dehydration, on the other hand, makes your body sluggish and causes muscles cramps. So you need to drink enough water to perform better in the gym.

A 2003 study has indicated that drinking around 2 cups of water before a workout session boosts your metabolism by 30 percent. [5] This means that your chances of losing fat and maintaining weight are much higher when you are properly hydrated.

Try drinking at least 64 oz. or 8 glasses of water per day as a part of your mesomorph diet.

Mesomorph Diet Tip#8:  Take Branched-Chain Amino Acids

Branched-chain Amino Acid (BCAA) supplements are one of the most popular supplements in the fitness world. These BCAAs help you gain muscle up by reducing mental and physical fatigue.

Studies have shown that consuming BCAA supplements leads to 15% less fatigue in people during exercise. [6] [7] These amino acids can also reduce muscle soreness by 33 percent. [8]

Research has also shown that BCAAs activate enzymes that build your muscles. In addition, these supplements can reduce your risk of becoming obese or overweight. [9]

Mesomorph females following a normal gym schedule should consume 3 to 5 grams of BCAA per day. In other words, they can take BCAA powder 1-2 times a day.

If you are following a rigorous training schedule (5+ days per week), your BCAA dosage becomes higher. You may take up to 12 grams per day in 4-5 divided doses.

What Are BCAA's And How Do They Work? | Axis Labs

 

Read more about the benefits of BCAA’s here.

9 Secret Benefits of BCAA Supplements to Fuel Fat Loss

Mesomorph Diet Tip#9:  Consume Casein Protein Before Bed

Casein protein is derived from cow’s milk. In fact, almost 80 percent of the protein content in milk.

The ability of casein to gel and glob makes it an amazing protein supplement.  During digestion, casein forms a gel as soon as it hits the stomach acid. This not only decreases the rate of digestion but also slows down the release of amino acids in it.

Consuming casein at night provides a constant source of protein to your muscles. As casein slowly releases its amino acids, your muscles keep receiving a trickle of food throughout the night. This aids in muscle growth and repair.

Studies have also shown that if you consume a sufficient amount of protein before bed, it will maximize muscle gains by regulating growth hormone. [10]

Mesomorph Diet Tip#10:  Get At Least 8 Hours of Sleep

Sleep deprivation harms your body in many different ways. It increases the release of stress hormones and induces inflammation in the body. This increases the risk of different diseases like diabetes, heart attacks, and even cancer.

A lack of sleep can also disrupt the blood levels of ghrelin and leptin, the appetite-controlling hormones. This can make it extremely difficult for you to maintain a healthy weight let alone lose it.

A peaceful sleep for 6-8 hours, on the other hand, energizes your body and keeps your mind alert. This will eventually improve your gym performance and maintain hormonal balance.

If you are a mesomorph wanting to maximize on your muscle building genetics, follow these 10 tips to fully develop your lean body.  Subscribe to our newsletter where we offer great meal and workout plans for mesomorphs, endomorphs, and ectomorphs to achieve optimal fitness.

 

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Top 10 Endomorph Diet Tips to Burn Fat and Lose Weight Fast

By
Melinda
2
endomorph diet

Genetics have a huge impact on your ability to shed pounds. And let’s just admit it, endomorphs have it rough. Marked by a high-fat content, more round physiques, and slower metabolisms, even the slightest divergence from your average healthy diet packs on the pounds. But following the right endomorph diet can help overcome most of these weight loss related problems.

The Endomorph Female Body Type

For an endomorph female, weight loss struggles are not foreign to you. No pair of jeans fits right, and you often feel like the “fat person” all the time. It seems like just thinking about your favorite burger will make you gain weight.

This is because the endomorph body type naturally has a higher percentage of body fat with less muscle mass. Endomorphs are more round and typically carry a little more fat, but not always obese. Because of genetic makeup, a typical endomorph female is more sensitive to calorie consumption as compared to other body types.

Other characteristics typically seen in an endomorph female body include:

  • A slow metabolism
  • Gain weight easy and lose it slowly
  • Thicker arms and legs
  • Hips wider than shoulders
  • Small to medium bones, shorter limbs in relation to trunk
  • Curvy body
  • Carry body fat mainly in lower areas of the body (lower abdomen, thighs, and hips)

If you are an endomorph female struggling to lose body fat, start paying more attention to your diet and your weight loss struggles will disappear.

Follow these endomorph diet tips to start losing weight now.

 

Endomorph Diet Tip#1:  Follow a Carb Diet

As an endomorph, you are likely more sensitive to insulin and carbohydrates. So the first thing to do is to limit your carb intake.

Carbohydrate-rich foods break down to form sugar as soon as they enter your bloodstream. This sugar is more likely to be stored in the form of body fat than being broken down for energy. This is why endomorph females do better on low carb diets.

As a carb-sensitive endomorph trying to lose weight, step away from rice, white, bread, pasta, and cereals. Consider cookies and cakes your worst enemies.

The only carbs you should eat are the complex carbs. These predominantly include vegetables and minimal amounts of starchy complex carbs such as sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and brown rice to name a few.

You could also benefit from various low-carb diet plans to keep a check on your carbohydrate intake. One such diet plan is the Paleo diet which helps control your carb intake and mainly focuses on eating lean protein, vegetables, and some fruit.

The keto diet is also a great weight loss strategy for the endomorph female.  The keto diet is essentially a low carb high fat diet that focuses on taking in higher amounts of healthy fats.

A keto diet for beginners

 

Endomorph Diet Tip#2:  Exercise at Least 4 Times per Week (HITT and weight training)

Losing weight through diet can be challenging for endomorph females. Their rounder bodies need exercise in addition to the regular endomorph diet plan to stimulate weight loss and build lean muscle.

A comprehensive fitness plan for an endomorph female includes strength training sessions. Try weight training focusing on compound lifting exercises like squats and deadlifts four times a week to accelerate weight loss.  Here is a great video on compound lifts for the endomorph women.

Compound Lifts Explained | What They Are, When You Should Do Them, & Examples

 

HIIT is a faster way to lose fat in less time but requires more intense workouts. Perform 20-minute long HIIT session three times a week. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training.  It is a training technique in which you give all-out effort for a short period followed by a recovery period.  This type of training keeps your heart rate elevated and burns a great deal of fat in a short amount of time.

What is HIIT? 7 Proven HIIT Benefits and How to Do It Properly | The Health Nerd

 

 

Endomorph Diet Tip#3:  Eliminate Sugary Drinks

As discussed before, carbs are not your friends, primarily because of your relationship with insulin. Insulin is a hormone the helps your body absorb glucose coming from the carbs and extract energy from it.

Endomorphs are not able to use insulin for lowering their blood sugar. This means that anything with sugar in it is going to cause a lot of trouble.

Do your body a favor by avoiding sugary drinks as they may make your insulin level and blood sugar go crazy. Cut back on sodas, fizzy drinks, and even fruit juices with added sugars.

 

Endomorph Diet Tip#4:  Eat Lean Protein

Your body requires as much as 30% extra effort to digest proteins as compared to carbs or fats. This means that for every 100 calories of protein you eat, your body will only gain access to 70.

Protein is also a great way to build lean muscle which is metabolically more active. So as an endomorph, a healthy protein intake is going to help you lose weight while preserving muscle.

Try eating 1-2 palm-sized portions of lean protein with every meal. Each palm-sized portion should contain about 20 to 30 grams of protein on average.

For example, there are 22 grams of protein in a broiled tilapia filet, 35 grams in one cup of roast chicken, and 24 grams in 4 ounces of lean flank steak.

 

Endomorph Diet Tip#5:  Eat Low Glycemic Carbs

The glycemic index (GI) is a scale to classify carbohydrates according to how quickly they increase the blood sugar level.

Carbs that break down slowly, for example oats, release glucose in the blood at a slower rate. Such carbs have a low glycemic index and they do not cause spikes in the glucose or insulin levels.

Therefore, it is important to include low glycemic carbs in an endomorph diet. Aim for beans, soy products, milk, grainy bread, lentils, and porridge.

Here is a great list of foods with associated GI ratings.  See more examples of low GI foods here.  Remember to avoid high GI carbs.

http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/

 

Endomorph Diet Tip#6:  Drink 64 Ounces of Water Each Day

Studies have proven that drinking water can boost your metabolism and improve your fat burning rate. [1] [2] Drinking water just before a meal can also increase satiety and make you eat less.

Because endomorph females retain more water, drinking water also helps them flush out the excess water from their bodies. This will help reduce water weight as well.

Try consuming 64 ounces or 1 to 2 liters of water every day. Keep in mind that the water requirement may slightly vary depending upon your workout plan and environmental conditions.

 

Endomorph Diet Tip#7:  Eliminate Refined Carbs and Sugars

Carbohydrates are generally beneficial to endomorphs. The refined carbs are even worse since they have been stripped of all the important vitamins, fiber, and minerals.

This means that refined carbs are nothing more than “empty calories” that will only raise your blood sugar and insulin levels. Refined carbs have also been associated with an increased belly fat and overeating. [3] [4]

Whatever it takes, always say no to refined carbs. This includes avoiding white rice, white bread, pasta, sodas, added sugar, sugary breakfast cereals, and snack foods (cookies, cakes, candy, pie, crackers, etc.).

 

Endomorph Diet Tip#8:  Keep Healthy Travel Snacks

The carbohydrate needs and tolerance in endomorphs are low since they cannot burn calories at a normal rate. Snacking on foods which are lower in carbohydrates and higher in fat and proteins is the best way to sustain energy in such cases.

Nuts and seeds such as cashews, hazelnuts, and almonds are some healthy travel snacks to keep with you all the time. However, keep in mind that nuts and seeds have a great deal of fat.  Try to eat small portions because too many can lead to weight gain.

You can also make homemade protein balls for a perfect on-the-go snack. Just blend some nuts with vanilla paste and coconut oil and munch on them to curb unwanted hunger pangs.

 

Endomorph Diet Tip#9:  Eat Fiber

If you are an endomorph struggling to lose weight, it is important to eat foods that fill you up without increasing your caloric intake. And foods with high fiber content does this very effectively.

Studies show that soluble fiber can exert powerful effects on your health and metabolism. [5] It slows down the emptying of the stomach and increases fullness which ultimately reduces your appetite. [6]

Include wheat bran cereal, barley, quinoa, and whole grain bread in your endomorph diet to get more fiber and promote weight loss.

 

Endomorph Diet Tip#10:  Supplement Diet w/ Whey Protein

As an endomorph, it is extremely important for you to add lean protein in every meal you take. If this is a problem for you, try supplementing your body with whey protein.

Whey protein is an amazing supplement for weight loss. Studies have proven that it can accelerate fat loss in the human body while preserving lean muscle. [7]

Whey protein is available everywhere and can be integrated into your daily eating regimen very easily. You can add it to your breakfast cereals or make a protein shake. Using whey protein will not only help you achieve your protein goals but also curb sugar cravings. Additionally, this supplement will speed up the muscle recovery after intense workouts.

The recommended dose for whey protein is 1 to 2 scoops or about 25 to 50 grams per day.  Here is a great whey protein option.  It tastes great and is pretty affordable.

As an endomorph female, you can conquer your genetic struggles and lose weight.  Follow these 10 tips and stay tuned for more from Libifit on how to conquer all of the weight loss issues you may face as an endomorph woman.

Till next time…

endomorph diet endomorph female
endomorph diet tips for weight loss
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7 Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

By
Melinda
0
intermittent fasting women

The benefits of intermittent fasting can’t be denied.  Intermittent fasting is also regarded as IF and it has become a popular approach for people that aim to get lean or lose weight. It is also known to increase the energy level of the body, improve stamina as well as cognitive function. Although intermittent fasting offers different reactions to the body system of male and female but has been known through research that it provide unending benefit for women.

Physiologically, fasting can be referred to as the metabolic status of a person after abstaining from food or drinks over a specific period of time. Once you get to eight or twelve hours without eating, the body enters a state of fasting. The practice of fasting can result to a various metabolic changes within the body system.

These changes usually begin within three to five hours after eating, when the body enters a “post-absorptive” state rather than the state of ongoing digestion, where frequent consumption of food always result into some kind of digestive activity.

In addition to the metabolic changes, some of the benefits of intermittent fasting for women include the following.

Intermittent fasting is also regarded as IF and it has become a popular approach for people that aim to get lean or lose weight. It is also known to increase the energy level of the body, improve stamina as well as cognitive function. Although intermittent fasting offers different reactions to the body system of male and female but has been known through research that it provide unending benefit for women. Some of the benefits of intermittent fasting for women include the following.

 

Increased reduction in abdominal fat

Most women that are trying intermittent fasting are doing it so as to lose or maintain body weight. Generally speaking, intermittent fasting would reduce the intake of meal so as to have a good body structure. Also, intermittent fasting enhances hormonal function so as to increase the rate of weight loss.

Lower level of insulin, higher amount of growth hormone and increased amount of norepinephrine would enhance the breakdown of body fat so that it can be converted into energy. Sequel to this, short-term fasting usually enhance the metabolic activity of the body by 3.6-14%, thereby helping you to burn more calories. Therefore, intermittent fasting is effective on the two side of the calorie equation because it boosts the body metabolic rate and also reduces the rate of food consumption. According to a survey which was conducted in 2014, intermittent fasting can result to loss of weight. It has also been reported that people likewise lose 4-7% of their waist circumference, which show that they lost lots of belly fat, the harmful fat in the abdominal cavity which causes disease. All things considered, intermittent fasting can be an incredibly powerful weight loss tool for women.

Fights most common types of cancer diagnosed among women

Intermittent fasting has a great ability to stimulate the production of growth hormone which helps in fighting against the common kinds of cancer diagnosed among women. The regular consumption of food triggers the body to produce more and more new cells which can enhance the production of cancerous cells. However, fasting gives your body a bit of rest from this activity and limits the chances of new cells from becoming cancerous. Also, studies have shown that when combined with chemotherapy, intermittent fasting can help in boosting the immunity of the body thereby preventing cancer.

Reduces pain associated with musculoskeletal disorders

One of the reasons why intermittent fasting helps women that practice it is because it reduces pain which is associated with musculoskeletal disorder. This is because intermittent fasting would result to an increase in your body metabolism thereby using the fats which can result to the disorder. Intermittent fasting would ensure a smooth running of your body metabolism so that your muscle tissues can be maintained as much as possible.

Improves sleep and mental health

A study which was conducted at a meeting with the Society for Neuroscience in 2015 shows that intermittent fasting provide enormous implications for brain health. According to the study which was undertaken on both animals and humans, it stimulates the brain in a number of ways, enhance the growth of neurons, improve the performance of the memory and also enhance the rate of sleep. The benefit of intermittent fasting is not limited to reduction in the risk of developing neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer; it has also been proven to improve the cognitive function as well as the quality of life for those already living with the condition.

Reduces blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol

A reduction in the level of fat within the body system has wide-reaching benefits across the whole body system; some of the benefits include reduction in blood pressure, cholesterol as well as heart rate. Consistently, different studies show that Mormon populations have a lowered cardiac mortality which is because they follow their religion ethics of not smoking, drinking or consuming large quantity of meat. Also, Mormons practice intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting can result to a reduction in the cholesterol level within the body system, especially triglycerides, which the body uses for the creation of energy. The presence of minimal fat within the body will likewise take off some strains off the kidney, lowering the blood pressure and increasing the production of growth hormones. The combinations of all these would enhance the performance of the heart and other body organs.

  1. Promotes reproductive health

Various studies have shown that intermittent fasting is beneficial to the reproductive health in women. This is because various health conditions which are related to endocrine dysfunction in women such as obesity, metabolic syndrome as well as Polycystic Ovarian can be corrected with the aid of fasting, including IF. Different studies have also arrived at this conclusion. A study which was conducted on women with PCOS concluded that fasting reduced stress neurohormone level which has a positive effect on both the mental as well as physical health. Not only does this ensure balancing hormones in women but it is also a marker of fertility.

Creates overall weight reduction

Rather than running on fuel from the food you consume, intermittent fasting would allow your body to tap into the reserve fat which has been accumulated within your body system whenever the supply of food is minimal. This would result to a slow, steady as well as overall weight loss which would provide huge benefit for the body system. Due to the fact that fasting is incorporated as a lifestyle change rather than temporary fix, this kind of diet is much more sustainable than other kinds of crash diets. In fact several studies support that the practice is valuable as well as reliable tool for weight loss as well as weight maintenance.

benefits_of_intermittent fasting

References

1. Di Biase S, Longo VD, et al. (2016). Fasting-Mimicking Diet Reduces HO-1 to Promote T Cell-Mediated Tumor Cytotoxicity. Cancer Cell; 30(1): 136-146..

2. Fond G, Macgregor A, Leboyer M, Michalsen A. Fasting in mood disorders: Neurobiology and effectiveness. A review of the literature. Psychiatry Res. 2013;209:253–8

3. Harvie M, Wright C, Pegington M, McMullan D, Mitchell E, Martin B, Cutler RG, Evans G, Whiteside S, Maudsley S, Camandola S, Wang R, Carlson OD, Egan JM, Mattson MP and Howell A. (2013). The effect of intermittent energy and carbohydrate restriction v. daily energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers in overweight women. Br J Nutr; 110: 1534-1547.

4.Nair, P. M. K., & Khawale, P. G. (2016). Role of therapeutic fasting in women’s health: An overview. Journal of Mid-Life Health, 7(2), 61–64. http://doi.org/10.4103/0976-7800.185325

5. Sadiya A, Ahmed S, Siddieg HH, Babas IJ, Carlsson M. Effect of Ramadan fasting on metabolic markers, body composition, and dietary intake in Emiratis of Ajman (UAE) with metabolic syndrome. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2011;4:409–16

6. Zangeneh F, Abedinia N, Naghizadeh MM, Yazdi RS, Madani T. The effect of Ramadan fasting on hypothalamic pituitary ovarian (HPO) axis in women with Polycystic Ovary syndrome. Womens Health Bull. 2014;1:e18962.

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Detox and Renew Your Body with Autophagy and Intermittent Fasting

By
Melinda
0
autophagy and fasting intermittent fasting

Are you struggling to detoxify your body naturally? Is a detox diet or a juice cleanse not working out for you? No need to worry.  There is a proven process to help cleanse and detox your body. It involves autophagy and intermittent fasting and it helps to rid your body of harmful toxins, ignite weight loss, and renew your body.

Autophagy and intermittent fasting work side by side to initiate detoxification inside your body. In fact, autophagy can be rightfully called as the “secret sauce” of intermittent fasting because it promotes longevity and anti-aging by helping the body among many other benefits.

.

What is Autophagy?

The word “autophagy” is the combination of two Greek words: auto meaning “self” and phagein meaning “to eat.” So the literal meaning of autophagy is “to eat oneself.”

Essentially, autophagy is your body’s mechanism of getting rid of every worn out, old cellular machinery when they are no longer in a working state. This includes the destruction of various components like proteins, organelles, and cell membranes.

In simpler words, autophagy is a well-regulated, orderly process to break down and recycle various cellular components.

The discovery of autophagy dates back to the 1960s, however, it’s fundamental importance was recognized by Yoshinori Ohsumi in the 1990s. The Japanese scientist was later awarded a Nobel Prize in 2016 for his important discoveries regarding the mechanisms of autophagy.

The Science Behind Autophagy

There are billions of cells working inside your body to regulate various functions. Over the time, the cellular machinery gets damaged and is no longer in a condition to carry out its duties. This is when your body automatically triggers self-destruction through a process called autophagy.

When you trigger autophagy, you are allowing the organelles of the healthy cells to look for diseased or dead cells and eat them. As soon as a damaged cell is spotted, the healthy cells produce a double membrane around it to form an autophagosome.

Once the autophagosome is formed, the sick cell or the toxic protein trapped inside begins to dissolve. In this way, your body uses the healthy cells to get rid of any harmful substance leading to a natural detoxification.

The process of autophagy is actually a garbage disposal occurring at a cellular level. It takes the dysfunctional parts and obliterates them so that they do not cause issues anywhere else in the body. It is also a type of self-renewal method focusing on removing older structures so that the new ones can take their place.

Hot Topic in Biochemistry: Role of autophagy by Sharon Tooze

Autophagy Benefits

The health benefits of autophagy and intermittent fasting are enormous. Apart from detoxifying your body, it can also help you achieve the following:

  1. Autophagy Prevents Cancer

Autophagy plays an important role in preventing the onset and early growth of cancer cells. It is has been known to suppress several processes leading to cancer, such as DNA damage, chronic inflammation, and genome instability. [1]

A study conducted on rodents suggests that genetically impairing the process of autophagy in mice increases the progression of cancer cells. [2]

  1. Autophagy Enhances Muscle Performance

As you exercise, you are putting stress on your cells. As this happens, the energy use increases and the cell components get worn out at a faster rate. In such circumstances, autophagy can help improve the overall performance.

During exercise, the process of autophagy makes sure to balance the energy use within a cell. It reduces the total amount of external energy required by your body. Moreover, it also ensures that the degraded components of the body are removed before they cause any problems. [3]

  1. Autophagy Prevents Neurodegenerative Diseases

Many neurodegenerative diseases arise from the accumulation of misfolded proteins inside neurons. This causes cell death in your brain and a subsequent loss of mental capabilities. [4]

Stimulating autophagy can help protect your brain by properly removing these proteins. For example, it helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease by removing amyloid accumulated inside the brain cells. [5]

  1. Autophagy Regulates Inflammation

Autophagy can help decrease inflammation within your body. It helps clear the antigenic cells responsible for triggering an immune response. Moreover, autophagy also gets rid of any pro-immune response molecules from the body to lower down the level of inflammation. [6]

autophagy and fasting autophagy benefits

How Intermittent Fasting Induces Autophagy

Perhaps the most fascinating part of autophagy is that this process can be enhanced by cellular stress. If the cells are damaged or lack nutrients and energy, a stress response mechanism is stimulated leading to autophagy.

As far as the diet and lifestyle habits are concerned, what promotes autophagy the most is intermittent fasting. It does so by imposing stress on your body cells in the form of nutrient deprivation.

When you don’t eat, your insulin levels go down whereas the levels of glucagon hormone rise. An increase in circulating glucagon is what stimulates autophagy.

Fasting is known to provide the greatest known boost to the process of autophagy by raising glucose level. While doing so, it is also believed to improve your insulin sensitivity.

How long should you fast for autophagy?

Studies suggest that fasting for 24 hours to as high as 48 hours have the strongest effects. [7] However, this may not be doable for most of the people.

It is better to select a 16-hour fasting window, followed by an eating period of 8 hours. For example, if you have had dinner by 8 pm, you must fast till 12 pm the next day.

There are no hard and fast rules about when to start your 8-hour eating period. You may start at 8 am and stop at 4 pm, or begin at 2 pm and continue till 10 pm. Do whatever seems best for you and your schedule.

 

Autophagy Specific Benefits for Women

Autophagy and intermittent fasting may be particularly beneficial for females. Some of these benefits include the prevention of ovarian cancer and anti-aging effects.

Anti-aging Effects

One of the most surprising benefits of fasting is that it boosts the production of Human Growth Hormone (HGH). HGH is largely associated with an increased healthy muscle growth but also provides powerful anti-aging benefits. [8]

Activation of autophagy via calorie restriction is also said to counteract the age-related accumulation of damaged cells. By doing so, it can also enhance the metabolic efficiency of body cells and slow down the aging process. [9]

Autophagy is actually the response to stress that helps cell gain resilience and conserve their energy. It also helps get rid of dysfunctional mitochondria which may otherwise produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are often associated with the signs of aging and their removal helps prolong life. [10]

 

Prevention of Ovarian Cancer

 Autophagy and intermittent fasting have strong ties with the prevention of ovarian cancer. A recent study has proven that intermittent fasting can slow down the progression of ovarian cancer by boosting your immune responses and inducing cell death inside the cancerous tumors.

Furthermore, it can also improve the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy associated with ovarian cancer. [11]

 

Precautions Concerning Autophagy and Fasting

There is still a lot to learn about autophagy and intermittent fasting. It is generally safe to include fasting at regular intervals to get the most of autophagy.

However, if you are using certain medications for any health problem, it is better to consult a doctor before starting it. People suffering from diabetes or hypoglycemia must be particularly cautious about it.

Women who are breastfeeding or pregnant must not fast at any cost. Anyone under treatment for a disease like cancer must first discuss all the treatment options with their doctors.

If you want to begin fasting, you can ease into it with a less aggressive approach called crescendo fasting.  Read about it via the link below.

Easily Begin Intermittent Fasting with Crescendo Fasting

References

  1. White, E., Mehnert, J. M., & Chan, C. S. (2015). Autophagy, metabolism, and cancer.
  2. Amaravadi, R., & Debnath, J. (2014). Mouse models address key concerns regarding autophagy inhibition in cancer therapy. Cancer discovery, 4(8), 873-875.
  3. He, C., Bassik, M. C., Moresi, V., Sun, K., Wei, Y., Zou, Z., … & Korsmeyer, S. (2012). Exercise-induced BCL2-regulated autophagy is required for muscle glucose homeostasis. Nature, 481(7382), 511.
  4. Rubinsztein, D. C., Bento, C. F., & Deretic, V. (2015). Therapeutic targeting of autophagy in neurodegenerative and infectious diseases. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 212(7), 979-990.
  5. Menzies, F. M., Fleming, A., Caricasole, A., Bento, C. F., Andrews, S. P., Ashkenazi, A., … & Licitra, F. (2017). Autophagy and neurodegeneration: pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities. Neuron, 93(5), 1015-1034.
  6. Deretic, V., Kimura, T., Timmins, G., Moseley, P., Chauhan, S., & Mandell, M. (2015). Immunologic manifestations of autophagy. The Journal of clinical investigation, 125(1), 75-84.
  7. Alirezaei, M., Kemball, C. C., Flynn, C. T., Wood, M. R., Whitton, J. L., & Kiosses, W. B. (2010). Short-term fasting induces profound neuronal autophagy. Autophagy, 6(6), 702-710.
  8. Ho, K. Y., Veldhuis, J. D., Johnson, M. L., Furlanetto, R., Evans, W. S., Alberti, K. G., & Thorner, M. O. (1988). Fasting enhances growth hormone secretion and amplifies the complex rhythms of growth hormone secretion in man. The Journal of clinical investigation, 81(4), 968-975.
  9. Madeo, F., Zimmermann, A., Maiuri, M. C., & Kroemer, G. (2015). Essential role for autophagy in life span extension. The Journal of clinical investigation, 125(1), 85-93.
  10. Testa, G., Biasi, F., Poli, G., & Chiarpotto, E. (2014). Calorie restriction and dietary restriction mimetics: a strategy for improving healthy aging and longevity. Current pharmaceutical design, 20(18), 2950-2977.
  11. Pagotto, A., Pilotto, G., Mazzoldi, E. L., Nicoletto, M. O., Frezzini, S., Pastò, A., & Amadori, A. (2017). Autophagy inhibition reduces chemoresistance and tumorigenic potential of human ovarian cancer stem cells. Cell death & disease, 8(7), e2943.
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Top 10 Reasons Why You Can’t Lose Weight and How to Fix Them

By
Melinda
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Can't Lose Weight

Have you been attempting to lose weight for a long time but the scale does not seem to budge? You may feel like you’re doing everything right, but the scale won’t move. Some people blame their age, while others wonder if their metabolism is too slow. If you are one of these people who just can’t lose weight no matter they do, this article is for you.

There is almost always an underlying cause to stubborn weight loss. Keep reading to know about the top 10 reasons why you can’t lose weight.

1.  Wrong Portion Size

It may be hard to believe but a wrong portion size alone can be the reason why your body cannot burn fat. This is especially true in the U.S. where portion sizes have drastically increased over the years.

For example, studies suggest that the meal sizes in restaurants have increased three times since the 70’s. [1] The plates used to serve meals have also increased in size. At every turn, you are encouraged to eat more than you actually need.

In some instances, people are even found overdoing it on the supposedly “healthy foods.” Nuts, for example, are a healthy source of body fat and protein. However, the serving size of Brazil nuts, for instance, is limited to two nuts only. Yet, a lot of people are found eating handfuls it like its popcorn making it one of the reasons why they can’t lose weight.  Nuts will cause you to fall in a fat oblivion.

How to Fix It:

The best way to overcome this problem is to reduce your portion size- eat half of what you are currently consuming. Prefer taking 5-6 meals throughout the day with a smaller portion size.  Also, reading labels and being mindful of fats, carbs, and protein amounts in the food you consume will help you to better control your portion sizes.

2.  Chronic Stress

People today are living fast-paced, stressful lives that can play a role in weight gain. Stress can elevate the levels of adrenaline and cortisol- stress hormones that trigger “fight or flight” response in your body.

Stress is perceived by your body as an emergency. The rise of cortisol and adrenaline is a survival response much like you jumping out of the way of a speeding. Once the event has passed, the levels of both adrenaline and cortisol return to normal. This is known as a healthy stress response.

Chronic stress can, however, create a havoc in your body by disturbing this response. The levels of cortisol, which normally rise during a stressful event, remain elevated constantly, dampening every attempt to lose weight. Sometimes, chronic stress can even cause unusual weight gain. [2]

How to Fix It:

It is always important to include stress management as a part of any weight loss or diet program. Practicing meditation, yoga, or breathing exercises helps to control your stress levels. Certain home remedies such as a relaxing hot shower or soothing essential oils can also reduce your stress levels markedly. In serious cases, a doctor may be contacted to get necessary medications.  However, trying to control your stress levels on your own will be beneficial for the long run.

3.  Sleep Deprivation

Studies show that a consistent lack of quality sleep can make it difficult for you to burn body fat and reduce weight. Sleep deprivation can cause a boost in the cortisol levels and accelerate the occurrence of insulin resistance. [3]

Science has even suggested that getting 30 fewer minutes of sleep than you should every week increases the risk of diabetes and obesity. Not sleeping enough has also been related to numerous other issues including high blood pressure, heart diseases, depression, accidents, and mood disorders.

How to Fix It:

Try regulating your sleep hours every day. Make sure to sleep for 6-8 hours per day. Increase the quality of sleep by making your environment more comfortable. Switch off the lights, turn on an essential oil diffuser, and use a blanket to sleep more peacefully.

4.  Lack of Exercise

It is no secret that physical activity such as cardio vascular exercising or resistance training can help you lose weight. But if you are unable to get rid of the stubborn belly fat even when you are exercising, you are not doing it enough.

How to Fix It:

Experts suggest exercising for 60 minutes every day to maintain a healthy weight. This does not mean sticking to running, walking, and other aerobic exercises. Try strength training to burn more calories and speed your metabolism. What’s more, it can also help gain muscle mass allowing you to burn calories more efficiently.

If you are unable to exercise for an hour every day, try aiming for 20 – 30 minutes.

5.  Inflammation

Systemic inflammation refers to your body’s immune response to all the substances it sees as foreign intruders. Over time, chronic inflammation can cause numerous heavy-hitting problems such as cancer, heart diseases, and even Alzheimer’s disease. It has also been associated with asthma, allergies, arthritis, autism, anemia, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, and a lot more.

Inflammation can make you feel lazy, bloated, and makes you feel pain in muscles or joints. It can cause headaches, high blood pressure, depression, and problems related to blood sugar.

If you are already struggling with obesity and can’t lose weight, inflammation can make the process even more difficult. It does so by controlling a hormone called leptin.

Leptin is a hormone responsible for regulating the body fat by controlling your metabolism and appetite. In normal individuals, the production of this hormone signals the brain to reduce appetite and speed up the metabolism. This causes people to burn more calories and feel less hunger.

Chronic inflammation, however, impairs the ability of your brain to receive the appetite-suppressing signals from leptin and increase hunger.

An increased hunger leads to overeating and soon enough, you find yourself eating so much that it becomes difficult to lose weight.
How to Fix It:

What can you do to reduce inflammation? Eat anti-inflammatory foods such as leafy greens, turmeric, olive oil, nuts and fatty fish. Here is a great resource for a list of foods that help to reduce inflammation.

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/g19988855/anti-inflammatory-foods/

Improve your lifestyle by exercising 3-4 times a week, performing yoga, and getting sufficient sleep.

6. Skipping Breakfast

Your metabolism is just like a car. If there is no gas in the tank, it would not run. Skipping breakfast is like not putting fuel in your body which helps ensure that your fat-burning metabolism never gets a chance to leave the driveway.

How to Fix It:

If you can’t lose weight no matter what you do, try having breakfast every day for a change. Experts suggest having breakfast one hour after waking up.
Consider having oatmeal with crushed walnuts and berries as a healthy breakfast option to boost your lagging metabolism every day.  While having breakfast is not guaranteed to boost your metabolism, give it a try and see how it works for YOU.

7.  Estrogen Dominance

A high amount of estrogen relative to progesterone in females can also be a reason why you can’t lose weight. This estrogen dominance may cause an increase in cravings and cause a decrease in metabolism.

If you are feeling an increase in cravings, specifically for sugar, it may be possible that you are falling into a loop where you would no longer have control over these cravings. This, combined with a slow metabolism will eventually lead to weight gain.

How to Fix It:

To manage a case of estrogen dominance, try eating a high-fiber, low-fat diet. If you are experiencing estrogen dominance, you want to AVOID foods that increase estrogen levels in the body.  Some of these foods are:

  • Coffee
  • Soy Products
  • Non-organic dairy products
  • Farm-raised fish
  • Non-organic meat

You may also want to supplement your diet with magnesium, vitamin B6, maca, or dandelion root.  If these natural remedies don’t work, schedule an appointment with your doctor to explore more medical options.

8.  Low Testosterone

Research has indicated that the level of testosterone in men drops with age. This can induce many problems such as cancers, heart diseases, increased body fat, and insulin resistance. While testosterone is typically associated with men, women have small amounts of testosterone as well and need to maintain healthy levels.  Once you are overweight, testosterone levels drop, even more, making it difficult for you to shed pounds.

How to Fix It:

You can increase testosterone naturally by a number of home remedies. Eat healthy proteins, fats, and carbohydrates every day. Include exercise and weightlifting in your daily schedule and minimize your stress levels. Supplementation with vitamin A, C, and E and minerals such as zinc can also be helpful.

9.  Toxic Overload

Every day, you are exposed to countless chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and other toxins. These toxins are commonly found in cosmetics, food, water, household cleaning agents, plastics, and candles.

Once these toxins build up in your body, they may induce hormonal imbalances leading to weight-loss resistance. An increased toxic burden also suppresses leptin, a hormone that controls hunger and metabolism.

So, even if you are eating well and exercise regularly, body toxicity can make it extremely difficult to lose weight.

How to Fix It:

How to Fix It:

To get rid of body toxicity, experts suggest drinking vegetable juices and herbal teas while minimizing sugary foods and beverages. Start a prescibed and structured detox program to cleanse your body and lose those stubborn pounds quickly.

10.  Insulin Imbalance

Insulin resistance means that your body cells are unable to use the glucose you get from food. This glucose stays in the blood and is detected by the liver which converts it into body fat.

Processed foods such a bread and pasta, sugary drinks, and even granola bars can cause insulin resistance. This can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes.

How to Fix It:

To control insulin imbalance, try avoiding foods with a high glycemic index such as bread, French fries, and donuts. Lean more towards eating non-starchy vegetable and high-fibre foods like brown rice and broccoli. Exercise on a regular basis to control insulin resistance and to begin losing weight and lower your risk of type 2 diabetes.

The Bottom Line

Losing weight may feel difficult but it is never impossible. Your hard work will definitely pay off. It is only a matter of figuring out any underlying obstacles and eliminating them. Explore every area one by one and put a place in place to start losing weight as soon as possible.

Libifit offers weight loss tips, diet plans, and programs specifically for women to help you get over your weight loss hump.  We share a new diet plan and surprising weight loss tips in our newsletter every month.  Sign up for it now and let us help you get the body you have always wanted.

Here is some of our hottest content.  Check it out!

The Ultimate Endomorph Diet Plan for Max Fat Loss

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3 Easy Mesomorph Female Diet Strategies And 2 Week Meal Plan

By
Melinda
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libifit mesomorph female diet plan

Are you looking for a diet that will help you in staying lean? Are you a mesomorph female on a cardio workout? Before you start training your body or looking for a nutrition regime, it’s better that you get to know your body type. Everyone has a unique body type but your body shape either falls under the following categories ectomorphs or endomorphs or mesomorph body type.

Most of the people are ectomorphs or endomorphs, where ectomorphs body type is when the upper body is long and lean, while endomorphs are rounder and fuller. It’s important to know that distinguishing the body type is very important as the body type affect the body weight and how you respond to various cardiovascular exercise. In this article, we are going to focus mainly on mesomorph body type.

The Mesomorph Female Body Type

When you have a mesomorph body, you are in between ectomorphs or endomorphs. Female with mesomorphic body type have wide shoulders, a narrow waist, thin joints, normal or slightly above the amount of lean mass and round muscle bellies. In other words, mesomorphs are somewhere in between and have a natural muscularity.

The mesomorph females looking to meet the fitness goals have been genetically predisposed to maintain the muscle mass. Most mesomorphs are actively involved in various exercises. An example of a mesomorph female is tennis players such as Serena Williams.

With the right training, mesomorphs can easily maintain their muscle mass and keep in feet with low body fat. This is unlikely to happen to the other body types. Furthermore, if you fail to exercise or eat a healthy diet, you can easily lose your body shape. Studies have shown that mesomorphs who balance their body and maintain a healthy body weight shield themselves from chronic diseases.

Females who endure cardiovascular exercise daily for 20-30 minutes are able to achieve a healthy weight. This is a technique that should be adopted by female mesomorph with the desires of staying lean and maintain healthy fats. Other exercises such as cycling, swimming or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may be included in the cardio workout session. If you want to have a masculine upper body, regular weight training and cardio workout will do the trick for you.

3 Easy Dieting Strategies for the Mesomorph Female (Carb Cycling, Flexible Dieting (IIFYM), High Fat Low Carb)

If you are a mesomorph female body type person, then you need to be assured with a strategic diet plan that will effectively help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Knowing the body type plays a role in determining the suitable diet plan that will work in your favor. While ectomorphs struggle to gain weight and endomorphs have a problem losing weight, mesomorphs seem to enjoy the best of the two worlds. A slight slip of the diet will see you jump into an ectomorphs or endomorphs body type.

Mesomorphs require just a little healthy fat to gain muscle. Carb cycling is a diet that works in controlling the muscles mass and helps in fat loss. Flexible dieting allows eating whatever you want as long as you are controlling your calorie intake. Here are three diet strategies that have proven to be effective for female mesomorphs.

Flexible Dieting:  IIFYM for the Mesomorph Female

For female mesomorphs, to maintain the body shape, it’s required that you should maintain a balanced diet and not restricting any foods. One advantage of being mesomorph is that you don’t have to worry much about what you eat as they can easily gain muscle mass and lose weight quicker. With a flexible dieting, you will be able to fine-tune your body into a natural masculinity and maintain the curve.

Flexible dieting is a form of dieting that allows someone to eat whatever foods they like as long as they count and regulates the three macros intake which helps in maintain a good body shape. The dieting plan is also known as IIFYM which means ‘If Its Fit Your Macros’. For Mesomorphs females, it’s recommended that you take 30 percent protein, 40 percent carbohydrates, and 30 percent fat to help you stay lean.  However, depending on your fitness goals, the percentages can be altered.

The IIFYM regulates the calorie intake, which determines whether your mesomorph body type will add weight or lose the body fats. Furthermore, for a female mesomorph trying to gain muscle, flexible dieting will give you a complete blueprint concerning the number of calories that you need to take.

Check out these articles on IIFYM and use our online IIFYM calculator to determine your ideal macro percentages.

IIFYM Meaning: What it Is and How to To Do to Lose Weight Fast

High Fat Low Carb for the Mesomorph Female

The fact that mesomorphs female may have some endomorph traits, it makes them exposed to gain weight. Therefore, there is a need to be careful when monitoring the calories intake. However, the mesomorph females need not only to regulate calories intake but the macronutrient ratio which refers to proteins, fats, and carbs. Maintain the proper ratio plays an important role in losing weight and reaching the fitness goals.

Mesomorphs are insulin and carbs sensitive. To maintain the body shape, you will need to stick to a low carb dieting plan. In case you take carb-rich diet, the carbs in the food will be converted by the body to sugars which will quickly be absorbed into the bloodstream. In addition, there is a chance that the carbs will be stored as fat instead of being metabolized into energy.

Mesomorphs females who are actively involved in exercise should take foods high in carbs during the pre and post workout sessions as the body needs more energy for tissue repair and recovery. However, as you take in low carbs diet, you should, in turn, increase the amount of fat and protein intake.

Carb Cycling for the Mesomorph Female

Cycling carbs is another approach that will work perfectly for mesomorph body type. This diet approach helps the body gain maximum muscle mass and suppress storage of an excessive amount of fats. The approach has proven to allow a female to lose body fat in the process. Carb cycling maintains the body shape by forcing the body to burn more fat than it normally does. As a female artist, you can easily achieve weight loss.

This approach means that a few days in a week, you will intake more carbs and then the female picks another set of days to in the week to minimize the intake of the carbohydrates. Carbs cycling is an approach that will raise the metabolic rate. Females mesomorphs may prefer this approach as the approach does not allow the body to adapt to regular intake of the carbs.

Here is a very thorough article outlining the basics of carb cycling.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/carb-cycling-101#section6

2-Week Mesomorph Female Diet Plan

Now that you have read about three great diet plans for mesomorphs, here is a great two-week high fat low carb diet plan.

Week 1

Week 2

Best Supplements for the Mesomorph Female

One of the best-recommended supplements is BCAAs supplementation. In case you are trying to lose weight and maintain muscle, supplementation with BCAA will work for you. For mesomorphs, BCAAs supplements are well known to stimulate protein synthesis. BCAAs supplementation also help provide lean muscles and increase muscle repairs and healing during exercise. Another advantage is that using BCAAs will increase fat burning and lead to a better body composition. The BCAAs may work best when taken during pre and post workout sessions.

Mesomorphs feel to benefit from Whey Protein supplements especially after an exercise. Studies have shown that whey protein supplementation is an effective strategy that helps female mesomorphs to achieve a leaner body composition. The supplements also favor an increase in lean mass and have no effect in the overall fat mass. Most females prefer a whey protein shake supplementation after during post-workout session.

A mesomorph female shopping for supplements might find glutamine the best choice. A reason may because most obsess females have a record of using glutamine for weight loss. Glutamine aids in muscle metabolism and recovery after vigorous exercise. Glutamine will definitely support your goals if you want to lose weight.

Fish oil has also become a commonly used dietary supplement as it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which play an important role in your health. Studies show that fish oil supplementation in combination with the right diet or exercise will help you lose weight. In female mesomorphs, fish oil reduces waist circumference and balance the waist to hip ratio.

Try this two-week mesomorph female diet plan to get your body into great shape.  You can download a easy to read pdf copy of this diet using the form in this post.  Try the diet and let us know what you think.

Till next time…

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IIFYM Meaning: What it Is and How to To Do to Lose Weight Fast

By
Melinda
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IIFYM Calculator Diet
IIFYM Calculator

Dieting can be hard. If you have been browsing how to lose fat and not going to the bodybuilding sessions, then you have probably heard of IIFYM meaning “If It Fits Your Macros”. The IIFYM plan means that you can eat anything you want and still improve body composition. You can do this by counting macros intake.

According to the IIFYM meal plan, if you maintain a low intake of daily calorie, you will be able to eat more and lose fats and at the same time. The overall concept means you can eat anything, including the dirty foods, according to the IIFYM diet plan and still get in shape. This article discusses everything that you need to about daily macros and what to do to lose weight fast.

What is IIFYM and Flexible Dieting?

IIFYM is a diet plan that stands for “If It Fits Your Macros” which means that you can just eat anything you like or desire as long as it fits the daily calorie requirements. Some of the people think that eating bread, doughnuts or even pizza will automatically make you fat. However, IIFYM has explained that it doesn’t matter what you take as long as your daily macronutrients are met.

Whether you prefer to take processed foods or raw foods, it will have no difference when you are trying to improve body composition- as long as you stick to the target daily macros. IIFYM, in other words, states that the body fat does not necessarily arise from the types of foods that you consume but rather the excess calories intake that you take daily.

Unless when you are talking from a health perspective, there is no such thing as ‘bad’ or ‘good’ food, ‘clean’ or ‘dirty’ foods that prevent someone to lose weight. A lot of people also seem to think that if someone has to give up foods such as pizza or bread so as to improve body composition. Basically, the body composition is all about intakes such as calorie and macronutrients.

Some people have also termed it as “Flexible Dieting”. Flexible dieting is a meal plan that is designed based on what your body needs to function and to change in terms of weight loss and body fat. The structure of the dieting is based on quantity rather than quality.

 

How Does IIFYM Work?

If you are looking for a long-term solution to lose weight, then you IIFYM should be the next flexible diet to go for. Before we go on to learn how IIFYM meaning in its true form, let us define what are macros.

Macros is a slang meaning macronutrients- these are proteins, fats, and carbohydrates (also known as carbs). These are the main fuel of the body. The daily intake of the macronutrients depends on several factors such as age, activities of the user and the medical condition. According to Food and Nutrition Board of the Institutes of Medicine, an average American is recommended is as follows: 45-65% of daily calories intake comes from carbs, 10-35% from protein, and 20-35% from fat.

IIFYM is a diet plan that requires you to calculate and monitor the calorie intake. It is a process that may require your smartphone app, or you can opt to keep a day to day track of your intake through spreadsheets. With the IIFYM plan, the level of the carbs intake should be less than the recommended 45 %.

Benefits of IIFYM

Most of the diets have become successful by eliminating certain food and food groups -they do so by eliminating too much calorie intake. The disadvantage is that these limiting diets cannot be a long-term solution. Let’s be realistic, life without ice cream can suck. That where IIFYM meaning “If Its Fits Your Macros” comes into play. You can eat whichever flavor of ice cream you want and still get results.

With the IIFYM diet plan, you learn the real calorie intake that is in your food. Moreover, you can regulate macronutrients in your food. This is far the best way to lose fat as you can control the energy balance in your body with precision. Humans are bad at estimating the food intake: and it can be disappointing that you are limiting off certain foods and still not losing body fat. Monitoring and control the intake of the macros will help you eat more foods while maintaining a consistent intake of macronutrients.

IIFYM is educational. If you are the one responsible for counting daily macros intake, then you get an extensive knowledge of nutrition. IIFYM helps you learn the number of calories in foods and improves your awareness on which foods are the greater source of the macronutrients. This knowledge becomes useful in you are looking for a long term weight management solution.

All Calories Are Not Created Equal…Neither are Macros

Many people adopt the phrase that “calories are calories”. This is an assumption made that the human body handles calories the same way. However, it is true to say that not all calories are created equally. For example, for you to have 1,500 calories diet, you can either have four pieces of cakes or 375 strawberries which is too much. Even when it comes to real foods, our body handles calories differently.

Calories are different and depend whether they are from proteins, fats or carbs. When it comes to IIFYM dieting, counting calories only can be vague and broad. Thus, it’s recommended that you go beyond calorie and monitor the macros. Not all calories are created equal and neither are the macros. It all depends on the source.

Furthermore, each macro plays a vital role in our body; proteins help in muscle building, fats are needed in body digestion and for cardiovascular health while carbs are a source of energy.

What IIFYM is Not.  Mistakes People Often Make

People often have the misconception that IIFYM meaning If Its Fits Your Macros is a pro-junk food diet as it allows people to be flexible with the foods. However, that is not the case. IIFYM diet plan assumes the majority of the food you are eating is nutritious and a small percent -maybe 20% to 15% -can come from the junk “dirty” foods.

Some people, mostly the beginners, mistake IIFYM as a diet-which is not the case. IIFYM is a nutrition approach. Rather than IIFYM being grouped into certain foods, it makes you conscious about your food intake.

When IIFYM was introduced, media thought it was a diet introduced to let people eat a doughnut, ice cream, and French fries while still losing body fat. However, if you don’t have a nutrition expert to guide you through, even if you are counting calories it may become impossible for you to meet the goals if you eat the foods regularly.

 

Calories From Protein

Proteins are the building blocks of a human body. They constitute bones, skin, and muscles and not forgetting the hair. The main uses of proteins in the body are to repair body tissues and support other metabolic processes. A gram of protein has been defined to contain 4kcal.

About 30% of the calories obtained from protein are used for digestion. It is very hard for you to have excess calories from protein as the body metabolize protein at a faster rate thus breaking down the calories. That means that if you eat more protein than your daily intake, they are less likely to change your body composition unless there taken in presence of extra fats and carbs.

However, it is recommended that people should aim for 25g of protein per meal. Though going overboard may have no effect on the body fat, you should be cautious as protein overload can be detrimental for kidneys and the digestion. In some cases, excess protein can cause a rise in the blood glucose levels.

Below are some of the sources of good proteins

Eggs

Soy

Lean Beef

Chicken breast

Puy lentils

Pumpkin seeds

Chickpeas

Cottage cheese

Salmon Fish

Dairy products

 

 

Calories from Fat

Of the three macros, fats are slowly digested in the body. The body metabolizes carbs and proteins before turning fats into energy. One gram of fat contains 9 kcal. Calories are the amount of energy released when your body absorbs foods. However, relying on fats as an energy source rather than carbs have an added advantage health. Fats breakdown is slower and requires no energy to be broken down thus meaning that the body does not require more energy in assimilating the fats in the body.

However, by learning that fat intake is bad for your health, you don’t have to eliminate all the fats from your foods. Just like we have said all calories are not equal, so are the fats. There are good fats and bad fats. Basically, there are two types of fats, saturated and unsaturated fats.

The bad fats are divided into saturated and trans fat and they have been identified to be harmful to the human body, especially the heart. Foods such as poultry skin, tropical oils, animal fats, margarine, vegetable shortening, processed foods contain the bad fats. These fats increase the level of cholesterol in the blood and cause low-density lipoprotein (LDL) which posses a higher rate of heart diseases, inflammation and diabetes type II.

The goods fats are the unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Most of the people refer to them as healthy fats and should be included in every meal. The foods that contain these types of fats mostly tend to be liquid at room temperature. They help the body to absorb body nutrients, improve the hormones and improve blood cholesterol level.

Here are 10 good sources of fat:

Avocados

Walnuts

Olives

Almonds (other nuts and seeds)

Salmon

Tofu

Cheese

Dark Chocolate

Full-Fat yogurt

Calories from Carbs

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in the body and act as fuel to most of the vital organs including kidney, brains and the nervous system. Carbs are broken down into simple energy referred to as glucose. Carbohydrates are divided into two types: simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are found in nature and have a high fiber content in them while complex carbohydrates

All carbs are not equal and this is much dependent on the level of sugar and fiber content. When carbs are metabolized into sugar, the sugar in form of glucose is absorbed which increases the blood sugar level and improve fat storage. Fibre, on the other hand, makes it hard to digest food and doesn’t elevate blood sugar as food with low fiber content.

Carbs are commonly referred to as goods carbs or bad carbs. IIFYM diet plan advice that you should intake good carbs over the bad carbs. Good carbs are complex carbohydrates which have high fiber content and nutrients meaning they take longer to be digested. Since they take longer to be digested they do not elevate the blood sugar content. Examples are high-fiber beans and legumes and whole grains.

Bad cards, on the other hand, are simple carbohydrates which can be easily broken down and absorbed in the blood causing a blood sugar spike. Examples include bread and pasta, cakes among others. Therefore, it is recommended that you swap you meal plan from simple carbohydrates to more complex one which will allow you to avoid blood sugar spikes.

Here is a breakdown common source of carbohydrates:

Chickpeas

Sweet potato

Brown Rice

Oats

Blueberries

Bananas

Chestnut

Low-Fat yogurt

Broccoli

Wholegrain Bread

Getting Started with IIFYM

If you are thinking about starting IIFYM diet plan, then you must be ready to commit yourself to your alloted macros. By doing this you will be able to eat all the junk foods you want. To start with IIFYM plan, there are some things that you should really keep in mind:

Don’t follow social media as it can mislead you. Majority of the people using IIFYM post ice cream and donuts on social media while, they are following a plan eating lean proteins, vegetables, and fruits daily. In addition, make sure that you eat whole foods rather than “dirty foods”.

It‘s also important to point out that if you are planning to get started with IIFYM flexible diet, keep the food simple as it will be easy to track its purpose. Complicated foods at the beginning will result in too many calculations and this may be discouraging. IIFYM will work if you are consistent and patient.

Ready to give the IIFYM diet a try?  Check out our IIFYM calculator by clicking the link below.

IIFYM Calculator

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