Weightloss Wednesday Increasing Your BMR

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/

This is a tad bit long! I hope you find it encouraging and helpful in your journey. I really enjoy learning all I can!

The Basal Metabolic Rate and Weight Loss

You expend energy no matter what you're doing, even when sleeping. The Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories you burn while at completely rest. As you age, it becomes harder to eat whatever you want and stay slim because your BMR decreases with age. (This means you do fewer calories)  It has been proven that a regular routine of cardiovascular exercise can increase your BMR, thus you burn more calories. For those of us with physical handicaps who cannot participate in cardiovascular exercise it is important to control our BMR through our diet and strength exercises. It is easy to calculate your BMR (everyone’s is different) you can use the formula below or one of the calculators I posted a few weeks ago.

Women:
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

Calculate Activity

·         If you are sedentary : BMR x 20 percent

·         If you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent

·         If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent

·         If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent

·         If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60 percent

Add this number to your BMR.

The result of this formula will be the number of calories you can eat every day and maintain your current weight. In order to lose weight, you'll need to take in fewer calories than this result.

As you lose weight, you can re-calculate the formula to assess your new BMR.

 Herbs and your BMR

 Last week I shared with you the blessing of negative calories. This week I want to share with your some basic herbs that are said to increase your BMR.  I am not a doctor! Please consult with your physician before you use herbs you are not familiar with Herbs just like regular medicine can have side affects and reations with other drugs you may take. My doctor actually recommends the herbs that I am using.

  Green Tea

I have learned to love Green Tea. I hate the taste…sort of like grass. So I combine my green tea with peppermint or cinnamon / apple herb teas. I make iced green tea and keep it handy.

Just What is Green Tea?

Green tea is made from the same plant (Camellia sinensis) as other teas such as black and oolong, but with a different process.

What are the benefits? (I won’t go into detail here. Only stating bare facts)

Green tea is healthier than black tea because the fermentation process used to make black teas causes the destruction of many nutrients.

Green tea contains antioxidants properties, polyphenols, theanine, as well as a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Compounds found in Green Tea.

Polyphenols are a class of phytochemicals found in high concentrations in green tea, and have been associated with heart disease and cancer prevention.

 Tanis is group of simple and complex phenol, polyphenols, and flavonoid compounds.

Catechins are a category of polyphenols. A cup of green tea may provide 10-40mg of polyphenols and has antioxidant activity greater than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots or strawberries.

Flavonoids are plant pigments, and are the brightly colored chemical constituents found in most fresh fruits and vegetables. They may aid in protecting against infection.

Theanine is an amino acid that produces tranquilizing effects in the brain, theanine is a unique amino acid found in the leaves sencha. Theanine is quite different from the polyphenols and catechin antioxidants for which green tea is typically consumed. Three to four cups of sencha are expected to contain 100-200 mg of theanine.

So now you know what green tea is made of! (A bit of chemistry!)

Research shows that green tea stimulates metabolism as well as oxidation of fat and that consuming green tea increases the body's rate of calorie burning, which can lead to weight loss.

Cinnamon

I love a touch of cinnamon in my morning coffee and in my tea.

Benefits of Cinnamon.

Research has shown:

• That just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.


• that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar


• The ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.


• It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.


• In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis


•  pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.


• One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.


• It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

 

Ginger

The Health Benefits of Ginger (these facts can be found all over the web and in books. However always research on your own)

·         Stimulates Digestion

·         Naturally Freshens Breath

·         Relieves Nausea, Including Dizziness from Motion Sickness

·         Helps Lower Cholesterol

·         Relieves Gas and Bloating

·         Soothes Common Cold Symptoms, Including Respiratory Infections

·         Eases Menstrual Cramps

·         Relieves Headaches

·         Helps Stop Diarrhea

·         Believed to Have Anti-Cancer Properties

. Opinions and facts vary widely in the benefits of ginger. Please take time to study about the herb before you use it.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/ginger-000246.htm

http://www.uspharmacist.com/oldformat.asp?url=newlook/files/Comp/ginger2.htm&pub_id=8&article_id=77

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-ginger.html  

Cayenne Pepper     

• improves circulation by its stimulating properties


• reduces inflammatory conditions of blood vessels


• purifies the blood by its cleansing and purging effect - it is an excellent expeller of poisons and toxins


• promotes healing and prevents infection due to its anti-microbial properties


• helps to normalize blood pressure


• lowers cholesterol and reduces risk of heart disease


• helps to break down cholesterol deposits in the body


• prevents blood clots


• helps to bring down blood sugar levels


• relieves pain


• enhances body’s metabolism

Here is a Squido page with all kinds of info on Cayenne. http://www.squidoo.com/cayenne-pepper

http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/cayenne.html

 Honey

Honey should not be given to children under 1 year old.  http://www.honey.com/downloads/infantbotulism.pdf

Did you know that honey contains:

• 28 minerals


• 11 enzymes


• 22 amino acids


• 14 fatty acids


• 11 carbohydrates.

Read the web pages to learn more.

http://www.honey.com/

http://www.honey-health.com/honey-16.shtml

http://www.honeyassociation.com/Healthy_Eating_Plan.pdf

 Here is how I use Green Tea, cinnamon, cayenne, ginger and honey daily.

Each morning I put 1/8^th tsp of cinnamon, cayenne, and ginger in my coffee along with a generous dose of honey. I actually enjoy it now but it did take some getting used to!!!!

I make green tea (like iced tea) and add to each glass (16oz) 1/8 tsp ginger. 1/8th tsp cinnamon and a generous dose of honey.

That may not seem like much but I have noticed a huge difference in how the weight is coming off from times in the past. I am actually loosing belly fat and thigh fat. (Usually the last to come off). I have seen a noticeable improvement in joint pain (less) and my FMS is nonexistent for three weeks now. (This is usually the time of year when it is very bad) I have no yeast symptoms. However it would be hard to tell if this due to using the herbs or to following a nearly “yeast free” diet or a combo of both.

I am also sticking to a low calorie diet, no sugar most of the time (except honey), and almost no bread or yeast products. This is hard at times especially when I am baking for the family. Overall I feel much better and have so much more energy.

And yes I have had a few bad days. I managed to not eat the wrong things but it was so very hard! Last night we had a dinner party to go to. A potluck. The worse for proper diet choices. But I was so surprised that I was able to eat strawberries, pineapple, celery, tomatoes, apple salad with yoghurt...all on the zero calorie list! I also enjoyed a small slice of ham. I did not go over my calories for the day, felt very full and had a great time.

My progress since starting my diet one month ago today is 15.1 lbs. My goal is 2lbs a week and I do expect to slow down soon. More on that next week!