Keep yourself guessing
If you have ever had a goal to lose weight or tone up and done everything the text books say, but have been unsuccessful, keep reading. If you ever dieted only to feel deprived and frustrated at your progress, there is a better way. If you spend hours at the gym and run for miles yet see yourself gaining unwanted jiggle, it’s about time you learned how to make your body work for you, not against you.
Introducing: METABOLIC CONFUSION
Metabolic confusion is a term used to describe a dietary concept that involves varying calorie intake and macronutrient composition on a daily or weekly basis. The idea behind metabolic confusion is to prevent the body from adapting to a specific calorie intake or macronutrient ratio, which can potentially lead to a plateau in weight loss or metabolic rate. Metabolic conditioning allows a person to eat real food in a way that is sustainable. Did you know carbohydrates are one of the best ways to fuel your muscles and give you energy? Let’s keep that as part of the equation for success.
To implement metabolic confusion in your diet, you can try the following strategies:
Calorie Cycling: Vary your daily calorie intake by alternating between higher and lower calorie days. For example, you can have a higher calorie day followed by a lower calorie day, and so on.
Macronutrient Cycling: Rotate your macronutrient intake by changing the ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat in your diet. You can have higher carbohydrate days, followed by higher protein or higher fat days.
Intermittent Fasting: Incorporate intermittent fasting into your routine by cycling between periods of eating and fasting. This can help create metabolic confusion by varying your eating patterns. Make sure you speak to a healthcare professional before introducing intermittent fasting.
Meal Timing: Change the timing of your meals throughout the day. For example, you can have larger meals earlier in the day and smaller meals later in the day or vice versa.
Here is an overview of what a high carbohydrate day versus a low carbohydrate day might look like:
High Carbohydrate Day:
Carbohydrates might make up around 50-60% or more of your total caloric intake for the day.
You would focus on consuming complex carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables.
High carbohydrate days are often favored on days when you have intense workouts or higher energy demands that require more readily-available fuel.
Low Carbohydrate Day:
On a low carbohydrate day, you would reduce your intake of carbohydrates and increase your intake of protein and healthy fats.
Carbohydrates might make up around 20-30% of your total caloric intake for the day.
You would focus on consuming non-starchy vegetables, lean protein sources, and healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and seeds.
Low carbohydrate days are often used on rest or recovery days when your energy needs are lower or as a way to promote fat-burning and metabolic flexibility.
How you keep your body guessing through exercise is another topic for another day, but it is equally as important. For now, confuse your body by changing the way you eat. Normally we would say consistency is key, but not in this case! Be predictably unpredictable and avoid day-to-day similarity. It will keep your metabolism active and responsive. You will find yourself continually progressing, not plateauing. Most importantly, you’ll be happier doing it.