Metabolic health and obesity have been my focus for a long time as I struggled with eating disorders for most of my childhood. I could not understand why I was overweight, and my siblings were skinny even though we ate the same food.
This question eventually motivated me to study science and nutrition at university so I could get well and help thousands of clients reset their metabolisms.
With the next Rejuv Wellness Retreat at Chewton Glen in November, many have contacted us asking about weight loss and metabolism. This is why I’ve decided to share about this topic in this weeks blog!
Eating Disorders & Approval Addiction
Growing up as a chubby kid, I was teased a lot due to my excess belly fat, and I ended up with eating disorders. Starvation was the only way I knew how to reduce my weight, so the cycle of poor eating habits began. The tricky thing was that over one summer, I worked very hard to change my appearance and lost three dress sizes as I:
- exercised like mad
- didn’t eat much
I entered into my third year of high school, fully transformed, and I became addicted to the praise, which became a root issue of a decade of approval addiction.
My walk with obesity, eating disorders, insecurity and shame are why I am so passionate about this topic. These issues robbed me of half my childhood, feeling so embarrassed to secretly take food to my bedroom when my blood sugar regulation was low, and I had no “off-switch” of being full and couldn’t stop eating.
Metabolism Reset for Long-Term Health
At Rejuv Wellness, we don’t offer a quick fix. We are here to get to the root causes and support you with long-term solutions to your health challenges. That doesn’t mean you have slow results. On the contrary, in fact, when you reset your metabolism, you lose on average of 2kg per week.
It’s all about wellness and freedom from any eating disorder, disease, pain or mental health challenge that keeps you locked in a cage.
Create A Carb Deficit
Your brain needs glucose to function, but that doesn’t mean you need to carb load, quite the opposite. The average adult who wants to reduce body fat can get enough from the carbs in fruits and vegetables.
Creating this carb deficit by reducing complex carbs from rice, potato, and pasta, gives your body the chance to use your fat as fuel instead and therefore reduce body fat.
It’s not about calorie counting but rather about the optimum fuel mix of protein-to-fat-to-carb ratios.
If you eat more wild fish, and more good fats like olives, avocado and seeds, you won’t be hungry, and you’ll balance your blood sugar levels and reduce cravings.
I’m cautious with nuts as some do well on nuts and others don’t, so take 7 per day and see how your fat-burning journey progresses. My body prefers essential fats from oily fish, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, seeds and olives.
Since we are all identically different, your metabolic starting point is something that needs to be determined. The ideal way we do this with our clients is the Naturopathic 10-Point Home Urine Test to assess your wellness levels.
Healing Eating Disorders
This philosophy is what I used to cure myself of eating disorders, live lean and not be a slave to food. The other side of the coin relates to function, for like a car, you need optimum fuel and functional support.
I love to help clients reset their metabolism, and after my brutal hits, it was vital because, as a teenager, I ate the same as the rest of my siblings and did lots of sports. Still, I was very overweight, and they were super skinny!
So what was going on? This question attracted me to study to become a nutritionist at university, where I first set out to get the answers for myself, but also to help others who were suffering like me! The solution I found was blood sugar regulation.
I can’t eat carbs like others; my Dad is diabetic, and I’m prone to hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar). I need more protein and fats to feel full, not binge, feel satisfied, and help break the power food has over me.
I also had a slow metabolic rate, which I have now trained to be fast. It’s now hard for me to gain weight.
My Top 10 Insights To Change Your Metabolism
I understand your struggle, for I was trapped, confused, ashamed and desperate to find a solution. Good clean science and nutrition, no fad diets, but long-lasting lifestyle changes to bring long-term freedom.
I’ve used the following tips for thousands of clients for over two decades, including Brian McFadden from Westlife, who lost two stone (15kg) at the end of 2020.
Here are my top 10 tips to help increase your metabolism to break free from this vicious cycle, allowing you to live at a healthy weight where you can both look and feel amazing.
1. Use Thermogenic Herbs
Warm your system up to boost your metabolism by eating more hot and spicy food: chilli, cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger & green tea. If you find this tricky (like me), try my Rejuv Thermo Metabolic Support Capsules – the first-ever formula I invented to break my food addictions and get free of eating disorders.
2. Interval Training and Metabolism
Use interval training to kick your metabolism for it is not enough to go for a walk if you want to boost your metabolism. Instead, try doing intervals from medium to very hard, such as walking for 4 minutes and sprinting for 1 minute and sustain this for 30-45 minutes. You can use this principle on your bike or any exercise where you shift from medium to hard intensity.
Supporting your lymphatic system is also crucial. I recommend at least 200 daily bounces on a trampoline or mini rebounder. If you are prone to water retention, try our Water Flo Capsules and take two each night before dinner.
3. Cut The Sugar
Sugar is more addictive than most drugs, so you need to lay this down. One treat meal a week is fine, but try to keep your weeks clean and maybe have a treat on weekends.
If you have an all-or-nothing mindset like me, give it up for 100 days and take one day at a time where you tell yourself ‘just for today’. By doing this, you will reset your metabolism to kill candida fungus, heal your gut and become a fat-burning machine.
Cloudy Apple Cider Vinegar is also brilliant for supporting your digestion so that you can absorb your protein to reduce cravings. Many are eating enough protein but are not absorbing it, which is vital. If you don’t like the taste or you’re concerned about your teeth’ enamel take 1-2 capsules of my Apple Cider Burn Capsules – a game-changer when it comes to fat burning.
4. Go Pesca-Vegan to Keep Metabolism in Check
Eat clean and increase your fish protein & good fats such as avocado, seeds, olives, coconut, hemp, avocado & nut oils. Eating more whole foods will keep your metabolism in check and allow you to stay healthy during the week, knowing that you will reward yourself on the weekend.
I often practise intermittent fasting for 12-16 hours a day to give my body a chance to cleanse itself and get into active detox and fat-burning. Most toxins are actually stored in your body fat.
Since we win the game in our mind, the best is balance over abstinence. By getting your good fat-to-protein ratios right, you’ll balance your blood sugar levels and reduce cravings. If you feel you need a little help in this area like I did to break my food addictions, take 2 of our Blood Sugar Support Capsules before lunch and maybe even dinner if you tend to overeat at night.
5. Reduce Inflammation
By keeping your acid wastes in check, all of the 11 systems of your body will be functioning correctly, having a wonderfully positive effect on your metabolism.
Eat more plants and reduce your animal/meat intake to fast-track your life. The digestive, nervous, endocrine, skeletal, muscular, cardiac, respiratory, circulatory, immune, integumentary (hair, skin & nails) and excretory systems all benefit from super greens.
Try the Rejuv Super Greens Powder I originally gave Elle Macpherson over 10 years ago when she came to me as a client or the formula I invented for her and WelleCo. The Super Elixir. You only need two teaspoons per day. If you dislike green juices, take our Super Greens Vegan Capsules instead.
6. Hydrate to Boost Your Metabolism
Drink 2-3 litres of our Detox or Wellness Water each day. We all consist of around 100 trillion cells, and the water in our cells is slightly salty.
By drinking this water with added unprocessed sea salt, your cells will be like big fat healthy grapes instead of shrivelled-up raisins, allowing goodness to flow in and junk to be flushed out. Unlike regular table salt, sea salt helps flush out unwanted water retention. Hydrating also takes the pressure off all body systems, thus boosting your metabolism. You will also be less hungry as your brain won’t confuse thirst for hunger.
7. Chew Properly
Support your gut by chewing! This sounds obvious but chew each mouthful around 20 times per to support digestion and reduce stagnation. Thorough chewing will also help you feel full, as it takes about 20 minutes for your gut to signal to your brain that you are full.
Many overeat by not giving their brain enough time to read how full they are. Limit liquids to a maximum of 200 millilitres per meal to not dilute your stomach acids. I also recommend taking my Digestive Complex Powder regularly.
8. Do a Cleanse
I do a seasonal cleanse twice a year, as the liver is vital if you want to have a healthy metabolism. To simplify this, we created the Rejuv Quick-Start Wellness Packs, which include a complimentary wellness protocol, recipes and a complete daily plan. You can choose the pack that best suits your goals here. You can do a cleanse yourself or join us on one of our retreats.
9. Increase Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)
This refers to the calories you burn by walking, running errands, gardening, household chores, and other non-exercise activities. Increasing your daily NEAT can help boost your metabolism. Take the stairs, stand up and stretch regularly, get a stand-up desk, and find ways to stay active throughout the day.
10. Get Enough Sleep
Lack of sleep can slow down your metabolism. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to support a healthy metabolism, and always go to bed at least 1 hour before midnight. If you find it hard to sleep, you can supplement with herbs like our Bedtime Blend Capsules or the Sleep Welle Calming Tea I formulated to help Elle with her jet lag years ago.
Sluggish Metabolism Help
If you know you have a sluggish metabolism and need support, the most effective way to boost your metabolism is with our Metabolism Reset Pack (or the Green Coffee Burn Edition if you’re sensitive to Green Tea).
Both these Quick-Start Wellness Packs and Protocol supports all of your 7 Pillars of Wellness and will give you the lifestyle changes you need. Completing this Wellness Pack and protocol supports long-term results. If you don’t want to commit to the pack, start with our Thermo Metabolic Support or Green Coffee Burn Capsules.
