Lose Fat Fast With These 3 Zerona Secrets

Shedding pounds is no easy task, but for some people the number on the scale seems frozen in place no matter how many trips to the gym, or calories counted. Even the most motivated individual can experience weight loss woes. If this sounds like you, consider this question: Did you eat breakfast this morning? If you’re shaking your head no, it’s time to re-think your eating habits.

In modern society, culture, ethics, religion and sheer convenience are factors that influence dietary choices, but sometimes it helps to look at food for what it really is: something that sustains the body. You eat, and this causes all sorts of biological responses. For example, ingesting food decreases levels of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that is associated with stress. In contrast, when you skip a meal cortisol increases, and that in turn raises blood sugar. If cortisol stays high the body begins to conserve fat—especially around the abdomen—that can persist despite exercise.

For this reason, when it comes to developing eating habits that encourage weight loss, I teach my patients to think of eating in terms of maintaining blood sugar. So, how can you maintain your blood sugar from morning to night? It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

Zerona Secret #1

Eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up. Cortisol levels are highest in the morning and ingesting, say, an egg on a slice of wheat toast tells your body to ‘break’ its ‘fast’ and reduce cortisol. NEVER skip breakfast. Bypassing the first meal of the day keeps cortisol levels high, and sets you up for a late afternoon binge-fest, studies show. Not only will those cookies be irresistible, high cortisol levels will make it that much harder to lose the additional calories.

Zerona Secret #2

Eat every 2 to 3 hours. Even if it isn’t a designated “meal time”, snack on organic, raw nuts or seeds. Try a handful of almonds or walnuts, or you can even spread a nut butter on a vegetable. This keeps cortisol at normal levels, and prevents the symptoms of low blood sugar, such as irritability and craving for sweets, described in previous posts.

Zerona Secret #3
Eat protein with every meal. If you’re sensitive to eggs and dairy, do as the Japanese do and eat fish instead. Or, opt for some chicken or turkey. If time is an issue in the morning, cook your protein of choice the night before so all you have to do is re-heat it in the morning.