3 Foods to Help You Lose the Quarantine 15, Naturally

I don’t know about you all, but I have been spending more time than ever sitting on my couch watching cartoons with my son and eating snacks. And the weight has been creeping on. I recently heard the weight that people are gaining during quarantine is called the quarantine 15 (like the freshman 15) and it made me chuckle. As frustrating as it is, it is totally natural for us to be less active and to eat more to deal with stress and boredom during this unprecedented time. Unfortunately, as a result people are turning to restrictive diets to lose the weight they have gained during quarantine. Instead, I urge you to give yourself some grace during this time and to add a few metabolism boosting foods to your diet, rather than depriving yourself. 

If you’re like I used to be, you’ve likely been struggling to release excess weight for a while, even before quarantine.

And, also like me, you’ve likely tried a number of diets and strategies that haven’t worked.

I know how frustrating this can be, and how confusing it is to try to make sense of all the conflicting nutritional information out there. 

There are so many approaches…

Vegan
High protein
High fat
Low fat
Calorie counting
Keto

It feels impossible to know what’s right for you!

If you’ve been struggling to lose weight and keep it off, chances are that your metabolism is out of whack. 

And, going on a restrictive diet will just make things worse.

I’m going to be diving deeper into this topic in my upcoming FREE webinar, but for now I want to share 3 foods that will help you work WITH your metabolism instead of AGAINST it. 

Here are 3 Foods to Help You Lose Weight, Naturally...

#1 Green Tea
Why Green Tea Helps With Weight Loss...

When green tea is consumed, it increases thermogenesis or the rate at which your body burns calories. This means that you can do the same level of activity but burn more calories throughout the day.

In one study, participants were given green tea on a daily basis, but made no changes to the food they ate or exercise they did. At the end of 90 days, participants lost an average of 2.64 pounds, ¾ inch from their waistline and reduced their body mass index—not bad considering that no dietary or exercise changes were part of the study.

In another 12-week study, participants were placed on a diet where they were provided three meals per day. All the food was prepared for the participants. Half of the group consumed green tea. Those in the green tea group lost significantly more weight—24 pounds—over the 12-week period.

Aside from weight loss, there are many health benefits to drinking green tea, including preventing cancer, reducing inflammation, and overall heart health.

My favorite form of green tea is Matcha - a more concentrated, powdered form of green tea.

#2 Coconut Oil

Why Coconut Oil Helps with Weight Loss
When you think about weight loss, you might think you should minimize fat consumption, but this type of thinking may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts. 

Instead, think about consuming the right types of fat.

One of the fats that has been found to be particularly beneficial for weight loss is coconut oil.

Consuming coconut oil is very different from consuming other types of fat, because it reacts differently within your body. Most types of dietary fats contain long-chain fatty acids, but coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are metabolized in a unique way.

When you consume the MCTs in coconut oil, they move from the digestive tract to the liver. Since the MCTs in coconut oil are "thermogenic," meaning that they require a higher amount of energy to digest and metabolize, they help to boost your metabolism and provide you with additional energy throughout the day.

Since the body processes MCTs in this way, they increase the energy that is expended (compared with other types of fats). When energy is used at higher levels, fat loss occurs.

My favorite ways to use coconut oil are for stir frying vegetables and to make popcorn (yum!). When buying coconut oil, be sure to choose unrefined coconut oil. 

#3 Flax Seeds

How Flax Seeds Help with Weight Loss

Flax seeds are high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, which are important elements of a healthy diet.

Fiber is beneficial for weight loss in a few ways.

First, it helps you feel full for a longer period of time, helping you consume less food.

Second, the fiber content in flax seeds helps control your blood sugar levels.

Maintaining lower blood sugar levels supports weight loss, because when your blood sugar levels are high, your body is more likely to store fat.

Flax seeds also contain omega-3 essential fatty acids which have been shown to boost metabolism and speed up weight loss. And like fiber, the healthy fats found in flax seeds are beneficial because they slow down digestion and help keep you satiated.

My favorite ways to use flax seeds are to add a tablespoon of ground flax seeds to a smoothie and sprinkling ground flax on a bowl of oatmeal in the morning.  When purchasing flax seeds, be sure to buy the whole seed and then grind them at home in a coffee grinder. The ground seeds will stay good for a week in the refrigerator.

Start integrating these foods into your diet and let me know how it goes!

I have a lot more to share with you about how to lose weight (and keep it off) in a way that’s really healthy and sustainable. 

Deprivation diets are NOT the answer.  There’s a better way and I can’t wait to share this with you. 

I’ve been sharing my strategies for lasting weight loss with clients for the past two years and they can’t believe how much easier it’s been for them to release excess weight and keep it off.

I’m incredibly excited to share these same strategies with you!

I’m going to dig much deeper into this topic during a FREE webinar…so that you can finally lose all the weight you want (for good)!

FREE WEBINAR

“The Diet Myths Preventing You From Losing Weight & Keeping it Off: 3 Keys to Lasting Weight Loss...So You Can End Dieting Forever”

During this FREE webinar you’ll learn: REGISTER HERE

• The 6 culprits that are preventing you from losing weight
• What’s stalling your metabolism & keeping the weight on
• The 3 keys to losing the weight & keeping it off
• The foods that increase your cravings & cause you to hold onto weight
• How to enjoy meals that fire up your metabolism

If you’ve been struggling with your weight, I hope you’ll join me because I know what a huge difference this can make for you!  

Click here to reserve your free spot >> REGISTER NOW

Missed the webinar? Send me an email at kristen.miyano.health.coach@gmail.com and I will send you a recording!


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