by IS IT WORTH WORKING MORE OVER THE SUMMER MONTHS? You are definitely not alone.
Before you start a calorie in vs. calories out diet, why not consider whether mitochondrial clutter might be making it hard to shift that stubborn fat?
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We now know that maintaining a stable weight involves a complex combination of factors.
The most surprising thing, perhaps, is that it is not what you pile on your plate that makes a difference to your waistline.
You may not be familiar with mitochondria, but according to health experts, these tiny cell components could be the secret to combating extra summer holiday weight.
Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells that power all the chemical reactions that keep us alive.
The mitochondria live deep within these cells where they create energy called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
The energy rate they produce helps keep the metabolism burning so you can maintain a better handle on your weight.
Women’s health expert Dr Sarah Jenkins says: “Mitochondria have an indirect effect on weight gain and loss.
“They are part of a complex energy production process and if any step in this process malfunctions our cells will not get the quality of energy we need.”
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Eating the wrong foods can cause the mitochondria to become congested – congested and sluggish.
Research published in the journal Nature Metabolism showed that it changes the structure of the mitochondria when we are overweight, which would reduce the ability to burn fat.
Here are some of the best ways to turbocharge these tiny cellular structures to help you on your way to your best summer body ever.
1. Streamline your macros
Eating too much of any one food is never a good thing, so keeping your mitochondria functioning properly depends on building a balanced plate.
If we eat too much of one macronutrient, (carbs, fat, protein), rather than a balanced diet, this can cause mitochondrial clutter.
Balancing your macronutrient intake allows the mitochondria to pick and choose how much and which macronutrient to use, but when our diet goes awry, our mitochondria can’t get up to speed. .
Fasting helps to clear out your system and use up all the stored energy so it can be beneficial.
Dr Sarah Jenkins
Dr Jenkins says: “We then eat more sugary foods or carbohydrates to try and balance our energy levels, this overloads our system with the wrong kind of energy.
“Divide your plate into a quarter of lean protein such as tofu, eggs or chicken, a quarter of complex carbohydrates such as cottage cheese, brown rice or brown pasta, and healthy fats such as avocado or olive oil.
“Dedicate the other half to non-starchy vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower and kale to maximize your mitochondrial power.”
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2. Schedule a pre-breakfast workout
Exercise is key to creating higher levels of mitochondrial activity, so keep moving – but make sure you’re doing it right.
Studies show that exercising in a fasted state can help your mitochondria because it encourages your body to switch from burning glucose to burning fat more efficiently.
The easiest way around this is to move before breakfast, if you can stomach it!
High-intensity exercise is actually more effective at kick-starting mitochondrial activity than low- or moderate-intensity exercise, according to a 2019 study by Australian scientists.
3. Time for your meals
Timed eating, where you eat according to a specific window, (eg the 16:8; eating all your meals within eight hours) is one way to help stimulate your mitochondria into action.
One study published in the journal PLoS One showed that timed fasting helps slow down mitochondrial aging.
Dr Jenkins says: “Fasting helps to clear out your system and use up all the stored energy so it can be very beneficial.”
There are many different methods but most people eat three main meals between 10am and 6pm.
This way you start with a later breakfast, early afternoon lunch and early dinner.
This allows your body enough time for digestion and stimulates your body into fat burning mode.
4. Lazy morning download
You may love a lazy weekend watching Saturday Kitchen in bed, but your mitochondria don’t!
Our bodies run off a circadian rhythm – a 24-hour internal cycle that powers various metabolic and hormonal activities.
When this is off our mitochondria can become sluggish, so it’s a good idea to rethink your daily routine.
Try to go to bed no later than 10pm and wake up by 7am to synchronize your body to a healthy daily rhythm.
5. Download COP 10
When it comes to supernutrients, CoQ10 is high on the list.
Concentrated levels of this vitamin-like compound are found in the mitochondria where it helps power energy production.
“Mitochondrial support requires high-quality CoQ10, which provides the mitochondria with the right kind of energy,” says Dr. Jenkins.
It is found in food – and liver is considered the richest source.
But if you’re not a fan of organ meats, (we don’t blame you), then beets, poultry, legumes and soy products are good sources.
And if you want an extra boost, a CoQ10 supplement may be the way to go.
how does sleep go bad weight
Previously in The Sun, experts explained how sleep and weight are closely linked.
It interferes with hunger hormones
Ghrelin is a hormone that is released when the brain signals that the stomach is empty, and leptin is released from fat cells to prevent hunger – and to tell the brain that it is full.
Studies have shown that when you don’t get enough shut-eye, the body makes more ghrelin and less leptin – making you hungrier.
One study of 12 men led by the University of Chicago showed that leptin levels in the blood decreased by 18 percent with two days of sleep deprivation, while ghrelin increased by 28 percent.
The men reported a 24 percent increase in their hunger and appetite compared to when they were given two nights of rest.
More time to eat
The less you sleep, the more you are awake. This gives more opportunity to eat.
In today’s world, people are awake for up to 17 hours at a time – 7am to 12pm. It leaves a big window for being awake and eating.
If you struggle with both your weight and sleep, try to finish your meals three to four hours before bedtime. That might mean limiting your eating window to 9am to 6pm.
Come for take away
If you have a strange sleeping pattern, chances are your eating schedule is out of whack too.
We can struggle to sleep so we turn to convenience – takeaways, ready meals, oven foods and more, when we need the energy to cook healthily.
Eat more calories than usual
Studies show that the less sleep you get, the more calorie-dense food you choose to eat.
One study in Chicago found that men ate more food at a buffet after four consecutive nights of rough sleep compared to when they were resting.
They ate about 340 more calories, mainly because they ate more snacks and carbohydrate-rich food.
Researchers from King’s College London also found that adults ate an extra 385 calories – the equivalent of one and a half Mars Bars – on days after they were weaned from kip by combining the results of 11 previous studies.
More desire for food
Foods, especially those high in calories, taste better when we are sleep deprived because we subconsciously know they will increase our energy.
A German study showed the lengths of sleep people would go to consume caloric snacks using 32 healthy men.
After a typical dinner and a restful or restful night’s sleep, the men were given three Euros to spend on snacks and told to bid the maximum amount they were willing to spend on each item.
When sleep deprived of. participants were willing to pay extra for the junk food items – which they were then allowed to eat – suggesting a stronger desire.
More prone to fat storage
Scientists have warned that not getting enough sleep does not change the way the body deals with food, which could lead to weight gain.
One study showed that men who ate a large bowl of chilli mac and cheese after four nights of poor sleep responded to the food better than those who were well rested.
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University said blood tests showed lipids (fats) from foods cleared faster, suggesting they were being stored almost immediately.
The process did not return to its normal rate even after giving the men a long night’s sleep.
