Bridgette L. Collins

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Imagine Living Healthier

Book Excerpt

From Imagine Living Healthier by Bridgette L. Collins.

“I’ve just started eating breakfast,” Sarah confessed. “What do you eat?”

“I typically start off with a bowl of whole grain cereal with soymilk, and fresh fruit like a banana or orange, or a slice of whole-wheat toast, low-fat yogurt and fresh fruit. And for lunch, I’ll eat a protein, carbohydrate, and fiber, such as a portion of grilled chicken or fish, black-eyed peas, and collard greens. A steady stream of food throughout the day, spaced just right, will keep your engine going,” Mary suggested.

“What do you mean by keep my engine going?” Sarah asked.

“Our bodies need a certain amount of calories and nutrients each day for normal functioning. Denying your body a sufficient number of calories will throw your system into a survival mode, slowing metabolism and encouraging the storage of the food you consume as fat. You have to eat in order to lose weight. So try and eat four to six small meals a day and that will be a good way to keep your metabolism going,” Mary said. “It has worked for me. I realize that we’re all different and that my solutions may not be the answer for you. But, once you become committed, you’ll find out what works for you – either through your own revelation or with the assistance of a health professional like a registered dietician.”

“I’m trying to be committed,” Sarah said.

“Once I finally decided to commit to changing the priorities in my life, I started doing some research on the types of foods I was eating. The results of my findings were astonishing.”

“Okay, I’m not that smart about this kind of stuff. What is metabolism? I hear the word all the time,” Sarah asked.

“Well, as we all get older, we can blame that process of being unable to burn those calories on metabolism.,” Mary said. “Simply stated, your metabolism is the way your body burns up all of the calories from the food that we eat. The speed at which our body burns up calories is called our metabolic rate. Your sex, height, weight, genetics, age, lifestyle, and body composition will affect your metabolism, and it’s metabolism that plays a significant role in weight management. The faster one’s metabolism , the more calories the are likely to burn, and the less likely that they will be overweight. That’s why it’s so important not to skip meals,” Mary responded. “The main thing is to keep your engine going with the right foods. Secondly, you’ve got to exercise.”

- Bridgette L. Collins