Health and Fitness: Master Your Metabolism

Several months ago, a friend suggested that I read the book “Master Your Metabolism” by Jillian Michaels; she had just finished reading the book and said it inspired her to make significant changes in her diet and eating habits and improved her health.

I am not a big follower of Jillian Michaels. While I respect her work and I think she’s in great shape, I haven’t followed any of her programs and I don’t watch Biggest Loser.  But, despite that I decided to give the book a try, and I’m so glad that I did. 

I’m not exaggerating when I say that this book has changed my view on food and nutrition.  Honestly, it’s changed my life. 

For a long time I’ve heard from others and read in articles about how important it is to eat healthy: less processed foods, less refined sugar, less preservatives.  I’ve read numerous articles about how bad soda is for me, that I should eat organic foods, eliminate GMO…the list goes on and on.  I know that I need to make healthy food choices, and for the most part, I thought I made good choices, but what harm could really be done by eating the occasional processed food or drinking the (daily) diet soda?  Why do I really need to spend more money on organic foods anyway? 

My answers came from reading Master Your Metabolism.  This book includes a comprehensive plan to change your eating habits in order to lose weight and be healthy, but what it really did for me was help me to answer all of those questions with real and scientific information, and that has made all the difference in the world. 

Master your Metabolism provides an in-depth explanation of how the foods we put into our bodies affect our hormones and ultimately impact our metabolism, our weight, and our ability to fight off illness and disease.  Not only does the book spell out what we should and shouldn’t eat, it scientifically explains why.  For example, I’m sure many of us have heard that High Fructose Corn Syrup is a bad food additive, but did you know that HFCS affects the hormones that essentially “tell” your body when it’s full?  Studies have shown that eating foods with HFCS will actually cause you to feel more hungry, therefore consuming more calories than you would otherwise consume!  And that’s just one of many examples!   

This book inspired me to make some big changes in my eating habits, including eliminating high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils and preservatives from my diet.  I’m buying more organics.  I stopped drinking diet soda (which is a real feat for me-I’ll share more about that in a separate post).  I’m making better food choices, and I feel great.  I have more energy, I sleep better, and I’ve lost weight!  And I don’t miss the things I’ve cut from my diet; I have no desire to eat them again because I know how they affect my hormones and my body.  

If you’re struggling with weight, fatigue, hormonal imbalances or conditions like high cholesterol and blood pressure, I would highly recommend reading this book.  Even if you aren’t but you just want to learn more about how the food you eat impacts your hormones and health, this is a great read.