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How To Avoid The "Freshman 15"

School is right around the corner. It's not too late to lose that extra weight you put on this summer and boost your metabolism so you can avoid that dreaded "Freshmen 15". If you're a parent that worries, and I'm guessing you are, I'm going to bring you peace. 

The dreaded "Freshman 15" was only the start of weight gain frustration for me. I ended up gaining 40 pounds. Yes, you heard right—I was 40 pounds heavier than I am now. At my height, that's far too heavy. I became a vegetarian and over-exercised. All that did was slow down my already dead metabolism. To make matters worse, I was and still am, hypothyroid. I struggle with an evil sweet tooth and a love of food that can stop me from losing weight dead in its tracks. You can read about my teen food struggles in my book, The Metabolism Solution.

The good news is, I was so desperate to lose that excess weight that I made it my personal mission to learn everything I could about sluggish female metabolisms. To this day, I continue to study for over an hour every day to find ways to make losing weight faster and easier for anyone who wants or needs to lose weight. I've spent over 25 years developing my metabolic boosting system that teens and their families can use to boost their metabolism, kill cravings, recalibrate appetite, and make losing weight so simple you can't "not do it". Unless of course you're not ready to lose weight yet.

But first, let's back up for a moment. It's this time in a teen's (remember, our teens are adults now) life that makes or breaks their weight for the rest of their life. Most people can relate to the "Freshman 15" phenomenon—from high school freshman to first-year college students. The truth is it can happen to anyone at any time. So if you need to lose weight, you'll want to hear these three simple steps that jumpstart your weight loss by flipping the fat/weight gain button to "off", while flipping the fat burning switch "on", safely and naturally. The best part? This system is healthy so you can live on it, making life so easy. No thinking, planning or complicated meal prep that usually requires time-consuming clean up. Now, more than ever, we need simple, not complicated. Especially when it comes to losing weight.

First, it's important to understand how the metabolism works so you can lose weight and keep it off for life. Most of us think we know what fuels our metabolism and what slows it down. But if you're not losing weight you need to forget everything you've learned about weight loss and reboot your thinking. Most of what we've learned about weight loss is all wrong.

When it comes to losing weight, it's all about the speed of our metabolism. The speed of our metabolism is determined by the following factors:

  • Genetics
  • Activity level
  • Diet
  • Hormones

Young college age women are thought to be the only ones who fall victim to "adult metabolism". The truth is; it happens to all of us at some point. Adult metabolisms are slower than the "all you can eat childhood metabolism" we all enjoyed when we were younger. For some young women, this shift happens when they begin menstruating. For others, it can happen earlier or later, ranging in age 10-years-old and up.

My husband is one of those "I can't gain weight" guys—until he hit 50. Then the middle age muffin top became a problem. Luckily I've got the solution. The entire family can join in, which is better psychologically for a young adult. No one likes being singled out—especially teenagers. It makes them feel like they are being attacked. After all, weight gain is a family affair, so weight loss should be too. 

How do you know if you have a slow metabolism? For in-depth details, read The Metabolism Solution and take the Slow Metabolism Test. But for now, let's keep it simple. If you have 10 or more pounds to lose, the odds are that you have a slow metabolism. It may be because of a medical condition or simply because you're not eating enough thermogenic foods. You may be eating foods that work better for weight gain. Can you say juicing? You may also be over or under exercising, when what you need is metabolic boosting exercise because it addresses the underlying issues—a sluggish metabolism.

A lot of factors play a role in a slow metabolism. It's helpful to know, however, that anyone who has weight to lose has a  slowed metabolism. Did you know that shorter people have slower metabolisms and require a metabolic boosting approach? The good news is these three simple steps will reboot your metabolism allowing anyone to lose the "Freshman 15" before school starts. These tips will help anyone lose 1 pound a day and melt belly fat fast. 

STEP ONE—Breakfast Boost: Eat thermogenically to boost metabolism by 25 percent while switching cravings to "off" and heating up your metabolism. This can be as simple as boosting at breakfast with a delicious LynFit Complete Protein Shake /Smoothie (don't add fruit or any type of milk) exactly 12 hours after your last meal. Don't like shakes? No problem. You can substitute the shake with a LynFit Lean Bar
*NOTE: LynFit Complete Protein Shake is the only shake that's specially designed to do this.

STEP TWO—Skip snack time and sip yourself slim instead. Snack time was meant to end once we become adults. But the snack companies who invented "adult snacking " want us to eat snacks for the wrong reasons—profits. They don't care about your waistline. Most of the time we aren't even hungry. It's just a bad habit we've gotten ourselves into to eat in between meals. In fact, if anything, it's usually thirst we mistake for hunger. Drink hot tea or water in between meals when trying to lose weight. If you're an emotional eater (I sure am) and food rules you, eat a green apple, or any apple for that matter, to turn off hunger. However, keep it a fresh apple from the tree. Apple chips and apple sauces are processed, and while they are better than a donut, they affect blood sugar, which stops weight loss.

STEP THREE—Reshape your body and boost your metabolism with the right kind of workout. I suggest that you stop the workout you're currently doing (it's not working for you) and switch to metabolic boosting workouts. Metabolic boosting workouts have exactly what your body needs to boost your metabolism without adding bulk. The best part? Metabolic workouts can be done in your home or dorm room. That saves you time and money. They can also be modified to accommodate any knee or shoulder injuries. I should warn you—they are extremely contagious and almost every person who starts doing these at school becomes the popular metabolic boosting trendsetter. 

For more details on the complete plan, you'll want to read The Metabolism Solution. In it you will find:

  • Metabolic boosting cleanse to kick things off more aggressively
  • Metabolic boosting plan for people who need a tiny bit more food
  • Metabolic boosting workout, complete with photos
  • Thermogenic food list so you know exactly what to eat as well as what not to eat
  • Slow metabolism test
  • Legal snack foods to choose and stock up on for the college-bound young adult
  • Over 100 delicious, quick and easy recipes

Moms: Joining your "young adult/ teen" is an excellent way to stay connected. We all need support when it comes to losing weight and life lessons. I dare you and your entire family to take the Weight Loss Challenge to improve your health and boost happiness. If your teen needs additional support or mom, you have questions about your teens program, book a Phone Consult with me.