Models struggle with weight gain just as much as anyone else. And, like everyone else, once they hit 30 years old it becomes progressively harder. Studies show that after 30, women lose 1/2 a pound of muscle every year and gain the same amount in fat! If you want to go to castings, you need a way to stop this happening.
Obviously going to the gym and eating right are important, but you can also make your body work for you. Increasing your metabolism, by reducing your alcohol consumption for example, means that even when you are at rest you are burning calories. Here are some great ideas that my friends in modeling have used.
Don't starve yourself!
The first instinct of many dieters is to put themselves on the starvation diet, but although this can help you quickly lose a couple of pounds, its not the right way to lose weight in the long run.
When your diet drops below 1000 calories, your body goes into 'starvation mode', which slows down your metabolism.
As well as feeling groggy and tired, you will be using far less calories than usual and making it even harder for yourself to lose weight! The answer is to eat a sustainable low-calorie diet, but never to make your body push the 'panic button' like this as it is counterproductive.
Also make sure to eat breakfast. If you skip it, your body will enter its 'starve' mode early in the day and it will be hard to break out. To keep your metabolism working all through the day, eat small, low calorie snacks between meals.
Decrease your alcohol consumption
That's right - stay off the booze! Although certainly not the most fun part of increasing your metabolism, cutting down your alcohol intake will help as much as anything. Studies show that alcohol suppresses the body's ability to burn fat.
It may be hard to completely cut alcohol out of an active social life, so why not try limiting yourself to one drink a night. If you make it a high-volume, low-alcohol drink (a lite beer for example), you might find it easier to get through the evening!
Spice it up!
Spicy food doesn't just taste great, it actually increases your metabolism too. Black Pepper, Ginger, Chilli Peppers and Cinnamon all raise your body temperature and help you burn fat faster!
Careful though - the curries you find in restaurants are often oily and fatty, so cooking your own spicy food is always best.
Drink More Water
Speed up your metabolism by drinking more water. A healthy, well-hydrated body is important to flush out toxins and aid in metabolizing fats. A simple way to determine if you are consuming enough water is to take note of the color of your urine. If it is colorless or light yellow you are on the right track, if it's any darker you need to increase your water intake. Drinking ice water also helps the body expend more calories by heating it up.
Drinking ice cold water revs up your metabolism by using energy to warm it up. Also thirst is often mistaken for hunger so it's is important to drink lots of water
