A slow metabolism is often blamed for the inability to lose weight. Fortunately, you have some control over metabolism and can boost your body's ability to burn calories and efficiently convert them into energy. Although some factors that affect metabolism such as age, gender, underactive thyroid and genes are unchangeable, you do have control over diet and exercise.
Step 1
Eat at least 1,200 calories a day. Fasting, cutting calories below daily needs, and skipping meals signals your body to revert into survival mode, slowing down your metabolism and promoting the storage of calories in the form of fat to protect itself from starvation. Food is required to fuel your metabolism. Eating below your basal metabolic rate, BMR, slows your metabolism down to conserve energy. This energy is needed for your body to perform all vital functions such as breathing, digestion, blood circulation, cell growth and repair.
Step 2
Never skip breakfast. Eat within two to three hours of waking to jump-start your metabolism. After a night of fasting, your body will not speed back up until it receives food to burn. According to the "International Journal of Obesity," regularly eating a healthy breakfast helps control your weight.
Step 3
Eat every three to five hours. The thermic effect of food boosts your metabolism in response to the digestion and absorption of food you consume. Eating meals too far apart signals your body to burn calories slower and conserve fat. Eating every three to five hours controls hunger and supplies constant energy to fuel your daily activities.
Step 4
Perform aerobic exercises. Raise your heart rate four to five days a week with aerobic exercises as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine, ACSM, and the American Heart Association. Activities such as brisk walking, biking, jogging and swimming not only burn calories while working out, but your metabolism stays elevated by continuing the caloric burn for a period of time after you finish your workout.
Step 5
Eat plenty of protein. While all foods slightly boost metabolism, protein is king. Lean protein will spark your metabolism more than carbohydrates or fats. Also, by eating enough protein, you will maintain and build muscle mass, ultimately leading to a higher metabolic rate.
Step 6
Eat whole, unprocessed foods. Choose foods that won't slow you down mentally and physically. Foods that are loaded with sugar, saturated fats and artificial ingredients and low in water and fiber leave you feeling sluggish, slow digestion and possibly lead to weight gain. By eating whole grains, vegetables, legumes, fruits, herbs and spices, you are providing the proteins, carbohydrates and fats that give you energy and even blood sugar levels.
Tips and Warnings
- Weight training increases lean muscle mass, which helps burn calories while at rest. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends adding resistance training two to three days per week. Unfortunately for women, men usually have a 5 to 10 percent faster metabolism due to having more lean body mass and less fat. Muscle burns more calories than fat burns. The largest component of your metabolism, approximately 70 percent, is your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, which is the energy used by your body to perform basic functions. Other components of your metabolism include thermogenesis of food, which is the number of calories required for digesting and absorption--requiring 10 percent of calories--and physical activity, which accounts for approximately 20 percent of calories burned.
References
- Health on Today: Boost Your Metabolism and Lose Weight Faster
- MSNBC: Can You Really Change Your Metabolism?
- "International Journal of Obesity": Longitudinal Study of Skipping Breakfast and Weight Change in Adolescents
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity and Public Health Guidelines
- Kaiser Permanente EatingWell: Metabolic Myths
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