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Low Metabolism & Weight Loss

Jun 14, 2011 | By Milo Dakota
Low Metabolism & Weight Loss
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If you're overweight, you don't necessarily suffer from a low metabolism. Metabolism generally increases with weight, so fat people may have speedier metabolisms than their skinny friends. Biologically impaired metabolism from hypothyroidism, a condition caused by an underactive thyroid, can be treated with drugs. If your metabolism is normal but slower than you'd like, several strategies may help.

Underactive Thyroid

Symptoms of an underactive thyroid, in addition to weight gain, include fatigue, intolerance to cold, insomnia, hair loss and dry skin. Women, who are much more likely than men to suffer from hypothyroidism, may experience heavy menstrual problems. Other symptoms include depression, poor memory, nervousness and dementia. Two tests measuring thyroid function -- T3 and T4 -- can be performed at your doctor's office to determine whether your thyroid gland produces enough thyroid and whether it is properly carried throughout your body. About 12 percent of the population suffers from thyroid disorders.

Importance of Exercise

Normal metabolisms include a wide range and if yours falls on the low side without registering as problematic on a thyroid test, you can improve your weight loss strategy by exercising. Both weight resistance exercises and aerobic activity boost metabolism. Lifting weights increases lean muscle mass and lean muscle burns calories more quickly than fat. Aerobic exercise such as running, walking, dancing and swimming directly burns fat. If you include both forms of exercise in your weight loss regimen, you add two important tools to your strategy. T. Wu and colleagues at Harvard University studied clinical trials from 1966 to 2008 and, according to their report published in "Obesity Reviews" in 2009, people who continued weight loss programs for six months to two years achieved better results when they combined diet and exercise.

Sleep and Relaxation

Rest and relaxation also boost your weight loss efforts. When you sleep, your body produces two hormones that control appetite and another that controls cortisol, the stress hormone linked to abdominal fat and high blood sugar. Shorting yourself on sleep can trick your brain into thinking you're hungry, especially for junk food, according to Jennifer Sygo, a registered dietitian and writer for the "National Post." Stress also triggers increased cortisol production. If you engage in relaxing activities -- watching comedies, meditating -- you can better control cortisol and prevent weight gain.

Moderate Diet

If your metabolism is on the slow side, rapid weight loss diets can further slow it. When your body is seriously deprived of calories, it enters starvation mode, hampering the most diligent of diet efforts. Nutritionists recommend following a diet that includes about 500 fewer calories than you normally eat. For women, this would typically mean consuming about 1,500 calories a day and, for men, about 1,800. The Mayo Clinic and the United States Department of Agriculture offer similar weight loss plans that emphasize fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, lean protein and low-fat dairy products.

Water Boosts Metabolism

A simple metabolism boost comes from drinking water, according to a study conducted by Michael Boshmann and other German researchers. Participants in Boschmann's study, published in 2003 in "The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism," enjoyed up to 30 percent increases in the metabolic rates by drinking 2 cups of water. You need at least six glasses of water a day to stay properly hydrated, according to the Mayo Clinic and people who live in hot climates or exercise need more.

References

Article reviewed by Ed Garcia Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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