Cutting your caloric intake drastically can slow your metabolism. So, can eating a lot more than you need boost metabolism? The simple answer is yes. Your digestive system will speed up to manage the added intake. But, if you're wondering whether eating 3,000 calories a day is a good way to lose weight, the answer is no.
Metabolism Increases With Weight
Metabolism plays a smaller role in weight loss than most people think. Overweight people rarely suffer from slow metabolisms, according to Dr. Jim Levine, an obesity researcher at the Mayo Clinic. The bigger you are, the faster your metabolism. So, contrary to popular belief, a fat person probably enjoys a higher metabolism than a skinny one, Levine says. If you eat 3,000 calories a day, you will gain weight---about 2 lbs. in a week. And with the weight gain, you'll get a faster metabolism. But the extra speed won't do anything to help you lose the 2 lbs you just gained or the pounds you originally hoped to lose.
Get Moving
If your goal is weight loss, several better ways of charging your metabolism and shedding pounds exist. Dr. Levine says it's important for people to move around more and that simply standing up at your desk can boost your metabolism by up to 40 percent. He says obese people tend to sit at desks for 2 ½ hours or more, which adds up to 350 calories a day or 30 to 50 lbs. a year. He recommends playing with your children and walking more. Anything that gets you up and about helps.
Get More Calcium, Vitamin C and Vitamin D
Foods choices also affect your metabolism. Leslie Beck, a Canadian registered dietitian, says that foods containing calcium, vitamin D and vitamin C give you extra calorie-burning power. Calcium can be found in dairy products, calcium-fortified beverages, black beans, soy, dried figs, almonds and broccoli. Vitamin D helps your body to absorb calcium and can be found in egg yolks, fatty fish and some fortified foods. Vitamin C occurs naturally in citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwi and broccoli.
Eat Often
Eat upon awakening and eat regularly throughout the day. Your body's metabolism slows while you rest at night. Eating breakfast reminds it to start working again, and eating at least two other meals and two snacks keeps it working at top speed, says Simone Abbott, an accredited dietician and consultant nutritionist in Australia. Beck suggests snacking on foods such as yogurt, fruit and nuts because they keep your blood sugar balanced and make you less likely to reach for sugary choices. Abbott says not to reduce calories to fewer than 1,200 a day or you will slow your metabolism.
Sleep Well
Get enough sleep. Numerous studies link metabolism and sleep. One conducted by A.D. Laposky and colleagues at Northwestern University found that leptin, a hormone produced in sleep, could be altered by poor sleep habits. Lack of sleep and intermittent wakefulness slows metabolism, according to the study published in January 2009 in "American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology." Deep sleep repairs cells and growth in metabolism-boosting hormones, according to Dr. Paul Raith of the sleep laboratory at the University of Edinburgh. "Deep sleep does cause cell repair and a growth in hormones which can speed up the metabolism," Dr Raith said.
References
- ABC News: '20/20' Busts 10 Body Myths
- "The Globe and Mail"; It's Nutrition Month: Know Your Nutrients: Leslie Beck; March 10 2010
- "The Sunday Telegraph"; Eat More and Weight Less; Jane Keighley; Nov. 17 2002
- "Drug Week"; Research from Northwestern University Provide New Insights Into Metabolism; (NO BYLINE) Jan. 30, 2009
- "Herald Sun"; Sleep Your Way to Thin; (NO BYLINE) July 25 2001
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