How Do You Lose Weight And Boost Metabolism?

Reaching your healthy weight, then maintaining that weight, is worth the effort, reports the Harvard School of Public Health. It says staying at a healthy weight can reduce your risk for developing heart disease, some types of cancer and diabetes. Controlling the amount of calories you consume and participating in regular exercise can help you boost your metabolism and reach your weight loss goal.

Calories

Calories are the measure of energy in foods. When you consume approximately the same number of calories that your body uses, you can maintain your weight, and eating fewer calories can lead to weight loss. The Harvard Medical School suggests multiplying your current weight by 15 if you regularly participate in moderate exercise to calculate your daily calorie needs. Decreasing this result by 500 to 1,000 calories each day can help you lose one to two pounds each week.

Aerobic Exercise

In addition to decreasing your calorie intake, increasing the calories you burn through exercise should also be part of your weight loss plan. The American College of Sports Medicine, or ACSM, suggests that regular aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, running or swimming, can help you maintain or increase your muscle mass while decreasing your fat mass. Including interval training in your aerobic exercise regimen can also help you boost your metabolism, burn more calories and increase your fitness level.

Strength Training

Strength training is also an effective way to increase your metabolism. Building muscle mass through strength training helps improve your metabolism because muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat. Strength training can increase your metabolic rate by up to 15 percent and should be part of your exercise routine. Strength training exercises for your major muscle groups are recommended at least two times each week on nonconsecutive days to ensure muscle recovery.

Considerations

Men should never eat fewer than 1,500 calories each day, and women should not eat fewer than 1,200 calories each day, unless under medical supervision. Eating too few calories can lead to nutrient deficiencies and a slower metabolic rate. For exercise, the ACSM recommends gradually and slowly working your way up to between 30 and 60 minutes of aerobic exercise on most days of the week. Always begin and end your exercise sessions with a warm-up and cool-down. Choosing exercise activities that you enjoy will increase your chances of sticking with your workout routine.