Many people are familiar with the frustration of counting every calorie in an attempt to lose weight while watching someone they know eat everything in sight and still remain slim. The difference is metabolism -- the process by which your body uses calories from the food you eat to operate your biological functions and maintain your weight. Metabolism varies from person to person, influenced by genetics, age, gender and body size. That's why your friend can be thin as a rail despite a hearty appetite while you gain weight easily. However, the good news is that metabolism can be modified. There are ways to speed up your metabolism and, thus, how much fat you burn.
Step 1
Exercise -- a lot. The Women's Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery notes that vigorous cardiovascular exercise is a very effective fat burner, raising your metabolism while you're doing it and burning lots of calories. (See References 1) In addition, cardio exercise keeps your metabolism running high for several hours after you've stopped exercising, says the College of the Canyons Health Services. (See References 2) That means that if you engage in frequent cardio exercise -- up to 60 minutes, most days of the week -- you'll be burning fat and calories at an increased rate during much of your waking hours.
Step 2
Strength-train too. Don't stop with just cardio. College of the Canyons Health Services says that, of the controllable factors that affect metabolism, the amount of lean muscle mass you have is the most important one. Muscle tissue burns more calories than body fat does, even when at rest, so the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns all day.
Step 3
Feed your body at frequent intervals throughout the day and avoid restrictive diets, advises Illinois State University. It might seem logical to eat less -- maybe even skip meals -- if you're trying to lose fat, but the fact is your body will burn more calories if you provide it with modest amounts of calories intermittently throughout the day. In other words, eat small meals or snacks four to six times per day, rather than going long periods without food or skipping meals, to keep your metabolism running high and burning fat most effectively.
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