Specific medical conditions can cause your metabolism to slow down and make weight loss more challenging. These conditions require medical care and a physician or registered dietitian to help with formulating a meal plan that safely controls weight. In addition, for those with and without underlying medical conditions, making some lifestyle changes can help boost metabolism and support weight loss efforts.
Step 1
Watch the number of calories you eat each day. Metabolism refers to the calories your body burns to convert the food you eat into energy and sustain essential functions such as breathing, circulation, elimination, digestion, muscle contraction and many others. If you have a condition such as hypothyroidism, Addison's disease, Graves disease or Cushing's syndrome, the levels of some of your hormones might be too high or too low, which can slow down your metabolism. However, significant weight gain from one of these disorders is very rare. Most cases of obesity are caused by eating too many calories and not getting enough exercise. While the above conditions might cause a small amount of weight gain, it is usually no more than 5 to 10 pounds, reports the American Thyroid Association. If you have one of the above conditions, a medical provider should be involved in deciding how many calories you need each day.
Step 2
Eat regularly scheduled meals. While it might make sense that thin individuals have a faster metabolism, the truth is that individuals who are overweight have a faster metabolism because a larger body requires more calories to survive. Thin individuals maintain their weight by only eating the number of calories they burn each day, notes Weight Watchers. In addition, how often and the time of day you eat can affect your weight loss efforts. Skipping meals or following severely restrictive diets actually cause your metabolism to slow as the body tries to conserve energy. To boost metabolism, go for several, small, healthy meals each day to keep your metabolism up. Try to eat most of your allowed number of daily calories early in the day, when you are active. Eating at night when you are more sedentary means all those calories get stored as fat. However, no matter when you eat, the bottom line is that fewer calories need to be taken in than are burned off.
Step 3
Perform aerobic exercises on most days of the week. Regular aerobic exercise is a surefire way to boost metabolism. Moderate aerobic exercise such as walking, swimming, biking and dancing not only boosts metabolism while you are working out, but also keeps the metabolism elevated even after you stop, notes the American Council on Exercise. The higher the intensity of the exercise, the longer your metabolism stays elevated. You should aim to work out hard enough that you are out of breath and breaking a light sweat, but not gasping for air or exhausted. Weight loss requires working out at this level for 30 to 60 minutes on most days of the week.
Step 4
Participate in a strength training routine two to three days a week. In addition to aerobic exercise, a strength training routine done two to three times per week that works each major muscle group to fatigue will improve muscle mass. Muscle requires more calories to survive than fat does, so by building muscle mass, you can boost your metabolism naturally. However, building muscle mass might be mistaken for bulking up and looking like a bodybuilder, which is one reason why women tend to shy away from using weights. Building large, bulky muscles requires dedicating your life to lifting, by spending hours in the gym five to six days a week, lifting very heavy weights. However, improving muscle mass by working out two to three days a week, with just enough weight to fatigue the muscles, will help improve the ratio of body fat to lean muscle mass and boost the metabolism without developing large muscles. Keep in mind that after most people enter their 30s, they lose muscle mass naturally, which can lead to a higher percentage of body fat and a slower metabolism. A basic strength training program will help offset this change, keeping you trim throughout your life.
Tips and Warnings
- When starting an exercise program, always start slowly and gradually build up the intensity level. Going too hard, too fast, will just lead to soreness, fatigue and injuries that will make you abandon your program. Listen to your body to know how much exercise is right each day.
- Always check with a health care provider before starting any new exercise or diet program, especially if you have a medical condition that affects your metabolism. You might have special dietary needs, and the wrong exercises might make your condition worse.
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