Your metabolism is the amount of energy your body uses to function. Breathing, keeping your blood circulating and producing hormones all require energy, which is made from the calories in the food you eat. If you're trying to gain weight, your metabolism might play a smaller role than you believe. According to Mayo Clinic, "although your metabolism influences your body's basic energy needs, it's your food and beverage intake and your physical activity that ultimately determine how much you weigh."
Understanding Metabolism
Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, can use up to 80 percent of your energy just to keep all your systems functioning. Physical activity, which can use up to 20 percent of your energy and digestion, uses only 5 to 10 percent of your energy. Your age, gender, activity level and hormones all influence your metabolic rate as well. Although you can slow your metabolism to gain weight, you can take a healthier approach.
Muscle vs. Fat
At rest, muscle mass uses more energy than fat, so the higher your ratio of muscle to fat, the faster your metabolism will be. Although you can slow your metabolism by gaining fat and losing muscle mass -- that's not a healthy weight gain. Excess body fat can interfere with the way your body uses insulin and can affect your blood sugar levels. Rather than slow your metabolism by losing muscle mass, gain weight by adding more muscle mass through strength training.
Calories and Timing
You can slow your metabolism by not consuming enough food -- although this approach isn't likely to help you gain weight. Your body needs a minimum amount of calories for metabolic function. Eat too few calories, and your metabolism slows down to conserve energy. This built-in biological mechanism allows people to survive prolonged periods of fasting. You can also slow your metabolism slightly by not eating at regular intervals. The longer you wait between meals, the slower your metabolism becomes, as your body doesn't know when its next meal is and prepares for the worst.
Healthy Weight Gain
The ADA doesn't recommend slowing your metabolism to gain weight, but suggests eating more nutrient-rich calories and adding calorie-dense foods to your diet. Adding powdered milk, nut butters or cheese -- which contain concentrated amounts of calories to your meals -- will add essential vitamins and calories. It's also important to recognize that your body type is somewhat determined by genetics. Look at other people in your family -- if your parents and siblings are thin and healthy, you might have more difficulty gaining weight.
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