Everyone knows someone who could eat everything they want and even then maintain their abs. We often attribute this to having a quick metabolism or having good genes.
But we should know how to develop a quick metabolism. And then you could change your metabolism to encourage more fat loss.
Although we associate metabolism with controlling weight, it is rather a complex system involving several chemical activities which are essential for your survival.
The process of metabolism is not the only one that you could control. It is, rather, a collection of physiological processes which take place in every cell throughout your body.
Its main job is sustaining life by turning stored fuel and food into the usable energy you require to think, breathe, move, pump blood, and continue to live. Its main job is not keeping you at a healthy weight but a stable weight.
Your metabolism could speed up as you put on weight. Your metabolism slows down as you lose weight. This occurs because as your weight varies, so do the calorie requirements you need to maintain it.
In this article, we will be looking at some ways to boost your metabolism which might help to burn more fat.
11 Ways To Boost Metabolism And Burn More Fat
Here are some ways to boost metabolism and burn more fat:
Consuming Enough Energy
Some people skip meals as a means of weight loss strategy. However, this could have a bad effect on your metabolism.
Eating unfulfilling meals might also have the same result. For your body to conserve energy, eating a lot fewer calories might slow down your metabolism.
Depending on the degree of physical activity, adult males require between 2200 and 3200 calories a day, while women need between 1800 and 2300, according to research[1].
Consume Protein
Your metabolism might briefly rise after eating for some hours. The thermic effect of food (TEF) is what we refer to.
The extra calories required to utilize, digest, and absorb the nutrients in your food are what lead to it.
The greatest increase in TEF is because by eating protein. Compared to 1 to 2 percent for fats and 6 to 12 percent for carbohydrates, dietary protein requires 18 to 28 percent of its usable energy to be used for digestion which contributes to the body’s metabolism.
Additionally, eating protein has also been found to increase your fullness and thus stop you from overeating.
Increasing your intake[2] of protein might lessen the decline in metabolism which is often linked to fat loss. This is because protein prevents muscle loss, which is a side effect of dieting.
Consume More Water
For your body to work at its best, it is crucial to maintain adequate hydration. Water could aid in weight loss and is important for a healthy metabolism.
According to a study[3], adding 2 liters of water to the daily recommended water quantity decreased the average body mass index and weight in several obese women between the ages of 20 and 25.
This is likely due to increasing their levels of fullness and helping them eat fewer calories, but also supports their metabolism if they were dehydrated otherwise.Lift Heavy Weights
In comparison to fat, muscle has high metabolic activity. In addition, lifting weights could boost metabolism and prevent muscle loss during weight loss.
Gaining muscle might help you to burn more calories every day, even while at rest, by boosting your body’s metabolism.
Additionally, a study[4] of 60 participants found that resistance workout training outperformed a control group in terms of lowering belly fat, body fat percentage, and total body fat mass.
Stress Reduction
Stress has an impact on hormone levels and could increase the production of cortisol. Sleep quality and stress, which might affect metabolism, are closely associated.
Researchers[5] discovered unbalanced cortisol levels in 2010 in adults who had eating disorders.
Disordered eating, such as specific weight worries and dietary restrictions, might result in unhealthy eating habits which might interfere with your metabolism.
Stand More
Your health could be negatively impacted by sitting all the time. This is because the prolonged duration of sitting lowers calorie burn and results in weight gain.
In a 2019 review, it was found that standing while at work was often linked to lower levels of body fat, weight, waist circumference, fasting triglycerides, diastolic and systolic blood pressure, insulin, cardiometabolic risk, and total HDL cholesterol.
Standing, as opposed to sitting, produced higher reductions in insulin resistance and systolic blood pressure.
If you work at a desk, you should stand up occasionally to reduce the time you spend sitting. You might also try to take daytime walks or get a standing desk.
Get Enough Rest
The body releases the ghrelin hormone when a person is not getting enough sleep. This might make one feel hungry. The hormone leptin which helps to make one feel fuller is also released less often.
Making sure that ghrelin and leptin hormones are in balance could be achieved by getting enough sleep. One might also avoid overeating by doing this.
While everyone’s sleep requirement is different, research[6] indicates that adults need 8-10 hours of sleep per night.
Drink Green Tea
Green tea and oolong tea may support fat burning and body metabolism. When paired with workout exercise, these teas might enhance burning fat by converting a part of the stored fat of the body into free fatty acids.
Drinking these teas might also help[7] with weight maintenance and weight loss as they are quite low in calories.
It is thought that its characteristic of supporting metabolism could aid those who want to lose weight to avoid a plateau of weight loss brought on by a reduction in body metabolism.
These teas do not influence metabolism, according to some research. So, its impact could be limited to a certain group of people.
Try Doing Intense Exercises
High-intensity workout interval training could boost metabolism like strength training. It might be advantageous[8] to incorporate both of them into a workout.
Steady cardio could be substituted for HIIT. Consistent aerobic exercises include cycling, running, and swimming.
Try a plan which alternates between lower-intensity and higher-intensity exercise instead. It could be more beneficial.
This could mean running for 2 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of walking, or also alternating between walking for recovery and jumping jacks.
Consume Spicy Food
Capsaicin is a substance found in peppers. It may help in speeding up your body’s metabolism. Yet the amounts needed for these spices to have an impact are often intolerable to most people.
A study[9], for instance, observed the effects of capsaicin at safer levels and was described in a 2015 review. It was found that consuming peppers resulted in an additional ten calories being burned off every meal.
Spices might not have that much of an impact on the diet on their own. However, when paired with different metabolism-boosting ways, it might be advantageous.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting is a short-term diet pattern restricting the consumption of calories for a particular period in a day. Further, you could follow your regular eating regimen.
As a result, your body could switch its energy usage from glucose to excessive fat in your body. Hence, you may experience enhanced levels of fat burning.
While following an Intermittent fasting diet pattern, your could divide your day into two: the fasting window and the eating window.
During the eating window, you could consume high-protein foods like eggs, meats, and whey protein. On the other hand, if you are a vegetarian you could go for a high protein source for vegetarians.
Conclusion
A slow metabolism could be caused by several factors, such as aging, decreased activity, and muscle loss.
Fortunately, a lot of strategies are available in preventing aging from affecting your body’s metabolism.
This involves sleeping well, doing high-intensity workout interval training, exercising with weights, drinking green tea, and obtaining enough calories and protein in your diet.
To speed up your metabolism, you could try incorporating some of these techniques into your daily routine.
Making a wholesome lifestyle and dietary modifications might help people in speeding up their metabolism.
There are several techniques to help increase body metabolism, from including HIIT and strength training in a workout to lowering stress. Before changing an exercise or a diet regimen, it is advisable to speak with your doctor.
References/Sources
Working4Health prefers using primary and verified references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and our primary references include peer-reviewed research, academic, and medical institution studies.
- 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines Last updated: August 24, 2021 Available from: https://health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/dietary-guidelines/previous-dietary-guidelines/2015
- Jaecheol Moon and Gwanpyo Koh Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight Loss J Obes Metab Syndr. 2020 Sep 30; 29(3): 166–173. Published online 2020 Jul 23. doi: 10.7570/jomes20028
- Vinu A. Vij and Anjali S. Joshi Effect of ‘Water Induced Thermogenesis’ on Body Weight, Body Mass Index and Body Composition of Overweight Subjects J Clin Diagn Res. 2013 Sep; 7(9): 1894–1896. Published online 2013 Sep 10. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2013/5862.3344
- Leslie H. Willis, Cris A. Slentz, Lori A. Bateman, et al. Effects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass and fat mass in overweight or obese adults J Appl Physiol (1985). 2012 Dec 15; 113(12): 1831–1837. Published online 2012 Sep 27. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01370.2011
- Elizabeth A Lawson, Kamryn T Eddy, Daniel Donoho, et al. Appetite-regulating hormones cortisol and peptide YY are associated with disordered eating psychopathology, independent of body mass index Eur J Endocrinol. 2011 Feb; 164(2): 253–261. Published online 2010 Nov 23. doi: 10.1530/EJE-10-0523
- Sunil Sharma and Mani Kavuru Sleep and Metabolism: An Overview Int J Endocrinol. 2010; 2010: 270832. Published online 2010 Aug 2. doi: 10.1155/2010/270832
- Adrian B. Hodgson, Rebecca K. Randell, and Asker E. Jeukendrup The Effect of Green Tea Extract on Fat Oxidation at Rest and during Exercise: Evidence of Efficacy and Proposed Mechanisms Adv Nutr. 2013 Mar; 4(2): 129–140. Published online 2013 Mar 6. doi: 10.3945/an.112.003269
- Stephen H. Boutcher High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss J Obes. 2011; 2011: 868305. Published online 2010 Nov 24. doi: 10.1155/2011/868305
- Jia Zheng, Sheng Zheng, Qianyun Feng, et al. Dietary capsaicin and its anti-obesity potency: from mechanism to clinical implications Biosci Rep. 2017 Jun 30; 37(3): BSR20170286. Published online 2017 May 11. Prepublished online 2017 Apr 19. doi: 10.1042/BSR20170286
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Michael has been in the male wellness industry for 25+ years. Before joining Working For Health as a full-time male wellness journalist, he contributed to multiple online portals in the male wellness field. Before that, he has been an assistant to several sexologists.