It’s often said that slimmer people can eat what they want and stay that way, due to a ‘fast metabolism’.
But what exactly is metabolism and why are some ‘slow’ and some ‘fast’? Can having a fast metabolism really help your weight loss programme progress speed up?
The simple answer is, yes. Metabolism is the process of how your body burns off energy. So, having a faster, or higher, metabolism means you need to take in more calories to maintain your weight as you burn off more during both rest and exercise.
So for those of us not blessed with a fast one, is it possible to help your metabolism ‘speed up’ to lose more weight?
For fast and safe weight loss it is important to know how metabolism works.
You need to know what your BMR is – basal metabolic rate – and how many calories your body burns at rest. This will help to improve how quickly you lose weight by knowing what fuel your body needs to thrive.
You can measure your BMR using an online calculator to see how many calories your body needs to function effectively every day and therefore how many calories you need on your weight loss diet.
Here, we’ve listed a other few things that could help give your metabolism the boost you’ve been looking for and enhance your weight loss diet!
Eat more protein:
Having a weight loss diet full of protein is great to help support your metabolism.
Protein is hard to digest, and it can take over three hours for your body to break down protein and burn calories. Which means your body is working harder and your basal metabolic rate increases.
Protein also increases satiety, so you will feel full longer. Include plenty of protein rich foods – lean meat, eggs, nuts and pulses in your weight loss diet plan.
Do not skip breakfast:
‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ – especially if you are on a weight loss diet!
Make sure you eat breakfast to start up your metabolic processes and keep your body from going into hunger overdrive and starvation mode. Eating breakfast also improves your mood and concentration and helps you start the day right.
Eat often:
When on a weight loss diet, try to eat every 2 to 3 hours, but in smaller portions.
Each time you eat, you stimulate your metabolism. Eating every 2 to 3 hours feeds muscle and starves fat.
It also means you have to eat the right foods which are not going to overload you with fats, sugars and calories. Good lean protein, vegetables and fruit are the best options.
Your body will work hard to try break them up and digest them which stimulates weight loss.
Get a caffeine boost:
Try coffee or black tea to help your weight loss.
Caffeine boosts metabolism and gives you an energy boost. You feel more active and therefore expend more energy.
However, be careful with milk and sugar. Black coffee or tea with no sugar is the best option. If you choose to have white coffee add a little skimmed milk.
Also remember not to overdo your caffeine intake and add plenty of H2O to your daily fluid intake to boost your weight loss.
Drink water:
Yes, you’ve heard it thousands of times before, but scientists have found a connection between the amount of water you drink and your metabolic rate.
So, make sure you drink those 6 – 8 glasses of water every day. The energy burning process of metabolism needs water to work effectively.
If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. Try drinking a glass of water before every meal and snack. This will also help you to curb your hunger cravings.
You can’t beat exercise:
Exercise is a major metabolism booster. When you exercise, your muscles wake up, demand more calories and this helps burn calories faster.
Try interval training exercise for weight loss (HIIT), which will involve changing the intensity of your workout throughout each session.
For example, if you walk for fitness, try jogging for one minute every five minutes.
High intensity exercise revs up your metabolism which burns calories for long after you’ve finished exercising.
Consider weight training:
Muscles burn a lot of calories. The more muscle you build the higher your Basal Metabolic Rate is.
Muscles constantly burn calories even if you are asleep and by adding resistance training exercise for weight loss. it activates all the muscles in your body, increasing your average BMR.
Get good nights sleep:
There is also a link between metabolism and sleep.
Not getting enough sleep may seriously slow down your metabolism. Lack of sleep doesn’t allow your metabolism to function properly and even worse, poor sleep causes an increase in the hormone ghrelin, which signals the body to eat more!
Remember, boosting your metabolism won’t just help your weight loss diet, but can also contribute to having more energy and better moods – so why not give some of these ideas a try and see the great effects it can have on you!
At The Slimming Clinic, we work with you to find out what works best for your weight loss diet. Alongside advice on what to eat, our online weight loss programmes also offer support with movement, no matter your fitness levels and get to the root causes of your weight gain in the past, to help you overcome these habits to ensure you lose weight for good.