By Regina Boyle
Wheeler Reviewed by Cynthia Haines,
MD
A sluggish metabolism can thwart
even the best attempts at weight loss. Find out how to increase metabolism to
burn calories and slim down.
Sometimes life just doesn’t seem
fair. Your best friend feasts on whatever she wants and never gains a pound,
while you suffer through carrots and celery and still can’t lose an ounce.
Could your metabolism be to blame? It’s possible. Although genetics play a role
in how your metabolism runs, you do have some power to increase metabolism and
help burn calories more quickly.
Metabolism is a chemical process that
converts your body’s fuel (calories) into energy. It’s involved in everything
your body does, from breathing to moving and thinking. If your metabolism runs
fast, it’s like a furnace quickly burning through fuel. If it runs slowly, it’s
more like a smoldering fire using up your fuel supply gradually.
A slow metabolism is actually a very
efficient one, says Michael Zemel, PhD, professor emeritus and former director
of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He
explains that our ancestors were hunter-gatherers who often didn’t know when
their next meal would come. Their bodies held onto calories as a matter of
survival. And because only the fittest people lived to pass along their genes,
modern humans probably evolved from those with slower metabolisms.
Fast forward to you: Here’s how to
boost metabolism for better weight
management.
Build Muscle to boost Metobolism
Lean muscle burns more calories than
fat, even when you're at rest, says Dr. Zemel. So increasing your muscle mass
will help increase metabolism and burn calories more quickly. This is
especially important as you move into middle age, a time when metabolism naturally
slows down and you risk a loss of muscle mass. The answer is to add weight
training to your workout
routine. Zemel says this can be as easy as working out with resistance bands
while standing in front of the TV.
Get Some Shut-Eye to Increase Metabolism
Sleep deprivation or having an
erratic sleep schedule can contribute to a sluggish metabolism, says Zemel.
Inadequate sleep also puts you at risk for metabolic diseases including type 2
diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, he adds. According to a study from the
University of Chicago, even a few nights of poor sleep can do damage.
Researchers say that healthy study participants who got only four hours of
sleep for four nights became more resistant to insulin — and insulin resistance
is a common precursor to developing diabetes.
Boost Metabolism by Spreading Out
Your Meals
Rethinking how you eat can help with
better weight management. If you eat cereal and yogurt for breakfast, have the
cereal but save the yogurt for a mid-morning
snack. At lunch, save part of your meal to eat in the middle of the
afternoon. Zemel notes that spreading out meals can have a positive effect on
metabolism and blood sugar levels.
Get Off Your Duff to Burn Calories
Zemel says that long periods of
inactivity can contribute to a sluggish metabolism and bigger health problems.
British researchers analyzed results from 18 studies that looked at inactivity
and the risk for disease. They found that the most sedentary people have a
higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease and an even bigger risk for
diabetes.
At the office, don’t spend hours at a
time sitting at your desk — get up and move around, says Zemel. Look for
opportunities like walking over to a colleague’s office and having a
conversation instead of sending an e-mail. Or consider walking around your
office while talking on the phone. While watching TV at home, you can get up
during commercial breaks to tidy the house or just move around.
Don’t Try a Starvation Diet to Lose
Weight
A very low-calorie diet or skipping
meals to lose weight can backfire. “Your body will fight you and slow down your
metabolism,” says Zemel. It’s possible to lose 30 pounds on a low-calorie diet,
but it takes fewer calories to maintain your body weight after a prolonged dip
in calories — and most people gain back that weight and then, when they try to
take it off again, it’s harder.
Have Your Thyroid Checked
If your weight gain is sudden, it may
be due to hypothyroidism, which is an underactive thyroid gland. This is a
common condition, especially in women older than 50. When the thyroid gland is
not producing enough hormones, body functions, including metabolism, slow down.
One of the biggest symptoms of hypothyroidism is unexplained weight gain.
Simple blood tests can detect an underactive thyroid. There is no cure, but
treatment using synthetic thyroid hormones is very effective.
Although spicy food is often touted as a metabolism
booster, the effects may be exaggerated. One study in the European Journal of
Nutrition did find that people who added capsaicin (the active ingredient in
chili and other peppers that makes them hot) to their breakfast food felt more
satisfied and ate less the rest of the day. Green tea and caffeine are other
examples of dietary factors that can give a minimal boost to metabolism, Zemel
says. Just remember that it’s fitness — not food — that can definitely help you
burn more calories
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