Your metabolism, the amount of energy your body uses each day, can determine whether you will be successful in losing weight and keeping it off. Controlling your weight is easier if your metabolism is faster because you can eat more calories. So, is it possible to speed up your metabolism?
Yes, although your metabolism is usually fairly stable, there are several things you can do to help rev it up.
Exercise is No. 1: Working out builds muscle. Muscle speeds metabolism. As the body works more efficiently, it processes food faster and your appetite increases.
Men, being the more muscular sex, generally burn more calories than a woman of the same weight.
Don't skip meals: Space meals 3-4 hours apart. That way you have enough energy throughout the day and you'll be free of the headaches, hunger pangs or mood swings you get when you're famished.
Eating erratically signals the body to burn slower and conserve fat.
The way to lose more fat than muscle is to follow a balanced nutrition and exercise plan which promotes an average weight loss rate of 1-2 pounds per week.
Food affects mood: What you eat influences your metabolism and mood, making you either sluggish or energetic. Foods high in sugar, saturated fats, artificial sweeteners and low in water and fiber will slow digestion, can cause weight gain and leave you feeling like a couch potato.
Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans and legumes, fresh herbs and spices provide the proteins, carbohydrates and fats that give you energy and even blood sugar levels. Healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, fish oils, seeds, nuts, soybeans) promote longer-lasting, stable energy levels. Lean proteins (fish, soy foods, white meat poultry, lean meats and low-fat dairy) offer essential proteins for better digestion and muscle building.
By drinking eight glasses of water each day, you will have better digestion (better emptying of the stomach and intestines, less gas, bloating, constipation) and a flatter tummy. Staying hydrated also reduces headaches and fights fatigue.
You should also get pleasure from eating. Even if adding a piece of dark chocolate is your wish, go for it, one square at a time, as it aids in happy brain chemistry and adds a natural bitter which aids digestion. Improving digestion this way also strengthens the liver, kidneys and lungs, all which facilitate a healthier metabolism.
Stay cool: Colder weather increases metabolism in order to keep the body warm, although it can be a challenge to maintain your weight during the holidays and colder months when exercise levels tend to drop and pounds often pile on.
By keeping indoor temperatures cooler and exercising outdoors, you can burn more calories.
As your metabolism increases, you'll feel more energetic, lighter — and hungrier. But don't worry. As digestion improves, the stomach empties more regularly and you feel thinner in the waistline and less full in the chest. People who have a faster metabolism have fewer food cravings and feel more in control of their eating.
Don't get stuck in a rut: Some dieters get stuck at a certain weight. To keep your weight from plateauing, you must make small changes to keep your body from adapting to a routine of eating the same amount of calories.
BOOST YOUR METABOLISM If you skip breakfast, try one of these: — 1 slice multigrain bread 4 Tbsp. 1 percent fat cottage cheese or 1 Tbsp. peanut butter 1 small apple Sprinkle cinnamon — Hard-boiled egg with toast and a fruit — Wheat germ smoothie with banana and plain yogurt (not frozen) — 1 package of oatmeal, cooked 1 cup skim milk ½ cup berries 1 Tbsp. crushed walnuts Sprinkle cinnamon — Don't forget healthy fats, such as: 1 Tbsp. chopped nuts, nut butter, avocado or an egg yolk
HEALTHY SNACKING If you get hungry before lunch, try: — 1 ounce low-fat cheese — 1 small pear
If you drag in the afternoon, try: — 1 cup of skim cow or soy milk, a small bunch of grapes — 10 almonds, baby carrots — Stay hydrated. Thirst is often confused with hunger.
[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 10-20-2006).]
IP: Logged
06:30 PM
PFF
System Bot
AntiKev Member
Posts: 2333 From: Windsor, Ontario, Canada Registered: May 2004
Some dieters get stuck at a certain weight. To keep your weight from plateauing, you must make small changes to keep your body from adapting to a routine of eating the same amount of calories.
That is my problem. I have 10lbs till I'm at my goal weight but I've been stuck where I'm at for 2 months. Its driving me nuts. I do eat small meals often throughout the day and I exercise everyday at least a 1/2 hour of high impact areobics.
------------------
IP: Logged
12:00 PM
84fierotrevor Member
Posts: 4998 From: puyallup washington Registered: Oct 2001
Some dieters get stuck at a certain weight. To keep your weight from plateauing, you must make small changes to keep your body from adapting to a routine of eating the same amount of calories.
That is my problem. I have 10lbs till I'm at my goal weight but I've been stuck where I'm at for 2 months. Its driving me nuts. I do eat small meals often throughout the day and I exercise everyday at least a 1/2 hour of high impact areobics.
same thing happend to me, I was at 184, put my goal at 160. i got to 169.8 pounds and would fluxuate between 169.4 and 169.8 your last ten pounds u gota be furuious. everything ur doing now to lose weight. do it 4 times as much. u might not like it, it might be hard, but its for a very short time. me, i was walking 2000 calories a day on my treadmill and drinking protien smoothies when i got stuck. what I did was didn't change my diet. but i started just running on the treadmill tell i couldnt run anymore, tell i was about to fall off. then i slowed it down just enough to walk really fast on it. then when i could take it i started running again. then my friends would come over and want to hang out. so i would walk around mile square park. then i would go find somthing else that demanded exersize. it was off in no time. but yeah, basicly when u platue. u just gota kick it up a notch!
