Listen to your body. Eat when you are hungry, stop when you begin to feel full. There is no need to overeat; you can eat again when you feel hungry. Our bodies have the remarkable ability to tell us how much to eat if we just listen.
You’ve heard that your metabolism may be blamed for your current weight. You would love to learn how to speed up your metabolic rate to help you burn off a few extra pounds. Is that possible? Let’s take a look at the facts on metabolism. Your metabolic rate (rate at which you burn calories) is influenced by a number of factors.
Some people are genetically gifted with a speedy metabolism (those who seem to eat all day and never gain a pound). Others have a slower metabolism. Not all people who are on the heavier side eat any more than average weight individuals.
There are things you can do to pep up a sluggish metabolism. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, even when it’s not in use. This is one reason men burn more calories than women. If you started strength training (lifting weights) today, by next month you could be burning more calories just reading this! Metabolism tends to slow down as we age, about 2% per decade, but this is mostly due to loss of muscle mass. So hold on to that muscle. Use it or lose it!
Our bodies respond well to being fed throughout the day. By providing your body with an intermittent supply of calories throughout the day, you can actually burn more of them off. You will also have more energy and concentration. Dieting can actually slow your metabolic rate and make it easy to regain weight lost while dieting.
Exercising burns calories while you are active and for a period of time after you stop as well. Any additional activity – taking the stairs, parking your car at the far end of the parking lot – can increase the number of calories you burn in a given day. Exercise can also relieve stress, improve health, boost your immune system, reduce your risk of heart disease, and help you to sleep better.
There are no foods that you can eat to increase your metabolism. Forget fat burners, too. Products containing ephedra or ma huang are often used as a diet aid. These products are unsafe at best. Side effects include dizziness, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and for some, heart attack and stroke. A number of deaths have been associated with these products. The Food and Drug Administration urges extreme caution when taking these substances and is working toward banning their use.
| Raises your metabolism | Lowers your metabolism |
Eating 4-6 times a day |
Skipping meals |
Eating an adequate amount of food to sustain your daily activities |
Restricting calories (dieting) |
Building muscle through activity or weight training |
Loosing muscle through inactivity or dieting |
Exercising on a regular basis, even 10 minutes at a time, taking the stairs, etc. |
Remaining sedentary |
