Metabolism is the rate at which food is broken down into your body. If you're trying to lose weight, boosting your metabolism will help you reach that goal without having to cut a lot of calories. The commercialization around "metabolism-boosting products" has made it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction (or advertising), but there are some simple strategies that have proven effective. Please keep reading to find out how to increase your metabolism.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Boosting Metabolism with Diet
Step 1. Eat small but frequent meals
Extending the gap between meals puts your body in "hunger mode," when your body lowers your metabolism as a way of storing energy and preventing hunger. While some people can lose weight by intermittent fasting, most people generally eat less when they eat small but frequent meals. In addition to eating four to five small meals a day, eating healthy snacks will also increase your metabolism.
Bringing snacks that don't go stale will be very useful. You never know when a train will be late or when you have to stay up late at the office. If you allow hunger to strike, you'll end up eating foods you shouldn't be eating and your diet will be screwed up
Step 2. Choose lean protein
A diet rich in lean protein will increase metabolism because the body needs more energy to digest the protein. Choose lean proteins like turkey, fish, eggs, beans, and tofu.
Cottage cheese is a good source of casein protein. Eating cottage cheese especially before bed is a good idea because the protein is slowly released into the body, and as a result, your metabolism is working through the night
Step 3. Add chilies to your favorite foods
Adding chili pieces, chili sauce, or chili powder to recipes can help increase metabolism. The effects of eating spicy food are temporary, but you can incorporate chili peppers into your diet every day to continue to reap the metabolism-boosting benefits.
- If you are not a fan of chili, you can also use chili sauce. Not only does chili sauce help boost metabolism, it also doesn't contain a lot of calories, if any (depending on the brand).
- Keep in mind that although spicy food can increase metabolism, it is only about 8%, so you still need to watch your calorie intake if you want to lose weight.
Method 2 of 4: Boost Metabolism with Exercise
Step 1. Do at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day
When you do aerobic exercise, calories will be burned and metabolic rate remains high afterward. If you have difficulty exercising 30 minutes at a time, do it in smaller intervals, for example divided into 5, 10, or 15 minute sessions.
When you start exercising (if you haven't been exercising regularly before), you'll notice that your hunger pangs are more frequent. Does not matter. It's your body's cue to convey its need for fuel in order to support a new calorie-burning program
Step 2. Add strength training to your workout routine
Building muscle will help increase metabolism at rest (resting metabolic rate, abbreviated RMR). 0.5 kg of muscle burns 6 calories per day while 0.5 kg of fat burns only 2 calories per day. It may not seem like a lot, but the number of calories your body burns at rest will add up over time. Muscle burns more calories than fat can (to be exact, 73 calories more per kilogram per day), so the more muscle you build, the higher your resting metabolic rate will be. Every muscle cell you have is like a tiny factory that burns calories constantly, even when you sleep, and increases when you exercise.
This is the only way to increase RMR, which contributes to 60 to 70 percent calories you burn each day.
Step 3. Find other ways to move more
The more you move, the higher your metabolism will be, so take advantage of every little opportunity to move in your daily life. For example, you could choose the stairs instead of the elevator, park the car further from the supermarket entrance, or choose to cycle instead of using the car to get to work.
Method 3 of 4: Finding Other Ways to Boost Metabolism
Step 1. Drink plenty of water
Research shows that increasing water intake can also increase metabolic rate by as much as 40%. This increase is likely the result of the body's efforts to heat the incoming water, but the reason for this increase is uncertain. Our bodies sometimes can't tell the difference between thirst and hunger, so for that reason, you need to keep your body hydrated.
Step 2. Drink coffee
Coffee has been shown to increase metabolism because of the caffeine it contains. One study showed that drinking coffee could significantly increase metabolic rate in both normal weight and obese people. Please note that the metabolic effects of caffeine are small when compared to other means such as exercise. Excessive caffeine consumption can also cause nervousness, insomnia, and other negative side effects.
Step 3. Drink green tea
Combining green tea (including decaffeinated green tea) with diet and exercise can increase your metabolic rate. One study showed that combining decaffeinated green tea extract with exercise created more dramatic results than exercise alone. Consider adding decaffeinated green tea extract or drinking a cup or two of green tea as a complement to your diet and exercise program.
Step 4. Live a healthy diet, not a strict diet
Strict diets limit calorie intake dramatically, which will have a negative effect on metabolism. Even if you lose a lot of weight at the beginning of a strict diet, it will eventually slow down your metabolism and lead to weight gain. A strict diet can also make you deficient in some important nutrients by restricting your intake of certain foods.
Method 4 of 4: Understanding Your Metabolism
Step 1. Determine what affects your metabolism
Metabolism is influenced by various factors. There are some factors that can be changed and controlled, while others cannot be ignored.
- Age – Metabolic rate decreases by 5% each decade after age 40, in part due to reduced muscle mass.
- Gender – Men generally burn calories faster than women because men have more muscle tissue
- Offspring - you may inherit the metabolic rate of the previous generation
- Thyroid disorders – Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland/goiter) and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland/goiter) can slow down or speed up metabolism. Consult a doctor if you think you have a thyroid disorder. This factor is increasingly important for women. Hormones and other factors can increase the effort required to lose weight even a little, and often they develop conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) undiagnosed.
- Body weight – Different body tissues contribute to different resting metabolism. Muscle contributes more than fat per unit mass, and because muscle is denser than fat, muscle contributes more per unit volume.
- Body size – Metabolic rate increases as weight, height and body surface area increase.
- Body composition – Fat tissue has a lower metabolic activity than muscle tissue. As lean muscle mass increases, the metabolic rate also increases.
- Climate and body temperature – The basic metabolic rate of people living in tropical climates is generally 5 to 20 percent higher than those of those living in temperate climates because the body needs energy to stay cool. Exercise done in hot weather also encourages an increase in metabolism. Body fat and clothing effectiveness also determine the magnitude of the increase in energy metabolism in cold environments; energy is needed to keep the body warm if you work or exercise in very cold weather.
Step 2. Estimate your resting metabolic rate (RMR)
RMR is often used interchangeably with basal metabolic rate or BMR (basal metabolic rate). Although the two are slightly different, estimating one or the other is sufficient for weight loss purposes. This equation shows that the bigger your weight, the bigger your RMR! To calculate RMR, use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (which is more reliable than the Harris-Benedict equation). There are also online calculators that can calculate RMR, such as the following:
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RMR = 9.99w + 6.25s – 4.92a + 166g-161
- w = weight in kilograms
- s = height in centimeters
- a = age in years
- g = gender = 1 for male, 0 for female
Step 3. Recalculate your RMR if needed
Your metabolism will slow down as you lose weight. The bigger you are, the more calories you have to burn to support your body, even at rest. When you start limiting calorie intake, losing weight will be relatively easy because your body's needs for high calories are not being met. Once you start to lose weight, your body will carry less mass and therefore need fewer calories. In order to continue to lose weight, you must continue to limit your calorie intake in order to maintain the difference between what your body needs and what you provide. Let's look at a hypothetical example below:
- You weigh 90 kg and your body needs 2500 calories per day. You reduce your calorie intake to 2,000 calories.
- Your weight is reduced by 11 kg. Now your body only needs 2250 calories because the body carries less weight.
- If you continue to add 2,000 calories per day to your diet (the diet that helped you lose the first 11 pounds), you can still lose weight, but only at half the rate. To maintain steady weight loss you must continue to reduce your calorie intake. However, don't try to consume fewer calories than your RMR!
- Everyone is different, so there isn't a specific calorie count that works for everyone. While the Harris-Benedict equation is universally accepted and nearly accurate, you'll still have to experiment to find out which calorie intake works best for you. Reducing total calories is not recommended if you don't see a change in two weeks. You have to give your body time to adapt.
Tips
- Try to avoid soda, salty foods and lettuce sauce. Diet sodas are proven to make you want to eat heavy sweet foods so that you gain weight.
- Many say that certain foods can increase metabolism, but this is not true. The best way to increase metabolism is to eat small portions and exercise!
- Stay away from over-the-counter diet pills and other quick remedies. The products may be too perfect to be true because they are. Diet pills that are sold freely in the market are not licensed by BPOM so there is no guarantee that they will really help you lose weight. Some of these drugs are also dangerous because they contain very high caffeine and other ingredients.
Warning
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, your calorie needs will increase. Consult your doctor or midwife before dieting or restricting certain food groups.
- Don't diet or exercise too much. Consult with your doctor or nutritionist to determine what you can do to lose weight according to your health level before starting an exercise or diet plan.
