How to Speed Up Your Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss

How to speed up your metabolism: a guide to keeping your metabolism healthy

Everything you need to know to take control of your metabolism.

01 What metabolism is

Every cell in the body needs energy to function, whether it is delivering nutrients to the brain, moving oxygen from the lungs to the muscles or producing infection-fighting white blood cells deep in the bone marrow. This energy comes from the calories in the food we eat. The words “metabolism” and “metabolic processes” describe the body’s system for turning the calories we take in into energy.

Many factors influence each person’s individual metabolism. Heredity plays an important role. We are born with an internal speedometer that regulates our basal metabolic rate (BMR) — the rate at which the body uses energy while at rest. BMR accounts for around 60% of all the energy the average person uses in a day. The rest goes on digestion and physical activity, even minimal activity such as taking a shower, chopping vegetables or scrolling through an Instagram feed.

Scientists have yet to agree on what truly influences a person’s metabolism. Yet even if the metabolic rate is determined primarily by genetics, it is not fixed and can be changed. In fact, it changes constantly — over the course of a day, a year and the different stages of life.

02 What holds back a healthy metabolism and how metabolism changes with age

Researchers estimate that BMR slows by 2–3% with every decade of life from the age of 20. Changes in body composition are a key driver of changes in metabolism. As we age, we lose muscle mass. Women typically lose 10–15% of their muscle mass between the ages of 20 and 50, and according to research from the University of Missouri-Columbia, this decline then accelerates.

Metabolism slows when we move little and favour rest over activity. Inactivity is the main cause of muscle loss. Neglected muscle is replaced by fat. In metabolic terms, muscle burns fat in the body far faster than fatty tissue does. Muscle burns calories, whereas fat stores them.

As we age, the body needs less energy. A recent study at a Canadian university involving more than 800 adults found that older women had a lower BMR than younger women. The researchers suggested that the decline may be linked to lower metabolic demand from organs such as the heart, liver, brain and kidneys, caused by a reduction in organ cell mass.

Hormonal changes also slow the metabolism. Metabolism can likewise be slowed by natural changes in hormone levels, such as oestrogen and testosterone. Changes associated with the menopause can increase the proportion of fatty tissue in the body and slow the metabolism overall.

03 How to restore a healthy metabolism: diet and exercise

You can keep your metabolism in excellent shape at any age and with any genetic starting point. The secret is to stay active and follow a mindful lifestyle: keep a regular routine, sleep well and eat well.

Exercise

“Exercise” sounds like a grand word, and for many people even a daunting one. In reality, it is enough to do the exercises that suit you on a regular basis. When you walk, run or lift weights, you increase the energy demands your internal organs place on your body. Activity raises your metabolism for several hours after you have finished. Every effort, however small, counts for your metabolism. In addition to the 30 minutes of daily exercise recommended by all health authorities, make small changes to your daily routine and habits. For example, park further away from work so that you walk more. Take the stairs instead of the lift. And if you live in a house or have a country home near the city, make a habit of working outdoors in the garden. This helps speed up your metabolism and also lifts your mood. According to researchers at Mayo Clinic, small changes in daily activity can raise your metabolism by 20–25%.

Lift weights, if your health allows

Strength training helps offset age-related muscle loss. During exercise, muscle tissue is put under stress; afterwards, molecular activity is restored, and this raises the metabolism. A woman who trains three times a week for six months can build enough muscle to burn an extra 10 to 32 calories a day. For the greatest metabolic effect, focus on exercises that engage large muscle groups, such as squats and lunges for the legs and exercises for the back muscles.

Practise portion control

Limiting food to set portions helps you control excess energy — calories — entering the body. Buy kitchen scales and a measuring cup to get a real sense of what a healthy portion is. You can also use your hand to measure portions. In a healthy diet, for example, a clenched fist equals a portion of fruit, a cupped palm equals a portion of cereal or grains, two cupped handfuls equal a portion of leafy green vegetables such as spinach or mixed salad, and an open palm equals a portion of meat.

Eat less, but more often

Some experts recommend eating small meals frequently: five or six small meals over the course of the day. Eating little and often helps keep blood sugar levels steady and avoids the sugar spikes that occur when we eat three times a day with long gaps in between. You can work out the right number of calories for your age, sex and size using the many online tools available. We recommend, however, consulting a dietitian. After an examination and a measurement on specialised scales, the specialist can determine the number of calories your body needs individually. You can then divide your daily calories from three usual meals into five smaller portions. For example, a woman who needs 1,800 calories a day would aim for five meals of roughly 350 calories each.

Eat more protein

Eating protein is a proven way to boost your metabolism. The thermic effect is the number of calories your body burns while digesting food. Roughly 10–15% of the calories you consume are used to process the food you eat. Although protein contains the same number of calories per gram as carbohydrates, researchers at Harvard University concluded that the thermic effect per gram of protein is 20% higher than per gram of carbohydrate. Eating protein regularly therefore raises the metabolic rate while the protein is being digested. The body uses more energy to process it.

Get enough sleep and rest

Metabolism works around the clock. Researchers at Columbia University in New York found that people who slept 6 hours a night or less were 23% more likely to be overweight than those who slept 7 to 9 hours. This may be linked to two hormones: leptin, which suppresses appetite, and ghrelin, which increases appetite and helps regulate body weight. Lack of sleep lowers leptin levels and raises ghrelin levels. Keep a regular sleep schedule. Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep a night.

Laugh, and do more of what brings you joy

Laughter can speed up your metabolism a little. It turns out that 10 to 15 minutes of laughter a day can increase the body’s energy expenditure. In one recent study, scientists placed participants in a “metabolic chamber” (a small room that measures heat output to calculate a person’s metabolic rate) and showed them funny videos. The scientists found that the participants’ metabolic rate rose by 10–40 calories. It is a small increase, yet every calorie counts for a normal, healthy metabolism.

04 Resetting your metabolism: the phased metabolism-boosting approach

Below is a diet plan by Haylie Pomroy, a celebrity nutritionist and healthy-lifestyle consultant with an academic background in animal science.

The diet holds that eating certain foods at certain times speeds up the metabolism, leading to weight loss.

Phase 1 (Monday–Tuesday)

This phase relieves stress and reassures your body that it no longer needs to store fat.

During these two days you should eat high-glycaemic, carbohydrate-rich foods with a moderate amount of protein. Fats should be avoided.
This is intended to reduce stress and anxiety, prepare your body for weight loss and prompt the adrenal glands to produce less of the stress hormone cortisol.

You may eat high-glycaemic fruits such as pears, mangoes, pineapple and melon, as well as high-carbohydrate whole grains such as porridge oats, brown rice and brown rice pasta.

This phase also includes foods rich in B vitamins and vitamin C, such as lean beef, lentils, oranges, turkey and kiwi. These are thought to stimulate the thyroid to burn fats, proteins and carbohydrates more efficiently and to turn sugar into energy rather than storing it as fat.

Phase 2 (Wednesday–Thursday)

During this phase, fat stores begin to be burned and muscle mass begins to build. For these two days the diet should be rich in protein and non-starchy vegetables, and low in carbohydrates and fats.

Eat high-protein foods that help build muscle: beef, turkey, fish and chicken.

This phase also includes vegetables: white cabbage, broccoli, spinach, cucumbers and lettuce. These vegetables are alkalising and are believed to lower the acidity of your blood, prompting the liver to release fat cells. Cabbage and similar vegetables supply the body with the enzymes and phytonutrients needed to break down high-protein foods.

In the second phase of the diet, it is recommended to add exercise, specifically strength training with weights.

Phase 3 (Friday–Sunday)

This phase is designed to speed up the metabolism and burn fat. For these three days it is recommended to add plenty of healthy fats and snacks, while eating moderate amounts of protein and carbohydrates.

Foods in this phase include olive oil or grapeseed oil, eggs, nuts, seeds, coconut, avocado and olives.

Foods such as seaweed, coconut oil, prawns and lobster should also be included, as the diet holds that they stimulate the metabolism by activating the thyroid.

At this stage of the diet, relaxing activities are recommended, such as yoga, meditation or massage. This lowers the level of stress hormones.

Please note that all recommendations in this article are provided for information only. For the best results and for the safety of your health, consult a doctor and undergo the necessary examinations before choosing a particular diet or type of exercise.

Here’s to a fast metabolism for us all.