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The Dos and Don’ts of Boosting Metabolism and Losing Body Fat

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The Dos and Don’ts of Boosting Metabolism and Losing Body Fat
14 October 2020, 03:30

The ‘metabolism’ refers to the chemical reactions in the organisms of our body that keep us alive. How fast your metabolism runs depends on a few things like; genetics, gender, age, diet and lifestyle. Having a fast metabolism is the holy grail of weight loss. The faster it is, the higher amount of calories you’ll burn and less weight you’ll carry.

Even though you can’t control your genetics, age or gender, thankfully there are ways to boost your metabolism. There are also a few things to avoid if you want a fast metabolism. Let’s take a look at the dos and don’ts of a speedy metabolism.

How to Speed up Your Metabolism?

  1. Eat Small Meals Throughout the Day

Every time we eat, the metabolism is boosted. This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF). If you keep your meals little and often, studies have shown your metabolism will get revved up even more. Having long periods between meals, can mean your metabolism slows down significantly.

  1. Add Protein to Every Meal

The type of food you eat, also has an effect on the speed of your metabolism. Protein causes a bigger rise in the thermic effect of food. Carbohydrates increase your metabolism by 5-10%, fats 0-3% and protein 15-30%.

  1. Drink Enough Water

Reports show that drinking 0.5 litres of water, actually speeds up your metabolism by 10-30% for around an hour. If the water is ice cold, this could further boost the effects as your body uses extra energy to warm you up.

  1. Increase Your Muscle Mass

People with more muscle will burn more calories, even when at rest. Being more metabolically active, lean muscle will help to boost your metabolism. Get a regular strength training program, to help conserve and build your muscle, while burning body fat.

What Has a Bad Effect Your Metabolism?

It’s important to eat enough when you want to boost your immune system and lose fat. Trying to starve yourself by drastically cutting calories, can have the opposite effect slowing your metabolism and putting the body into ‘starvation mode’.

Not having enough sleep may also lower your metabolism. While the metabolism is at its slowest during the night, we still need to get enough rest to allow the body to function well.

Do Supplements Increase Metabolism?

There are multiple ‘metabolism boosters’ on the market. But do they actually work? While we can’t test every single supplement, there are ingredients in certain metabolism boosters, that can have a positive effect. Buy supplements with these ingredients which may boost your metabolism;

  • Caffeine. Some studies have shown caffeine to increase the thermic effect and speed up the metabolism.
  • Capsaicin. Found in jalapenos, capsaicin may help to increase the amount of calories you burn
  • Green tea. This herbal tea may increase metabolism by 4-5%. While the effect is small, they are a great addition to a weight loss plan