Managing your metabolism could really help you manage your weight as a part of a healthy lifestyle. Here we will discuss a few mistakes you make unintentionally that can slow down your metabolism.
1.Eating very few calories per day
You may have heard that a calorie deficit diet helps you reduce weight, which is true. But restricting your calories in such a way that you take very few calories per day can actually make you gain weight due to improper bowel functioning caused by slow metabolism. It can be inefficient for your calorie intake to drop too low.
When you unexpectedly lower your calorie intake, your body senses the food as scarce element and lowers the overall metabolism rate at which it burns calories. Studies have shown that consuming less that 1000 calories prepay can actually affect your metabolic rate, either you are lean or overweighed.
Most studies even measure resting metabolism rate, which is referred to the number of calories burned during the rest. Yet some researches also measure burned calories during rest and activity over 24 hours, which is allude to as total daily energy spending. In another study, when overweighed women ate unto 420 calories per day for 4–5 months, their resting metabolic rates significantly slowed down.
Furthermore, even after they increased their intake of calorie, over the upcoming five weeks, their resting metabolism rates persisted much lower than before the diet. In another study, overweight people were told to consume unto 890 calories a day. After count of 3 months, their total calorie disbursement dropped by 633 calories on average per month. Even when your calorie restriction is at moderate level, it can still slow your metabolic rate.
2. Cutting down your protein
Protein always play a very important role in your weight management journey. In addition to help you feel full, more protein intake can remarkably increase the metabolic rate at which your body burns calories. This increase in metabolism that takes place after digestion is know as the thermic effect of food (TEF).
The thermic effect (TEF) of protein is much higher than that of fat or carbs. Indeed, researches indicate that eating more protein increases metabolic rate by about 20–28% compared to 5–10% for that of carbs and 3% or less for the fat.
Although it is known that metabolic rate automatically slows down during weight loss journey and further continues to slow down during weight maintenance, enough evidences are present to suggest that higher protein intake can reduce these kind of effect.
In an other study, individuals followed one of three diets in an attempt to maintain a 10–15% of weight loss.
The diet high in protein lessen total daily energy disbursement by only 97 to 98 calories, compared to 300–423 calories in people who consumed less proteins.
One other study found that people required to eat at least 0.5 grams of protein per 1 pound of body weight and1.2 grams per kilograms to obstruct their metabolic rate from slowing down during and after the weight loss.
3. Leading an inactive lifestyle
Being inactive may lead to a consequential decrease in the number of calories you may burn every day.
Particularly, many job going people’s lifestyles mainly involve sitting at work for around 8 hours a day, which can have adverse impacts on metabolism and their overall health.
Though regularly working out or playing sports can have a major affect on the total number of calories you burn, even primary physical activities like roaming around the house, cleaning, and passing the stairs, can help you burn calories.
This kind of activity is considered as non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).
One research found that a high amount of non-exercise activity thermogenesis could burn up to 2000 additional calories in one day. However, such a drastic increase is not practical for most of the people.
Another study showed that watching TV while sitting, but without popcorns can burns an average of 8% or fewer calories than typing while sitting, and 16% fewer calories than standing.
4. Not getting required high-quality sleep
8 hours of quality sleep is very important for overall health let alone for metabolism. Sleeping fewer hours than your body require may increase your risk of a number of diseases, including heart related problems, diabetes, and some time anxiety and depression. Many studies show that insufficient sleep may also slow down your metabolism and increase your probability of weight gain. Lack of proper sleep can be made worst by during the day sleep instead of at night. This unusual sleep patterns may disrupt your body’s circadian rhythms, or internal sleep cycle. An other study showed that extended sleep limitation combined with circadian rhythm disorder decreased resting metabolism by an average of 8%.
5. Consuming Sugary Beverages
Artificially-sweetened drinks are harmful for your health. High consumption of such drinks is linked to various medical conditions, including insulin resistance, diabetes, and weight gain.
Many of the negative effects of these sugar-sweetened drinks can be linked to fructose. As of table sugar contains 50% fructose, while an average high-fructose corn syrup pack contains 55% fructose. Frequently consuming these sugar-sweetened beverages may slow down your metabolic rate.
In a recent 12-week study, it was made clear that overweight people who consumed 25% of their calories as high-fructose-sweetened beverages on a weight-maintaining journey experienced a notable drop in their metabolic rate.
But not all studies supported this idea. One study also noted that over consuming high-fructose corn syrup compared to whole wheat items did not affect 24-hour metabolic rate. However, research also shows that excessive fructose intake promotes escalate fat storage in your belly and around the liver.
6. Lack of strength training
Working out with weights is a great strategy to keep your metabolic rate from slowing down.
Strength training has been significantly shown to increase metabolism in healthy people, as well as for those those who have heart diseases or are obese.
It also helps in increasing muscle mass, which builds up much of the fat-free mass in the body. Having a large amount of fat-free mass outstandingly increases the number of calories you burn while staying at rest. Even the minimal amounts of strength training evident to boost energy disruption.
In an other study, people who were keen to perform strength training for an average 11 minutes per day per 3 days a week, experienced a 7.5% increase in resting metabolism and burned 125 extra calories on average, per day.
In distinction, not doing any type of strength training can cause your metabolic rate to reduce, especially during weight loss and cause aging.
How to increase your Metabolic rate
Keeping in mind the above reasons and working on these factors can most likely help you to increase your metabolic rate. As we have discussed the causes of low metabolic rate, we are now going to discuss how can you actually improve your metabolic health while staying healthy.
Eat throughout the day
Studies have shown that a human body always rely on balance and regularity. That’s why it’s suggested that you should take small meals every after few hours instead of having just one or two large meal per day. Studies also suggested that following a regular meal pattern can significantly help you reduce swelling, improve the circadian rhythms, increase the body’s ability to deal with stress, and manage gut flora, a composition of bacteria that keeps the gut healthy.
Consume more green tea
Herbal teas have always proven themselves to be our life saviours. It is suggested that a person should consume greet tea after 20 minutes of each big meal through out the day. Drinking hot beverages like green tea or any other herbal tea can significantly increase the metabolic rate and helps you digest the food fast. Instead of consuming sugary beverages it is recommended to take hot herbal drink to make the digestion process smooth and gut healthy.
Do regular training
As discussed earlier, that inactivity throughout the day can adversely affect your metabolic system, it is suggested to increase the overall physical activity and trainings through out the day. A 45 minute physical activity twice a day can help you achieve a healthy metabolism. Or a 10 minute walk after every meal can also significantly increase the metabolic rate. Physical activity may include, walk, workout, palatals, weight lifting and cardio.
Increasing water intake
Drinking water could be a solution to every health problem. Staying hydrated throughout the day can get you achieve a healthy skin and a controlled appetite which can further help you during your weight loss journey. Even after overeating, consuming water can significantly work as a flush to get the food out of your system, making your metabolism work faster and in much healthier way.
Consult for treatment for hypothyroidism
People with lower levels of thyroid hormone can have a slower metabolic rate. Thyroid hormone encourages the production of elements that grow oxygen consumption, respiration rate, and sometimes body temperature. This involves a high rate of energy consumption.
Conversely, a person’s body with hypothyroidism is likely to burn more energy at a particular rate. Their metabolic rate can be comparatively slower, and they may have a higher risk of obesity and other heart related problems.
Seeking medical help for this condition can help boost up metabolic rate and decrease the risk of difficulties linked to this hypothyroidism.
Spice up your meals
Some researches has suggested that consuming spices such as chili, which contains capsaicin, can boost up the metabolic rate, including the rate at which the body burns fat and consumes energy.
Another study from China in 2014, found that people who eat spicy foods every time were more likely to achieve a high body mass index (BMI) than those who do not. The researchers further noted that more examinations may be needed to find out why this happens.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics claims that while eating spicy chilies you might boost metabolic rate temporarily, it is unlikely to have a remarkable or favourable impact in the long run.
Get enough vitamins
Fulfilling your body’s vitamin needs can play such an effective role in boosting up your metabolism. Some vitamins and minerals might help keep the metabolic rate working efficiently. While supplements can help you fulfil your body’s vitamins needs, whole foods are still the best source of vitamins and minerals.
FAQS
Metabolism refers to the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. It’s crucial for maintaining basic bodily functions like breathing and cell repair. Understanding your metabolism can help you manage your weight and overall health.
Lifestyle habits such as diet, exercise, sleep, and stress levels can significantly impact your metabolism. Certain habits can either speed up or slow down your metabolic rate, affecting how efficiently your body burns calories.
Eating too few calories, skipping meals, excessive sitting, inadequate protein intake, and not getting enough sleep are some common mistakes that can slow down metabolism. These habits can lead to a decrease in muscle mass and a decrease in the rate at which your body burns calories.
Yes, metabolism tends to slow down with age due to various factors such as loss of muscle mass, hormonal changes, and decreased physical activity levels. As you get older, it becomes more important to maintain healthy lifestyle habits to support metabolism and overall health.
To boost metabolism and avoid slowing it down, focus on eating a balanced diet rich in whole foods, incorporating regular physical activity, getting enough sleep, managing stress levels, and staying hydrated. Avoid extreme diets or excessive restriction, as they can negatively impact metabolism over time.