Metabolism and Weight Loss

 

Do you know that your metabolism helps you to lose weight? According to the National Library of Medicine, metabolism refers to all the chemical and physical processes that use or convert energy. The word metabolism is also used to describe the basal metabolic rate (BMR), the number of calories you burn when you are at rest. So, if you have a high level of metabolism, you will burn more calories, which leads to weight loss.

Factors that Affect Your Metabolism

There are a variety of factors that affect your metabolism, like your genes, gender, age, and body weight.

• Genetics: The genes that you inherit from your parents may play a role in regulating your metabolic rate. 
• Gender: Males have faster metabolism as compared to females because they have larger bones, more muscle mass, and less fat. 

• Age: As you get older, you lose muscle, which decreases your metabolic rate. 

• Body weight: If you have a larger body and a significant body weight, you will have a higher metabolic rate. This is because a large body requires more energy to perform activities.

How to Boost Your Metabolism 

Here are the ways to increase your metabolic rate in order to attain a healthy weight:

Add Protein to Your Diet

Adding protein to your diet increases the process of thermogenesis, the burning of calories in your body, than carbohydrates or fats. According to the study published in PubMed Central, people who consumed a higher amount of protein burned more energy than those people who consumed less proportion of protein. Taking protein can also decrease the drop in metabolism that is linked with losing fat because protein helps prevent muscle loss.

Take Enough Calories

Some people think that they can lose weight by skipping their meals. In fact, it negatively affects your body's metabolism. Eating a few calories can slow down your metabolism so that your body can save energy. According to the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adult females who are 19 or above of age require 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day, depending on their physical activity, and males need 2,000 to 3,000 calories.

Do Resistance Training

Resistance training builds your muscles and can increase your metabolic rate while resting. If you have more muscle mass, your body will use food for energy more effectively. Strength training exercises involve squats, weight lifting, push-ups, HIIT, and much more. According to Healthline, High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can speed up your metabolism. This training will help you burn energy while resting, which helps you to burn fat and build muscles.

Maintain Your Sleep

According to the research published in PubMed Central, people who sleep less have a lower rate of metabolism. When you sleep less, your body reduces your metabolic rate to conserve energy, and as a result, you will gain weight. The need for sleep varies for every person. But, it is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that adults aged 18 to 60 years should sleep for at least 7 hours per night.

Drink Enough Water

Water is necessary for an optimal rate of metabolism, and it also helps you to lose weight. It assists your body to burn fat. Staying hydrated is essential for the proper functioning of your body as well. A study was conducted in 2016 in which the researchers evaluated the metabolic rate of 13 people who consumed 250 or 500 ml of water. They found that fat oxidation was increased after 500 ml when the person was at rest. This resulted in the conclusion that drinking water may have an impact on metabolism.

Spice-up Your Meals

Chillis contain a compound called capsaicin, which can increase your metabolic rate, including the rate at which your body burns fat and consumes energy. A review from 2016 predicted that eating peppers would burn ten additional calories per meal. Alone, adding spices to your food may not have much impact, but combine it with other strategies to boost your metabolism.

Drink Gree Tea

Green tea extracts can promote fat metabolism in your body. Drinking green tea helps you to manage your weight and health. It converts the fats stored in your body into free fatty acids that can indirectly increase your fat burning when you combine it with exercise. According to The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, it is safe to drink 8 cups of green tea in a day.

The Well Factor 

A higher metabolic rate helps you to lose weight by burning calories. Even though some natural factors like age, genes, and gender affect your metabolism. There are a number of ways as well by which you can boost your rate of metabolism, such as taking care of your diet, doing exercises, and getting enough sleep. Try these methods to increase your metabolic rate!