Metabolism & Weight Loss

Certain individuals tend to eat anything they want without gaining weight, while others eat healthily and still cannot lose weight regardless of what they eat. So, what's at work here? The answer is metabolism.

Metabolism is the process of converting what you eat and drink into energy to fuel your body function. Even at rest, your body needs energy for essential functions, such as breathing, circulating blood, managing hormone levels, digesting food, growing, and repairing cells. The higher your metabolic rate is, the more calories or energy you burn during your daily activities, which will aid in weight loss. Therefore, metabolism plays an important role in weight management.

Signs of slow metabolism:

Weight gain. If you experience unexplained weight gain even if you exercise and maintain a healthy diet, it may be due to a slow metabolism caused by hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid doesn't create and release enough thyroid hormone into your bloodstream and lead to a slower metabolism.[1]

Difficulty losing weight. A sluggish metabolism burns fewer calories, which causes the calories to store as fats in our body. That’s why some people find it difficult to lose weight just by cutting off calorie intake.

Fatigue. Having a slow metabolism will prolong the process of breaking down food and converting the calories into energy. With your body burning energy at a slower rate, this will cause you to feel tired more often.

Dry skin and brittle nails. Some people with a slow metabolism may experience dry, itchy skin prone to cracking. This may be due to the body unable to produce enough energy to keep the cells active with proper blood supply.

A slow metabolism burns fewer calories. Hence, weight loss occurs only when you burn more calories than you consume. Here are 6 useful tips to follow if you are looking out to boost your metabolism:

1. Don’t starve yourself. Skipping meals or restrict calories too much may mess up your metabolism in long term. If you are undereating, your metabolism needs to work harder to preserve the remaining calories, making it more difficult for you to lose weight. You will probably experience weight gain once you return to normal diet or increase food intake. Therefore, it is crucial to eat at regular intervals to maintain the metabolic balance. You may consume smaller portion, plan your meals in advance or have light healthy snacks such as yogurt or granola bar during teatime to hold you over until your next meal.[2]

2. Drink enough water. Water induced thermogenesis. It increases heat production in the body, thus enhancing the number of calories burned while resting. A study showed that metabolism will rise by up to 30% within half an hour after consuming a cup of 500ml of room temperature water.[3] In general, it is recommended to consume 2 liters of water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated, maintain good metabolic rate, and assist with weight loss, especially when drink before meals.[4]

3. Engage in strength training. Strength training promotes an increase in lean muscle mass and helps you to burn more calories even when you are not working out. Beginners are advised to engage at least 2 to 3 days per week of strength training to maximize muscle growth.[5] Example of strength training includes weightlifting, push-ups, planks, and squats.

4. Power up with protein. Protein -rich foods has the largest rise in the thermic effect of food (TEF) compared to carbs and fats, which need your body to work harder for digestion, thus spending more energy and burning more calories. Therefore, a high protein diet is crucial to boost metabolism, prevent muscle loss, provide you a sense of fullness and prevent overeating.[6]

5. Get restful sleep. Insufficient sleep can lead to imbalance and dysregulation of the hormones, change the way your body process sugar and decrease the number of calories you burn. Besides, lack of sleep may also lead to snacking and sugar cravings, which you will end up exceeding your calorie intake and lead to a gradual weight gain. To speed up your metabolism, you need to have 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.[7] You may improve your quality of sleep by keeping a regular sleep schedule, avoid eating late and sleep in complete darkness.

6. Contain fat burning foods in regular diet. Besides protein, you may consider using powdered cayenne pepper to spice up your meals as the compounds in it have been found to curb craving and boost metabolic rate.[8] Black vinegar is another popular ingredient for weight loss due to its rich amount of citric acid that helps to maintain your metabolism level and keeping your immune and digestive systems on track.[9]

If you are craving for flavored beverages, green tea and plain black coffee are great choices to boost metabolism and promote weight loss due to the caffeine substance in it.[10] Alternatively, you may consider taking daily supplement that contain black vinegar and caffeine to maintain a healthy metabolism level.

A high metabolism is crucial in weight management as it helps to burn more calories. By just making simple changes to your diet and lifestyle, you can achieve a healthier metabolism, lose weight and keeping it off.