Contrary to what many people think, metabolism can speed up or slow down over the years and with our daily habits and diets.
Having a fast metabolism is essential for being slim. People who eat a lot and do not get fat do so thanks to it, and the opposite happens to obese people. Although having a fast or slow metabolism depends a lot on our genetics, there are certain adjustments that we can make daily to accelerate it and thus lose weight fast.
There are people who, however, find it more difficult to accelerate their metabolism, since it is already slower than average. As a general rule, shorter people tend to have a slower metabolism, and also those who have a hard time losing weight.
“The metabolic rate is not fixed. You can ‘reset’ your metabolism by eating certain foods and supplements or by exercising and building muscle,” says a nutritionist. Influencing the body to break down food and transform it into energy more efficiently is entirely possible.
The mistake that prevents you from restoring your metabolism
The aforementioned nutritionist assures that there is an error that prevents us from accelerating the metabolism and that it is more common than we think. It is a false belief that by eating less we will lose weight faster, when, in most cases, it is the opposite.
“To speed up your metabolism you must eat enough calories that your body needs. The goal is not to overeat, watch out. But if you are not consuming enough calories, you will lose muscle mass and, ultimately, your metabolism will slow down,” he explains Shapiro. The trick is to choose nutrient-dense foods that will fill you up for longer.
Salad. The nutritionist suggests eating spicy foods, which have “natural chemicals to speed up metabolism,” as well as garlic, which “helps speed up metabolism and controls blood lipid levels,” and beans and lentils, as they contain high amounts of iron and reduces bad cholesterol and blood pressure, And, as always, you should avoid processed foods and sugars, which will only make you fat and slow down your metabolism.
As for beverages, Shapiro suggests drinking green tea. “It has catechins, which have been shown to boost metabolism for a few hours.” Also, coffee, because “caffeine can stimulate metabolism and promote fat burning.” In this regard, numerous studies have shown that caffeine can help increase metabolic rate by up to 11%. In fact, six different investigations found that people who consume 270 mg of caffeine per day (about three cups) burn an additional 100 calories every 24 hours.
Other tricks to speed up the metabolism
You already have enough, but if you want to know more tips and tricks on how to restore your metabolic rate and lose weight faster, she continues reading:
Don’t skip breakfast
If you do not eat breakfast, your body will think that it is still sleeping, and it will not start, or it will but it will try to save all the calories you have previously consumed and the stored fat since it thinks that it is going to go through a time of hunger or shortage of food. The best thing is that as soon as you wake up you have a breakfast rich in protein and coffee or tea, as this will also prevent you from biting during the day and ending up throwing yourself into carbohydrates in the middle of the morning.
Eat lots of protein
Protein-rich foods like meat, fish, eggs and dairy may help boost your metabolism for a few hours.
Numerous investigations show that protein-rich foods further increase the body’s thermal effect, that is, the number of calories it takes for the body to digest and process them.
Protein foods increase the metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbohydrates and 0–3% for fats.
