How to lose weight if you have a slow metabolism

People often refer to as having a slow or a fast metabolism. This categorisation has also been used some times to explain why some people may put on weight easier or slower and /or why they can fail losing weight. Is there such a thing as slow metabolism and if so what can someone do in order to lose weight? This article will look into some basic metabolic principles and how does energy expenditure (calorie burning) work so as to understand better how to lose weight if you have a slow metabolism.

Article was written by Hara Hagikalfa and reviewed by Dr Adrian Slee

What is the metabolic rate?

In order to understand what ‘slow’ or ‘fast’ metabolism is and how it affects weight gain, we will first explain some basic metabolic principles. Firstly metabolism is the combination of processes that take place in the body in order to function and maintain life. The means in which we take in nutrients and deliver energy as required is called metabolic regulation. The rate in which the cells break food into energy (or simplified the rate in which we burn calories) is the metabolic rate. So when people usually refer to a ‘slow’ or ‘fast’ metabolism they usually refer to the metabolic rate.    

Each person’s metabolic rate depends on genetics, hereditary factors and amount of lean body mass (i.e. body mass minus fat such as in adipose tissue). However, it must be noted that in the general healthy population these differences are very small and metabolic rate on its own will not necessarily lead to measurable weight changes.

How does the metabolic rate work or measured?

The diagram bellow is a simplified way of explaining how the metabolic rate works.

An important thing to understand here is that regulation of energy metabolism and body weight takes place by highly complex systems and is not as simple as ‘slow’ and ‘fast’ metabolism.

What affects metabolic rate?

A second step is to look into which factors can cause substantial changes in the metabolic regulation and affect the metabolic rate and what makes some people to burn calories slower or faster. Some of these can affect directly the metabolic rate and others can affect hormones or organs which are involved in metabolic regulation and result in dysfunctional metabolism.

Some of the factors are summarised in table1 below; for the purposes of this article we will concentrate only at the aspects which can cause the metabolism to slow down.

How to increase your metabolism?

1. Consult a medical professional: In cases where metabolic changes and weight gain are due to medical conditions/disorders or you have any concerns, the best way forward is to consult the appropriate medical professional. It is important to receive the appropriate medical treatment for any medical conditions, as these could have serious implications to health if not treated properly. In addition, for some medical conditions it is important to follow the appropriate and recommended diets. You could try every trick on the book for metabolism or weight loss but if not appropriate you could actually be harming yourself and worsening a condition.

2. Increase your muscle mass: Probably one of the most important ways of increasing the metabolic rate. With exercise is not just a matter of burning calories while we exercise. The more muscle mass we have in our body the higher the metabolic rate at rest. In the average healthy person what makes the difference in having a ‘lower’ or ‘faster’ metabolism is muscle mass (more specifically what is called lean body mass which is the muscle mass and organs). Any form of physical activity will increase the rate in which we burn calories so you don’t necessarily have to join the gym, simple things such as going for a walk, taking the kids swimming, or cleaning the house can help.

3. Avoid very low calorie diets: As mentioned above very low calorie diets can decrease the metabolic rate (see table 1). In order to lose weight decreasing the calorie intake may be necessary and metabolic rate may show some decrease in order for the body to adapt. The recommended calorie intake is 1500-2000 kcal per day for women and 2000-2500 kcal for men. These are just guidelines and calorie intake does depend on individual factors such as levels of physical activity, age and body build. For a sedentary person who consumes 3000 calories a day is safe to aim reducing the calories within the recommended ranges. For a sedentary person whose calorie intake is within the upper recommended limits then a small decrease up to 500 calories should be sufficient and safe. There are healthy ways of decreasing calories or increasing energy expenditure instead for losing weight without having to resolve into very low calorie diets.

4. Do not skip meals: Delaying having breakfast will actually help in burning more fat as fuel. However, skipping meals does not help your metabolism. Some scientist will argue that the body needs both periods of fasting and periods of feeding. This could help in improving metabolic flexibility which is the ability of the body to adapt easily in utilising carbohydrates (sugar) and fats as a fuel and transition between them. In very simple terms the systems becomes more efficient. In other words avoid loads of small meals and snacks (healthy or not) but aim to have all the meals in a day (i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner).

5. Increase protein intake: Some studies have shown that protein does help in increasing the metabolic rate. However, you do need to include carbohydrates as well as very low carbohydrate intake can have negative effects in thyroid hormone production.

6. Caffeine: Caffeine is considered to increase the metabolic rate and the use of fat as fuel. However, caffeine is a stimulant and can induce a stress response among other negative effects. Therefore, it would not be recommended to have large amount of caffeine especially if you are experiencing other day to day stresses.

7. Sleep well: As mentioned earlier sleep deprivation can affect the body’s metabolic processes. Sleep is important for the body and it does allow it to reset itself. A good night’s sleep can make miracles for your body in every aspect.

8. De-stress: As with sleep, stress can have negative effects, not only for your metabolism. If you are actually one of those people who lose weight when under stress you may be tempted to think that is not a bad thing. Chronic stress can have number of implications to health and could actually result in chronic conditions.

9. Cold: Cold does increase metabolic rate as the body works harder in order to sustain its body temperature. Some people have gone as far to create the ‘cold diets’ in which they recommend to drink iced water and turn the heating off in the winter. Although in cold weather we do burn more calories, chronic exposure to cold can actually lead into weakening of the immune system and being ill. So torturing yourselves with a T-shirt in the snow or with iced baths is definitely not recommended. Dress appropriately at all times and just simple appreciate that in the winter you will be using more calories.    

Want To Lose Weight? Try These Foods That Increase Metabolism

Losing weight can be hard work. Not only do you have to cut out all your favourite foods but you also need to increase the amount of exercise you do on a regular basis. What many people don’t realise is that there are some foods which can increase your body’s metabolism. This will help you to burn calories faster and with less effort. While increasing your metabolism won’t make you lose weight automatically it can certainly help! Here are some of the most common foods and drinks used to increase the body’s metabolic rate. See also I want to lose weight on how to get started.

Apples

Research has shown that people who eat an apple a day are likely to lose more weight than those who don’t. Whether this is because the body’s metabolism is increased when you eat an apple or just because healthier people tend to eat more fruit is not yet known. It certainly can’t hurt to eat apples though – especially if you use them to replace unhealthy snacks.

Yogurt

The reason yogurt is such a useful substance when you’re trying to lose weight is that it requires quite a lot of energy to be broken down. This is because yogurt contains a large amount of protein. For this reason your body has to work hard when you consume it which helps to increase your metabolism. Of course, it’s important to make sure you only eat low-fat yogurt otherwise it could have the opposite effect!

Green Tea

Green tea is probably the most common substance used to increase the body’s metabolism. There are many studies which seem to show that a green tea each and every day can work wonders for various different parts of the body including metabolic rate. The great thing about Green Tea is that it’s enjoyable to drink and can still help you lose weight. It’s also thought that Green Tea may reduce your chance of getting certain types of cancer.

Coffee

Some people are under the impression that coffee is a “magic pill” for losing weight but that isn’t the case. Although caffeine can give your body’s metabolism a helpful boost it can cause many negative side effects too. For this reason you shouldn’t consume more than one or two cups a day. If you start to have trouble sleeping then caffeine is likely to be the problem and you may have to cut it out your diet. The same can be said if you find you’re more irritable than usual.

Turkey

It’s often assumed that healthy foods must be dairy , fruits or vegetables but turkey can also increase your body’s metabolism. This is because it’s high in protein which requires a certain amount of calories to break down.

There are many other foods you can use to lose weight. For example, some foods might not increase your body’s metabolism but may reduce your appetite. If you can systematically replace all unhealthy foods with foods that help to burn more fat then you’ll find it much easier to lose weight quickly. On the other hand, you need to be careful not to overeat which can cause additional problems.

Finally, you should always make sure you eat a balanced, healthy breakfast every day. Failure to do so can seriously hamper your efforts to lose weight. Overnight the body’s metabolism will gradually slow down because of the lack of food intake. A reasonable sized breakfast can help to increase your metabolic rate again. On the same note, it’s often a good idea to split your meals up into smaller portions throughout the day in order to balance your body’s metabolism and force it to keep going at a steady rate.