10 Points You Could Do To Right Away Jump Start Your Metabolic Rate

By James Spann


"I have gained a few extra pounds. I walk several miles a day, and try to eat healthy, but I still cannot lose the extra pounds." How many times have you listened to people make these kinds of statements? Why can't they lose the added weight? Is this a typical concern for most people that would like to take off the additional pounds? What aspects affect the ability to burn fat? The answer is not always simple. But you can be sure that metabolic processes play a key part in weight loss

Metabolism is the process of burning the calories in food and converting it into the energy needed to perform bodily functions. The higher your metabolic rate, the more calories are burned for energy. The speed in which your body burn calories and produce weight loss depends on a variety of factors.

Some people are born with a high metabolic rate. Since most men have bigger muscles than women, they tend to have a higher metabolic rate compared to women. Also, metabolism slows down as you get older, which makes it more difficult for older people to lose weight than younger people. Since we can't control our age, heredity, and sex, you are probably wondering what, if anything, can be done to increase your metabolism in order to make weight loss possible.

It is possible to increase your metabolism. Below are 10 points that can be done to boost your metabolic rate, and thereby produce weight loss.

Lift weights at least 3 times a week. Muscle helps burn fat. You need muscle mass to increase your muscle tone. Toned muscles help you increase your metabolism and your fat burning. With good muscle tone, your body will burn calories even when you are sleeping. So strength training is always a good option if you want to increase your metabolism.

Do regular cardio exercises, like biking or jogging, along with circuit training, or cross training workouts. Jogging is great for the heart, but continuous, long distance cardio, such as jogging, can lead to decreased metabolism. If you are on a low calorie diet, this is especially true . Adding high intensity circuit training exercises to your cardio workouts can stimulate the metabolic rate, thereby, it will increase your metabolism.

Eat additional higher protein meals. Increasing your protein intake may help you lose weight while maintaining fat-burning muscle. Consuming protein from foods like lean poultry, beans or low-fat yogurt, can also help promote feeling full which is one of the keys to losing weight. Lastly, a large amount of energy in the form of calories is required to break down protein in our stomach and convert it into usable energy for the body. Basically, this means that consuming more protein results in less weight gain and more weight loss.

If you are on a diet low in carbohydrates, eat one 'cheat meal' every 5-7 days that contain as many carbohydrates and calories as you desire. Low carbohydrate diets may help you lose weight for a while. However, over time, the body will detect that you're taking in low energy nutrients. Consequently, the amount of calories burned will decrease to ensure that the body will have sufficient energy to maintain life. The result is a lower metabolic rate. When you return to normal eating, your metabolism will still be low for a while, leading to weight gain. The one 'cheat meal' per week when you are on a weight loss diet will increase your metabolism, resulting in more weight loss.

Drink plenty of water every day. You've probably heard it many times before. You should drink more water to help you lose weight. This is good advice. Drinking water not only helps raise your metabolism, it also cleanse your body of waste and acts as an appetite suppressant by making you feel full. Most studies recommend drinking at least eight, 8-ounce glasses of water a day,

Consume meals that improve metabolic processes. Specific nutrients have the ability to increase your metabolism or body's fat-burning energy. Several of these foods include egg white, lean meat, chili peppers, coffee, green tea, low fat milk and cheese, Whole grains, legumes, and mixed nuts.

Lower your consumption of trans fats. Trans fats lowers the body's capacity to burn fat deposits. They connect to fat deposits and liver cells and hinder metabolic process. Consuming trans fat can likewise lead to the hormone, insulin resistance and irritation, which reduces metabolism and can lead to the gaining of additional weight.

Stay active throughout the day. Keep moving as much as possible. Moving requires energy, and energy results in fat burn. Don't limit your daily activity to merely doing cardio and weight lifting. You can burn additional calories by finding other ways to be active, such as stretching, standing from a sitting position periodically, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Consume a great breakfast every day. There's strong evidence that eating a healthy, and hearty breakfast every day is a big factor in losing weight. A lot of people skip breakfast believing they're reducing calories, but later in the day that person is very hungry, and ends up replacing those calories with unhealthy nibbling and bingeing at lunch or dinner. People who eat breakfast regularly tend to eat fewer calories overall later in the day. More importantly, eating breakfast in the morning also jump starts your metabolism, which enables the body to burn additional calories.

Consume food throughout the day. You ought to eat 3 regular dishes and at least 2 high-energy healthy treats in between those meals. Keeping some food in your stomach prevents hunger and overeating later in the day. More importantly, the nutrients in your stomach keep your metabolism up, resulting in fat burning.

If you put the above practices into action, you ought to see desirable outcomes extremely quickly. You will manage to increase your metabolism, and the weight will certainly start to come off.

You can find many more weight loss tips at http://www.fitnessandhealthmatters.com




About the Author: