If you fuel your metabolism correctly, you are giving yourself a fantastic opportunity for weight loss success. I’m sure you have heard the term metabolism before and have a vague idea of what it means. You may have even heard that there are some ‘superfoods’ that have this magical ability to increase your metabolism and allow you to burn more calories at rest. Surely, if that was 100% true everybody would be eating these foods and in a ‘perfect’ shape!?
Read on to find out the truth about metabolism!
Metabolism – What is it?
If you are looking to optimise your metabolism for weight loss, then it is firstly important that you understand what it is. Metabolism, in simple terms is an internal process by which the body consumes energy and burns calories. Your body’s metabolism is never switched off and is constantly working to keep the body moving, even at rest or sleep.
It also functions to convert the food and nutrients you consume into the energy needed by the body to:
- Circulate blood
- Breathe
- Grow and erpair cells
- Everything else in between that is required to keep the body alive.
And to recap from previous blogs; carbs are broken down to glucose, protein to amino acids and fats into fatty acids!
Your metabolic rate
Your metabolic rate is the rate at which your body carries out these processes. A big predictor of metabolism is your genes. Some people have a genetic makeup where they could eat all the food in the world and put on minimal weight (fast metabolism). Other people will be prone to put on weight more quickly (slow metabolism).
While this is true than some people will burn more calories at rest than others, ultimately its your food and beverage intake, along with your physical activity levels which determines how much you weigh. Those who have a metabolism that burns at a faster rate, can have the potential increased weight loss.
At the end of the day if your caloric output (physical activity and movement), is higher than your caloric intake (total food consumption), no matter what your metabolism is, you will lose weight.
Also playing a role in the determination of your metabolic rate are:
- Age
- Sex
- Body composition (such as muscle mass and fat percentage)
- Hormone levels
- Physical activity levels
The amount of energy which is required to carry out daily functions to keep you alive such as breathing, circulating blood, regulating body temperature and supporting organ function is called your basal metabolic rate or BMR. Muscle mass, age and genetics can also influence this.
BMR makes up around 70% of the daily calories you burn daily. Physical activity (both planned and unplanned) along with the thermic effect of food (energy used during digestion and absorption) makes up the remaining 30%.
Building muscle through regular strength training and increasing protein intake can increase your metabolic rate as muscles require more energy at rest than fat!
Can i increase my metabolism?
So if I am aiming for weight loss, can I increase my metabolism by eating different foods? Green tea, spicy foods and coffee are amongst some of the foods which are claimed to increase your metabolism. While there is some truth behind these claims, the reality is that foods have a minimal impact on increasing your metabolism overall. The effect of them is generally only temporary.
You are much better off focusing on finding a sustainable way to improve your body composition and partake in routine physical activity than drinking a green drink you don’t even enjoy!
It is also important to note that in order for your metabolism to work efficiently, you must ensure to give the body the adequate fuel it requires to burn energy, as each of the metabolic processes in the body require fuel to function. This is why chronically undereating and overexercising may be stalling your weight loss journey too!
Think of your body as a fire it wouldn’t burn without fuel!
Failure to consume sufficient energy when exercising can also result in:
- Muscle loss
- Reduced performance
- Slow recovery
- Disruption of hormonal function
Along with an increased risk of:
- Fatigue
- Injury
- Illness
Metabolism In summary
Our metabolism is with us to stay. It is what runs our body and its functions on a day to day basis. If you want your metabolism to aid you in the weight loss process, then you need to help it to do so!
Hopefully you understand now that although genetics plays a big role in determining your metabolic rate, lifestyle choices such as diet, exercise, along with your sleep quality can also have an impact on the amount of calories you burn at rest! We can positively and negatively influence our metabolism every day based on the choices that we make.
Just save the cash and don’t break the bank on new supplements claiming to boost your metabolism, because they probably won’t…
Instead aim to maintain a balanced diet, stay active and aim to get sufficient rest to support a healthy metabolism!
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