If you lose weight repeatedly but it doesn’t work, and you lose more and more weight; more and more toxins accumulate in your body, and it becomes more and more difficult to excrete, then all this is probably caused by a too slow metabolism. So how does metabolism affect body weight? What effective methods can improve metabolism? Today you can learn from this article.
What Is Metabolism?
Metabolism is the whole process of the human body’s replacement of old and new substances and energy conversion. It discharges harmful garbage and toxins in the body, absorbs new nutrients, burns calories, and maintains the healthy and orderly operation of various organs in the body.
Important hormones such as growth hormone, thyroxine, and adrenaline in the body affect changes in metabolic rate. Studies have shown that people with a higher metabolic rate can more efficiently expel toxins from the body, accelerate calorie burning, and prevent fat accumulation in the body, so they are less likely to gain weight.
How is It Different From Basal Metabolism?
Many people confuse metabolism with basal metabolism. However, basal metabolism refers to the minimum energy consumed by the human body to maintain life under static conditions. This energy is mainly used to maintain the functions of organs, such as breathing (lungs), heartbeat (heart), secretion of glands (brain and other nervous systems), filtration and excretion (kidneys), detoxification (liver), muscle activity and blood circulation, etc…
So even when you’re sleeping or sitting still, your body is burning calories, and that’s basal metabolism at work. Those who eat nothing to gain weight, if the disease factors are excluded, generally speaking, their metabolism is fast.
Therefore, if you want to lose weight easily, you should aim to improve your overall metabolism. In this way, it is not difficult to lose weight easily and not easy to rebound.
How to Calculate Basal Metabolic Rate?
If you’re trying to lose weight, calculating your BMR can help. You can work out this number using a formula devised by scientists, or by testing it in a lab. No single method is completely accurate, but lab tests are relatively likely to give you the best results.
Formula Used to Calculate BMR:
Revised Harris-Benedict Equation, used to estimate basal metabolic rate:
- For Men: BMR = 13.397W + 4.799H – 5.677A + 88.362
- For Women: BMR = 9.247W + 3.098H – 4.330A + 447.593
Mifflin St Jeor Equation used to estimate basal metabolic rate:
- For men: BMR = 10W + 6.25H – 5A + 5
- For women: BMR = 10W + 6.25H – 5A – 161
Note: W is weight in kilograms; H is height in centimeters; A is age
What Factors Affect the Metabolic Rate?
Many factors affect human metabolism, the main ones are as follows:
- Inherited Genes – This has a very important impact on your metabolic level, and some genetic diseases can also affect your metabolism.
- Hormones – Hormone levels such as thyroid hormone, growth hormone, adrenaline, etc. affect your metabolic rate.
- Age – As we age, our basal metabolic rate decreases and our metabolism gradually slows down.
- Muscle Mass: People who exercise and exercise regularly have higher muscle mass and their bodies expend more energy and therefore have a faster metabolism than sedentary office workers.
- Body Size – Larger people tend to have a higher basal metabolic rate (BMR) because their bodies expend more energy to keep their various organs functioning properly.
- Gender – Women have an average basal metabolic rate of 2-12% less than men, and this difference increases with age.
- Frequency of Activity – People who move around a lot have a faster metabolism than people who sit still.
- Air Temperature – Temperature changes cause the body to work hard to maintain an average body temperature, increasing metabolism. For every 1.36 degrees Fahrenheit increase in body temperature, BMR increased by approximately 7%.
- Diet – Small, regularly spaced meals increase BMR. On the other hand, prolonged periods of fasting or starvation can reduce BMR by as much as 30%.
- Medications – Caffeine and nicotine can increase your metabolic rate, while medications like antidepressants and anabolic steroids can slow your metabolism and lead to weight gain.
- Sleep – Frequent late nights and poor-quality sleep slow your metabolism and may increase your risk of diabetes and obesity.
- Drinking Too Little Water – Without enough water in your body, your metabolism will slow down significantly.
- Calcium Deficiency – Calcium is not only an essential nutrient for strong bones but also an essential substance for speeding up metabolism.
- Mental Stress – When stressed, the body produces a hormone called cortisol, which prevents the body from using insulin properly, slowing down metabolism.
How to Improve Metabolism?
Even though factors affect metabolic levels that are out of our control, such as genetics, gender, age, etc., there are still many ways to help improve metabolism.
1. Build Muscle
Even when you’re doing nothing, your body is constantly burning calories. People with more muscle have a higher resting metabolic rate. Each pound of muscle requires about 6 calories per day to maintain its energy expenditure, while each pound of fat consumes only 2 calories per day. Doing more strength training can help improve your average daily metabolic rate.
Benefits of strength training:
- Strength Training Lowers Your Appetite, Cardio Increases It
- Can burn more calories.
- Strength training can increase muscle and reduce fat
2. Do More Exercise
While cardio may not build big muscles, it can rev up your metabolism for hours after your workout. Whether it is anaerobic or aerobic, the key is to move. Even if you often stand up and move around in the office, it is much better than sitting in front of the computer for hours.
High-intensity training is more beneficial to increase metabolism than low-intensity exercise, which can provide a better resting metabolic rate. In particular, HIIT, known as the “fat killer”, is simply a training method of alternating high-intensity and low-intensity. Such as running alternately fast and slow, cycling alternately fast and slow, etc.
3. Supplement Water
Your body needs water to burn calories, and if you’re mildly dehydrated regularly, your metabolism will slow down.
Adults who drank more than eight glasses of water per day burned more calories than those who drank four glasses of water, according to one study. Drinking 500ml of water increases resting metabolism by 10-30% for about an hour.
The calorie-burning effect may be greater if you drink cold water, as your body uses energy to warm it up to normal body temperature. Besides plain water, green tea, oolong tea, and black coffee can also increase the metabolic rate.
You can also get water from meals, such as green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, etc. But be careful to avoid too sweet fruit and avoid sugary drinks.
4. Eating More Eggs in Moderation
When we eat, our metabolic rate increases and can last for hours. This is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF).
Because of the extra calories needed to digest, absorb and process nutrients from a meal. Of all foods, protein has the greatest thermic effect, increasing metabolic rate by 15-30%, compared to 5-10% for carbohydrates and 0-3% for fat.
5. Add Peppers To Your Diet
Spicy foods contain the natural chemical capsaicin, which kicks up your metabolism. And this is backed by science. A study on capsaicin showed that, at acceptable doses, eating some peppers with each meal burns about 10 extra calories.
Although not much, often eating, will certainly have an impact on weight. It should be noted that besides burning fat, chili is more appetizing.
6. Guaranteed Sleep
People who stay up late every day, often work night shifts, or don’t sleep well at night are mostly obese. Because lack of sleep can seriously affect metabolism, it can also cause blood sugar to rise, lead to insulin resistance, and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Poor quality sleep increases hunger hormone (ghrelin) and lowers leptin levels, which is why many people who can’t sleep at night feeling very hungry and have to get up in the middle of the night to find something to eat.
7. Eat More Coconut Oil
Unlike other saturated fats, coconut oil is relatively high in medium-chain fats. In one study, medium-chain fats increased metabolism by 12 percent compared to long-chain fats, which only increased by 4 percent.
Coconut oil’s unique fatty acid profile makes it ideal for ketogenic and low-carb diets. Replacing common cooking vegetable oil with coconut oil will have some effect on weight loss, and it is healthier.
8. Don’t Diet
While eating less will lead to weight loss, chronic calorie deficits can be counterproductive as they will lead to a slower metabolism. This effect is known as a starvation mode or metabolic adaptation, and it’s your body’s way of defending against the potential risk of starvation and death.
Research shows that consistently eating fewer than 1,000 calories per day can cause your metabolic rate to continue to drop even after you stop dieting. Research in obese people suggests that the hunger response may significantly reduce the efficiency of calorie burning.
Conclusion
Everyone’s metabolism level is different. People with slow metabolism often cannot consume excess calories, and these excess calories will become fat and accumulate in the body. In addition to some innate factors, such as genetics, age, gender, etc., which we cannot control, there are many healthy and effective ways to improve the metabolic rate, to burn more fat.
