What is Metabolism?

Your metabolism is essentially the process your body takes to use energy. You provide it with energy in the food that you eat. Your body uses that food to keep you alive. The process of converting food into energy is metabolism.

Your Basal Metabolic Rate is the rate at which you burn calories when your body is at rest. It is calculated by multiplying your weight times ten. So if you weigh 150 pounds then your BMR is 1500. That’s how many calories you burn doing nothing – while at rest. This is a daily calculation so you’d burn 1500/day.

You Can Influence Your Metabolism

You can influence your metabolism in several ways. For example, muscle burns more calories than fat. Build muscle, lose fat and you’ll burn more calories. Also, your metabolism slows down as you age. However, if you get good sleep and exercise regularly you can increase your metabolism or the rate at which you burn calories.
Why is it Important to Understand Metabolism

Understanding metabolism will help you make smart weight loss decisions. You can choose smart, safe and healthy weight loss plans. Then you can take steps to boost your metabolism to lose weight faster. It also helps you make lifestyle changes that support your continued weight loss success.

Here’s a model exercise program you can use to spend less time in the gym due to the extended calorie burn you see after each workout. For this example program you will be working out three days a week for approximately one hour each time. Assuming you don’t want to work out on the weekends let’s say the workout days are Monday, Wednesday, Friday. On these days you will be doing strength training for 45 minutes followed by 15 minutes of high intensity cardio.

For strength training you will want to primarily focus on full body exercises that incorporate multiple muscle groups and multiple joints. These types of exercises are better known as “compound” exercises. Some examples of compound exercises you can do are: bench press, squats, deadlifts, lunges, rows, and push-ups. There are many more but that is a good list for starters. Pick four of those and that is your strength routine. This type of program allows your body rest in between each workout while still burning calories on those days of rest.

Your cardio is going to be short and sweet. By sweet I mean, high intensity. High Intensity is the most effective and efficient way to improve cardiovascular function and increase the body’s metabolism boosting fat loss. What would you consider hard: sprinting, running, light jog? Your answer is going to be your high intensity exercise that you will be doing for one minute in combination with one minute of rest repeated for the 15 minute duration of your cardio time.

Combining both strength training and high intensity cardio is a proven way to efficiently burn more fat for up to 72 hours after a workout. If you cannot dedicate 3 days a week to exercise than you are not ready to see results!

Below is a list of other foods, which although they provide calories, the amount is less than we need to do nothing. We call this Basal Metabolic Rate..(BMR). That’s the amount of energy we need to breathe, circulate the blood, remove the toxins and filter it. That doesn’t count the energy we need to get out of bed, bathe, use the toilet and dress. We call these foods negative calorie foods, (N.C.Fs.).

These must be a tremendous boost for someone wanting to lose weight.  Yes, but only if used properly. Healthy diet plans use items from all the main food groups. From these, we get the nutrients to make the building blocks, which are necessary to maintain the body in a healthy state. A diet consisting of N.C.Fs., would result in us drawing our energy requirements from our muscles. This results in weakness and wasting of the body. Anorexics are a prime example.

So how can we use N.C.Fs. without harming ourselves?

The answer is quite simple. Use them as part of, and to bulk up a balanced calorie-wise diet. For example, ½ grapefruit(vitamin C, fiber) 1 egg-white (protein) 2 slices melba toast (carbohydrate) pat of margarine (non-saturated fat) 1 cup of 1% milk (protein, carbohydrate, low-fat, calcium, vitamins) makes an excellent low calorie but nutritious breakfast.

Here is the list.

Your metabolism depends on three separate factors, and how it works affects how much you weigh. Metabolism is determined by the amount of calories you consume, factors such as age and sex, and how physically active you are.

If you consume excessive calories, you will eventually gain weight. Each human body is designed to run on a certain calorie amount. This can vary from person to person, but is between 1500 and 2500 calories for most adults. If you are trying to lose weight, it will be less.

Men generally need more calories per day than women, unless the woman is pregnant or breastfeeding. The rate at which your body burns these calories is your metabolism; if you burn them more slowly, you’ll gain weight. If you burn through extra calories quickly, you’ll maintain your weight.

Factors such as age, body composition, and sex also determine metabolism. If your body contains more muscle, your metabolism will be faster. If it contains more fat, your body will be slower.

For this reason, women’s metabolism often slows down after pregnancy. Excess fat is accumulated and stored on the hips and breasts. After pregnancy, it can be harder to lose this weight. Age also affects your metabolism; as you age, your metabolism slows down. This can lead to “middle age spread” if you don’t take action to burn those extra calories and kick your metabolism into high gear.

Your rate of physical activity greatly affects your metabolism. This is good news; it means you have some control over the situation! If your metabolism is slowing down due to age, gender, or other factors, you can boost it by exercising. The key to weight loss is burning more calories than you take in.

When you choose to exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet, weight loss is possible. Your metabolism will increase as you add muscle to your body remember; muscle burns more calories than fat!

To jump-start your metabolism, you may need to lower the amount of calories you’re consuming daily and up the amount of exercise you are doing. Choose aerobic and weight lifting exercises for maximum impact. Aerobic exercise burns fat, and weight training will add muscle. Both can greatly increase your metabolism, leading to healthy fat loss.

If you like spicy food you may already be eating peppers.  Cayenne peppers, habaneros, jalapenos– these are hot and spicy foods that speed up metabolism.  They don’t just taste hot, they make your internal furnace run hotter, too.  And the really good news is that they keep boosting your metabolism for up to 3 hours after you’ve eaten them.  That’s a long-lasting fat-burn, so if you like spicy foods at all, take advantage of them often. Though watch what else is in the spicy dish, like too many simple carbohydrates and too much fat.

Fish like salmon, sardines and tuna are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which is good for your heart in addition to helping speed up your metabolism. These fish lower the level of leptin, a hormone, in your system.  Studies have shown that lower levels of leptin make it easier to lose weight and keep it off. Fish are also a great source of lean protein, and protein is an important part of many of the foods that speed up metabolism.

Foods rich in protein like eggs, lean meat, legumes (beans) and even often-criticized peanut butter will boost your metabolism. Peanut butter is rich in protein and monounsaturated fats, making it a healthy food if eaten in moderation. Choose natural or organic peanut butter to eliminate any hydrogenated oils and sugar, to make it one of the healthiest foods imaginable.  Any natural nut butters, like almond butter, offer the same protein boost, with almond butter offering you antioxidants, cholesterol-lowering substances, and monounsaturated fats, among other things. Don’t give up nuts because they’re high in fat, they can be part of your weight loss plan in moderation.

Whole grains like oatmeal are vitally important foods that speed up metabolism. Low-carb diets miss out on these important foods, which provide needed glucose and energy for the brain to function properly.  The reason whole grains boost metabolism while simple sugars and starches slow it is because of the insulin released.  Whole grains digest slowly and put little insulin into the blood. This keeps things humming along smoothly. Sugars make the blood sugar spike which triggers a heavy release of insulin, which immediately tries to store everything as fat.  When it’s pulled the sugar from your blood, you’re hungry again and you crave more sugar.  It’s a vicious circle that wreaks havoc on your metabolism.

Fruits and vegetables, particularly berries and dark green, leafy veggies, are also excellent sources of vitamins and antioxidants, and they’re all foods that speed up metabolism.

Salmon, sardines and tuna are great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, which will lower the level of a hormone called leptin in your body. Studies show that it’s easier to lose and keep off weight when your leptin levels are lower, rather than higher. There are other benefits to eating fish, as well, like the cancer-fighting and healthy-heart properties of Omega 3.

Foods rich in protein like eggs, lean meats, beans and even peanut butter will boost your metabolism. Protein is a necessary building block for our bodies and it’s vitality important in keeping a metabolism going. Of these foods that speed up a slow metabolism, peanut butter gets unfairly criticized as a bad food choice. But with any food, moderation is key. You can enjoy peanut butter in moderation and still lose weight steadily, or avoid gaining any lost weight back. Peanut butter can be a healthy addition to your diet, with its good fats and metabolism-boosting protein.

Other foods that speed up a slow metabolism include foods containing hot peppers like jalape?o, cayenne or habanero. Spicy foods make your body run hotter for up to 3 hours. They’re thermogenic, in that just the act of digesting them speeds your metabolism.

Whole grains like oatmeal boost metabolism by being slow to digest. This gives you the feeling of being full longer, and serves to keep blood sugar levels on an even keel. This keeps minimal amounts of insulin in your bloodstream, and keeps your body from going into fat-storing overdrive. High levels of insulin are linked to metabolic syndrome symptoms like obesity, belly fat, and high blood pressure among others. So whole grains should be a vital part of your diet for many reasons, not just because they’re one of the top foods that speed up a slow metabolism

Olive oil is one of the foods that speed up a slow metabolism thanks to its load of Omega-3 acids. It’s a great source of good monounsaturated fat, the kind of good fat your body has to have, too.

Don’t forget that exercise boosts your metabolism in a more permanent way, by increasing active muscle tissue throughout your body. And eating in itself keeps your metabolism stoked. Never skip meals, especially not breakfast, that’s like refusing to put logs on a fire but expecting it to keep burning anyway. And add these foods that speed up a slow metabolism to your diet to bring you closer to your goals.

“How is that possible?” you ask.

Let’s take a quick look at just what is metabolism and how does it works. This explanation might help you to better understand the process and how it can affect your body.

When you eat a meal, your body begins the process of digesting the food, drawing out the nutrients and processing them to create energy that keeps your body functioning properly and effectively. It takes approximately 4 hours just to absorb the nutrients. This is repeated with every meal you eat. In a day, that amounts to 12 hours that your body is busy absorbing each meal’s nutrients.

In short, during the digestion process, our bodies burn calories. This is especially true of foods containing carbohydrates and protein which take longer than other foods to digest. Simply by eating, digesting and absorbing nutrients from the food, you speed your metabolism.

Does this mean you should eat more to constantly stimulate calorie burning?

Here’s another answer that might surprise you. Yes. But hold on before you park yourself in front of the refrigerator, bib in place, knife and fork at the ready.

If you skip breakfast and other meals, you will reduce how quickly your body burns calories. In this case, eating more food will help speed metabolism. In fact, by eating smaller meals more often throughout the day, you can keep your metabolism working so that your body is constantly in the state of calorie burning.

As mentioned, there are some foods that require more of your body’s energy to burn. The degree to which they affect your body’s metabolism depends on the particular food choice. Caffeine, coffee, tea, chocolate and a chemical found in chillies are some foods that speed metabolism, but only minimally.

Carbohydrates and protein trigger the highest rate of metabolism. In fact, a protein meal can burn as much as 25% of that meal’s calories through digestion and absorption.

While a high protein meal might sound appealing, consider that it would not provide your body with its required round of nutrients. Adding vitamin and mineral supplements is not the answer either, because they do not provide the same quality of nutrients that are found naturally in foods.

Your best choice is to eat well-balanced meals regularly that contain protein, non-starchy vegetables, fats and carbohydrates. This can minimize fat production while keeping your blood sugar at a level that helps to burn fat and build muscle.

Focus on these 10 specific foods that help speed metabolism and burn fat.

Whole grain bread
Chicken
Salmon
Eggs
Fresh Cheese
Green Beans
Summer Squash
Cabbage
Asparagus and other non-starchy vegetables
And, of course, protein rich meats

To temporarily boost your metabolism by as much as 30%, drink cold water.

Remember, there are other factors beyond your control that can affect your body’s speed of metabolism, including your age, sex and any medical conditions.

While these foods can speed metabolism, the best way to lose weight is with a healthy combination of regular meals and physical exercise, especially those that build muscle because  muscle burns calories too.

Exercise regularly, stick with a diet of protein, non-starchy vegetables, fats and carbohydrates, and be sure to add some of those foods that speed metabolism, and you’ll soon see the results you want.