Do you know anyone who seems to be able to eat anything he or she wants, in any quantity, without gaining an ounce? Some people are fortunate enough to have been born with a high metabolism. Try these tips to boost yours.
Hitting the wall. Plateauing. Those last 10 pounds that won't budge. Whatever you want to call it, we've all been there: The very same exercise routine that once sculpted your arms or trimmed your waistline is now doing, well, nothing. (Thinkstock)(Getty Images/iStockphoto/ElNariz)
Hitting the wall. Plateauing. Those last 10 pounds that won't budge. Whatever you want to call it, we've all been there: The very same exercise routine that once sculpted your arms or trimmed your waistline is now doing, well, nothing. (Thinkstock)(Getty Images/iStockphoto/ElNariz)
Your basal metabolic rate affects your ability to lose or maintain weight.
Do you know anyone who seems to be able to eat anything he or she wants, in any quantity, without gaining an ounce? Some people are fortunate enough to have been born with a high metabolism.
That’s the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy, according to the Mayo Clinic. Your basal metabolic rate is the base number of calories expended by your body while it’s at rest.
Having a high BMR makes it easier to lose or maintain one’s weight. While there’s no way to change your BMR, there are things you can do to optimize it, says Dr. Nancy Rahnama, a board-certified internist and bariatric physician in Beverly Hills, California. She notes that your age, gender and genetic makeup determine your BMR. “No one can change any of those things — those things are set,” she says. “Your metabolism is your metabolism, but there are things you can do to optimize it.”
Experts recommend these strategies:
Eat breakfast consistently. Eating breakfast every day is one of the best things you can do to optimize your metabolism, Rahnama says. Being hungry in the morning can cause your body to release cortisol, a hormone associated with stress. That in turn could make your body convert your muscle to sugar, which means you’re losing muscle mass. The release of cortisol also creates high insulin levels. Insulin in turn signals your body to store fat, Rahnama says. “Many people who skip breakfast will feel lightheaded, agitated, edgy, tired and have trouble concentrating, probably from having low blood sugar,” she says. In response to these symptoms, many people opt for high-calorie foods packed with sugary carbohydrates, such as muffins, cinnamon rolls or croissants, and they may also have a hard time making the best decisions with lunch. “If you eat a hearty breakfast with protein and fiber, you’re more likely to avoid a cortisol spike and make better eating decisions,” Rahnama says.
Consume fiber and protein for breakfast.
Research suggests that consuming a hearty breakfast containing plenty of fiber and protein is good for your metabolism, says Dr. David Friedman, a clinical nutritionist, board-certified alternative medical practitioner and author of “Food Sanity: How to Eat in a World of Fads and Fiction.” For example, at The Liver Meeting 2016 in Boston, researchers suggested that eating breakfast could reduce the odds of developing nonalcholic fatty liver disease. Based on an analysis of data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers said that consuming a greater percentage of the day’s calories in the morning could reduce the odds of developing fatty liver by 14 to 21 percent. “You should avoid foods containing white flour and refined sugar,” Friedman says. “Eat more whole grains like oats, barley, rye and quinoa, which offers a great source of fiber and creates a slower absorption rate, which keeps you full longer. Items like white bread, bagels, [sugary] cereal and even ‘low-carb’ breakfast bars can spike your blood sugar and pack on the pounds. Instead of white flour, go for bread made with almond flour, coconut flour, quinoa flour, sesame flour [or whole wheat].” Eggs, fish, chicken, beans and nuts are good healthy sources of protein.
(Thinkstock)
Thinkstock
Try strength and high-intensity interval training.
A meta-analysis of 65 clinical studies published in 2015 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that high-intensity interval training can improve the cardiometabolic health of people who are overweight and obese. Poor cardiometabolic health can put you at risk of diabetes, heart disease or stroke. The training, known as HIIT, is a regimen that alternates short bursts of vigorous exercise with brief periods of recovery, which can include slower-paced activity. A HIIT regimen might involve high-intensity exercise such as push-ups or squats for 30 to 60 seconds, followed by less rigorous activity for a minute or two, and so on for about 20 minutes, says Marcelle Pick, a nurse practitioner in private practice in Yarmouth, Maine. She’s the author of “The Core Balance Diet: 28 Days to Boost Your Metabolism and Lose Weight for Good.” A HIIT-style approach boosts your body’s mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are present in all cells of the human body; they produce energy from nutrients and control fat burning from physical exertion, so boosting your mitochondrial mass helps optimize your metabolism. Engaging in HIIT, along with strength training, “is a fabulous way to increase mitochondrial function and cause more mitochondria to form,” Pick says. “Any type of strength training facilitates more mitochondria to form, [and] the interval training improves mitochondria, which then allows them to burn more oxygen and more calories.”
(Getty Images/iStockphoto/PaulBiryukov)
Getty Images/iStockphoto/PaulBiryukov
Eat mindfully.
Research suggests that eating mindfully — such as considering whether you’re consuming food because you’re hungry rather than out of habit, or chewing slowly and savoring each bite — could have positive metabolic effects. A study of 194 adults with obesity published in the journal Obesity in 2016 suggested that mindful eating “may promote long-term improvement in some aspects of metabolic health.” Study participants who took part in a diet and exercise program that included mindfulness training had lower metabolic risk factors than those who underwent the same program without the instruction. Metabolic risk factors include elevated blood sugar levels, low levels of HDL or “good” cholesterol, high blood pressure and a large waist circumference. “Mindful eating entails being present with all of your senses without judgment before, during or after you eat,” says Lynn Rossy, a Columbia, Missouri-based health psychologist and author of “The Mindfulness-Based Eating Solution: Proven Strategies to End Overeating, Satisfy Your Hunger, and Savor Your Life.” She’s also vice president of The Center for Mindful Eating, a web-based international nonprofit. “This type of attention helps you make healthful choices about what and how much to eat. A preference for healthier foods that lead to a healthier body naturally arise with kind, mindful attention.”
(Getty Images/iStockphoto/monkeybusinessimages)
Getty Images/iStockphoto/monkeybusinessimages
Exercise at a time that’s best for you.
Exercising regularly won’t boost your metabolism directly, but it will help you avoid losing muscle mass, which can slow down your metabolism, says Dr. John P. Higgins, a sports cardiologist at the McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Maintaining regular physical activity is crucial when it comes to preserving muscle mass. If your job requires you to keep a typical 9-to-5 or beyond work schedule, you’re probably pretty tired at the end of a work day, which may make it harder for you to stick to your exercise regimen if your workouts are scheduled for the late afternoon or evening, Higgins says. “Morning and early afternoon workouts tend to promote more habitual exercise,” Higgins says. For some people, working out at night may make it harder to get to sleep, because physical activity releases adrenaline, which increases blood flow to your muscles and can make you more mentally alert, Higgins says. Some people, though, are night owls, and not everyone has trouble sleeping after an evening workout. “The best time of day [to work out] is when you will do it most consistently,” says Russell Pate, a professor of exercise science in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. Work out at a time that’s best for you and your body and that doesn’t hinder your sleep. Different people have different preferences. For instance, if you’re more likely to exercise consistently with a partner, “then you’re better off to opt for a social part regardless of the time of day,” Pate says.
(Getty Images/iStockphoto/ArthurHidden)
Getty Images/iStockphoto/ArthurHidden
Eat whole-grain foods.
A study published in 2017 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that consuming bread and other products made with whole grains instead of refined white flour can have positive effects on your resting metabolic rate, which is the rate at which your body burns calories while it’s resting. “Metabolism is hard to boost, but the one thing we know that works now is healthy amounts of dietary fiber from whole-grain products,” says Susan B. Roberts, the study’s lead researcher. Roberts is a nutrition scientist at the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. “In our study, we found that people who ate a diet with whole grains, which matched the recommended dietary intake for fiber, lost close to an extra 100 calories per day due to increased metabolic rate and greater fecal losses. This is compared to people who ate refined grains without much fiber.” The recommended daily intake for total fiber for adults age 50 and younger is 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The recommended daily intake for men and women over 50 is 30 and 21 grams daily, respectively.
Try a late-night, post-workout snack.
Consuming a small, nutrient-dense snack at night after exercising could improve the morning metabolism of active, healthy males, a review article published in the journal Nutrients in 2015 suggests. Researchers evaluated a study in which 16 active males drank a high-protein shake after doing 45 minutes of resistance training. The participants consumed the drink about 30 minutes before going to sleep. The people who drank the 160-calorie shake appeared to “improve overnight muscle protein synthesis, morning metabolism and satiety,” the study reported. The impact of this approach on healthy women has not yet been studied, researchers wrote. “The concern about eating before sleep really only applies when you are eating too much food and making poor choices,” says Michael J. Ormsbee, associate professor in the department of nutrition, food and exercise sciences at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, and one of the co-authors of the study. “Data from our lab and others now show that if you instead eat protein-dominant and low-calorie foods [for example, protein shakes or cottage cheese], you will likely improve overnight muscle recovery and metabolism, and there is no negative impact to your ability to mobilize and burn fat throughout the night.” Examples of healthy, high-protein late snacks include a cup of plain yogurt with a drizzle of raw honey, a small apple smeared with a tablespoon of almond butter or two hard-boiled eggs, says Dr. Anthony Auriemma, who’s board-certified in family medicine and obesity medicine and is medical director of AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Weight Loss Solutions in the Chicago area.
(Thinkstock)
Thinkstock
Get high-quality sleep.
Research suggests that a lack of good quality sleep increases inflammation, hinders cellular function and can heighten your risk of heart disease, negatively affecting the development and function of your mitochondria, Higgins says. Sleeping well helps your mitochondria function the best they can, which in turn can optimize your metabolism. “You should get seven to nine hours of sleep every night,” Higgins says. “There’s an association between poor sleep and a reduced metabolic rate, which can result in changes in the thyroid hormone that in turn can lead to weight gain, increased insulin resistance and obesity.” Going to sleep an hour earlier than usual is a good way of promoting good sleeping habits, says Carey Peters, co-founder of the Health Coach Institute in the Chicago area. Many people, of course, set their alarm to wake them in the morning. To develop the habit of going to bed an hour earlier than usual, set your alarm at night, two hours before your typical bedtime, she advises. “When your alarm goes off, turn your focus to one full hour of self-care so you can power down from your day, like taking a bath, reading, listening to music or writing in your journal,” Peters says. “When the self-care hour is up, turn the lights off.”
