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Weight Loss Metabolism

10 Ways to Increase Your Metabolism for Weight Loss

Metabolism is the energy production of each cell in your body; therefore, the more active each cell, the higher your metabolism, the more fat you burn, the more weight you lose, and the better you look and feel!  Diets do not work alone.  People who just diet are just smaller fat people.  The most efficient way to decrease and maintain long term low body fat is through muscular training or anaerobic exercise, cardiovascular training or aerobic exercise, and diet.  The most important principle is persistence; fat loss, like anything worthwhile, takes patience and time and should not be rushed.  But before you know it, you will look and feel the best in your life.  Here are 10 ways to increase metabolism; therefore, lose fat weight correctly short term and long term.

1. Muscular training - The most efficient way to raise your metabolism is to increase and maintain muscle, which can most effectively be accomplished through correct muscular (resistance) training.  The more active your muscles are and the more you “break them down” during muscular training, the more energy your body needs for metabolism and repair, and most of that low intensity energy is from fat.  Therefore, you are actually burning more fat while you sleep!  Muscle is extremely metabolic - about five times more active than most other body cells; with 10 more pounds of muscle, your body will burn 600 more calories per day which is equivalent to running 6 miles per day, seven days per week!

2. Cardiovascular “Aerobic” Training - Cardiovascular training directly burns fat.  Exercise right before a meal, which suppresses the appetite and increases metabolism.  Exercise alone will double the metabolism and calories burned.

* Note:  Example involves exercise only -almost twice the metabolism & twice the calories burned!

3.  Water - is essential for every body function;  it also assists in the following:

•     Maintains healthy metabolism

•     May be the most important catalyst for increasing metabolism and burning fat

•     Naturally suppresses the appetite

•     Decreases fat deposition - if enough water is available, the kidneys will remove toxins instead of the liver; therefore, alleviating and allowing the liver to metabolize more fat

•     Decreases bloating and edema by flushing out sodium and toxins

•     Relieves constipation

•     Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, especially prior to each meal

•     Drinking one gallon of cold water (40 degrees Fahrenheit) burns 300 calories, which is equivalent to running 3 miles.

4. Consume Several Meals A Day - Your body will utilize smaller meals more efficiently and will increase your metabolism -like adding kindling to a fire, which keeps it burning more intensely.  Do not skip any meals, especially breakfast; the body will see this as a fast, therefore conserving fat and burning muscle tissue, which is the opposite of what we want to accomplish.

5. Consume Fat Burning Foods - Which includes mostly vegetables (fresh), fruits, whole grains, and legumes (beans, peas, lentils) - note: consume fruits only at breakfast, in protein shakes, or in between meals, otherwise the body (liver) will most likely turn the fructose into fat, since it would be busy digesting more complex foods. 

These foods are high in fiber, which allows the following:

•     Slows digestion / absorption of food; therefore enhanced blood glucose level equilibrium/ decreased sugar craving

•     Binds with fat; therefore, less fat absorption

•     Increases transit time allowing less toxins in liver; therefore more efficient fat metabolism

Foods high in sugar cause a “roller coaster effect” which causes a rapid surge of insulin, therefore storing too much sugar causing low blood glucose which causes fat production and storage, depression, fatigue, and hunger.

Fats, sugar, and alcohol slow metabolism.  Fat not only has twice the calories per gram than carbohydrates and protein, but uses only 2% calories to be stored as fat as opposed to 25% for carbohydrates and protein.  Decreasing from 40% to 20% fat calories will cause the body to lose about 1 pound of fat per 3 weeks.  Alcohol lowers metabolism, shifts the body in favor of fat storage, burdens the liver therefore less fat metabolism efficiency, and stimulates the appetite (usually for foods high in fat and sugar).

Many investigators believe there is a body fat set point, a specific fat storage capacity (brown fat), that the body strives to maintain, and which may be genetic.  Some people have a high set point (large brown fat storage capacity), which ultimately means they will have less body fat (white fat), some people have a low set point (smaller fat storage capacity), and some have no set point at all.  The only way to increase the set point is through exercise, not diet.  Sugars and fat will lower the set point

6. Consume Fat Burning Fat - Omega 3 fatty acids increase metabolism, decrease the body of excess fluids, and may increase energy levels.  The best source is organic flaxseed oil; others include fish and flaxseeds.  Omega 6 fatty acids (especially gamma linolenic acid - GLA) are essential to a healthy body and metabolism, although rare to be deficient in a proper diet.  Sources include, borage seed oil, evening primrose oil, and black currant oil.

7. Supplements - Proper nutrition is essential in maintaining and increasing metabolism and for health.  If you live in a polluted environment, lead a high stress life, consume many processed, non-organic foods, it is most likely your body would be much more efficient if you include supplementation.  Vitamin, minerals, and essential fatty acids will increase energy, activity levels, and metabolism.  Protein decreases fatigue and increases metabolism -protein can increase your metabolism 10 to 30% after a complete carbohydrate meal!  Carnatine, an amino acid, assists fatty acids into the cells mitochondria to be utilized “burned” (1 gram per day recommended).  Chromium is essential for normal insulin function, which effects appetite by helping to control blood glucose levels and sugar cravings, calorie burning, and fat loss (400 mcg per day recommended).  Vanadium also helps to control blood glucose levels and sugar cravings.

8. Herbs - Certain herb combinations are used to increase thermogenesis (heat production), which burns calories.  The correct combinations of ma huang (ephedra), which contains ephedrine, guarana (kola nut), which contains caffeine, and white willow bark, which contains “natural aspirin”, can increase thermogenesis.  Ginseng (Siberian and Panax), astragulus, gotu kola, schizandra, and licorice root assist the body in homeostasis and stress adaptation.

9. Spices - Some spices increase metabolism and decrease sugar cravings.  Cayenne pepper, ginger, and mustard increase the metabolism; less than 1 teaspoon of dry mustard can increase the metabolism 25% for up to 3 hours.  Bay leaf, cinnamon, and clove decrease sugar cravings and help control blood glucose levels.

10. Sunlight - Small to moderate amounts of sunlight stress the body similar to resistance training, which also increases the metabolism.

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