You’ve probably heard of various ways to boost your metabolism; 6 small meals a day! Do THIS kind of workout, etc.
Or maybe you’ve heard that you can’t boost your metabolism, and that it’s all up to genetics. And as you get older, it’s going to slow down anyway. Almost like there’s no hope.
What’s the truth?
Let me tell you, I used to think I was cursed with a slow metabolism, and that being lean would be nearly impossible for me.
I later discovered that wasn’t the case.
It turns out that we actually can boost and improve our metabolism, regardless of genetics.
Genetics definitely play a role, but they’re just one aspect.
To get a bigger picture, let’s dive into the topic of metabolism and then get into how you can improve yours!
METABOLISM 101
Our metabolism just refers to the process where our body burns energy (think calories) to function properly and stay alive.
This includes everything from circulating blood, repairing tissues, digesting food, and so on. We even burn energy during sleep.
Now the rate at which we burn energy can vary a lot.
You’re most likely familiar with the concepts of fast and slow metabolisms. Some people have a faster metabolism, and others have a slower one.
Fast metabolism essentially means the body burns a lot of energy very efficiently, while a slower metabolism means the body doesn’t burn as much, and is better at storing energy.
This is when the topic of weight loss comes in, because the only way to lose weight is to be in a calorie deficit, meaning burning more calories (energy) than you’re taking in.
This means that having a slower metabolism can make it more difficult to lose weight.
And conversely, those who have faster metabolisms will find it very easy to lose weight, sometimes even difficult to gain or maintain weight.
For here, though, we’re going to focus mostly on improving slower metabolisms.
When does it slow down?
It’s been believed that around age 30 our metabolism naturally slows down. And as we get older, it gets slower and slower.
I’m here to reassure you that this is totally false.
Research on this has shown that our metabolism doesn’t naturally start to decline until around 60.
Below is a link to the research, so you don’t have to just take my word for it, heh.
Research on metabolism and age
WHAT MAKES IT TICK
There are three main factors that make up and influence your overall metabolism. We can also think of this in terms of what’s called total daily energy expenditure, or TDEE, the total amount of energy burned during a 24-hour period.
BMR
This is your basal (or resting) metabolic rate. The amount of energy your body burns at rest just to carry out normal internal functions. Your baseline BMR primarily comes from genetics. Other things such as height also play a role.
THERMIC EFFECT OF FOOD
Also called TEF, this refers to the energy burned from digesting food. This, too, can have its own influencing factors, such as macronutrient (fats, carbs, protein) type or content of the meal.
Protein requires the most energy to digest, and certain types of fiber can help slow digestion, burning more energy in the process. These two will come up again soon.
TEF has influenced the popular idea of eating “6 small meals a day to boost metabolism”. The idea is that eating a small meal will rev up the metabolism for digestion but won’t fill you up so much, so that you can eat again a few hours later to keep the metabolism going.
The logic here is sound, but it turns out that when it comes to eating and weight loss, the total amount of daily calories is what is king. Not meal frequency or timing. People do just fine with weight loss eating only 2 or 3 meals a day, so it’s really more of a preference thing.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
This, of course, refers to energy burned through all types of physical activity from walking, normal daily movement, and exercise.
CONTRIBUTION OF EACH..
When most people want to lose weight (myself included, back in the day), they often think the most important thing they can do is try to burn calories. As many as they can.
This will often lead them to doing tons of cardio, or intense workouts, trying to sweat buckets and “feel the burn”.
Eventually they’ll discover (as I did) that this method just doesn’t really work, and isn’t sustainable.
And that’s because exercise doesn’t burn as many calories as you might think.
Let’s look at the breakdown of the contribution to TDEE each of the factors influencing metabolism really has. Each, of course, will vary person to person depending on things like height, body composition, etc.
BMR:
Basal metabolic rate accounts for 60% – 70% of TDEE. Making it the biggest contributor to overall metabolism.
TEF:
The thermic effect of food accounts for roughly 10% of TDEE.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY:
Varies the most. Can be around 15% for sedentary people and up to 50% for highly active people.
The thing is, most people don’t fall in that “highly active” category, and are typically going to find themselves in that 15% range when adding in exercise. Which brings me back to the point about exercise not really burning a lot of calories. However..
This does not mean exercise isn’t important and you just shouldn’t do it. It’s just that the goal for exercise when it comes to weight loss should not be to burn calories. Instead, certain kinds of exercise can actually help to increase your BMR.
And THIS is what needs to be focused on when it comes to losing weight, since BMR is the biggest contributor to our overall metabolism..
How can we improve our BMR, not how many calories can we burn. But anyway..
Knowing the main factors that affect metabolism, finding ways to optimize them will result in an improved and healthier metabolism overall.
That being said, let’s get into my main tips for improving your metabolism.
LIFT WEIGHTS
Muscle mass is one of the best drivers of metabolism.
You might have heard that if you want to lose weight, you’re better off lifting weights than you are suffering through sweaty cardio. Or maybe you haven’t, idk. But there’s actually truth to this. And it comes back to the idea of improving our BMR rather than just burning calories.
When we lift weights, our body burns more energy to repair and rebuild muscle tissue. And this recovery process happens for up to a few days after the workout.
Meaning during that time, your metabolism will be revved up in order to repair the muscle. Whereas, say, during an intense cardio workout, you’re really only burning calories during the workout, and it’s not much. After, your BMR will go back to baseline.
This isn’t the case with muscle, though.
This is also why it’s important to lift weights 2-3x per week. As soon as your body recovers, you hit it again, keeping the metabolism revved up throughout the week.
GET PLENTY OF PROTEIN
Going back to the thermic effect of food, or TEF, it turns out that protein is the most thermogenic macronutrient, meaning it takes the most energy to digest. Eat more protein, burn more calories, and build more muscle which will also help to burn more calories. Boom.
How much?
Ranging from sedentary to highly active people:
0.36g – 1g per pound of body weight
GET PLENTY OF FIBER
Fiber is beneficial in so many ways it’s wild. There’s a book called Fiber Fueled (highly recommend) that blew my mind on all the benefits and functions that fiber has. From (the commonly known) helping with bowel movements to things like improving gut health, lowering cholesterol, improving hormones, and so much more.
It can also help to improve metabolism.
Fiber helps to slow digestion, which requires burning more energy.
It’s also been shown to help stimulate the release of satiety hormones such as GLP-1, helping us to feel fuller for longer, and on fewer calories.
There are many fiber supplements out there just trying to take your money. But the best source of fiber comes from whole plant foods.
Fruits & vegetables, lentils and beans, whole grains, and so on.
How much fiber?
Aim for 20g – 30g minimum per day
INCREASE DAILY MOVEMENT
Now it’s true that normal activity and exercise don’t burn a ton of energy, however, being regularly active, especially getting plenty of daily steps in, will help to keep the metabolism stimulated.
Over time, this will result in a much more improved and efficient metabolism compared to that of someone who is regularly sedentary.
Improving your step count in general is an improvement, but as you become more active, aim for 7k – 10k daily steps.
SUMMARY
The key to successful weight loss, and management, is having a healthy metabolism. And although genetics can suck sometimes, there are still things we can do to optimize and improve ours.
But don’t fall for secret meal plans or supplements.. The power is actually in various lifestyle choices and habits. The main keys:
- Lift weights & build muscle
- Get plenty of protein
- Get plenty of fiber
- Regularly get plenty of daily movement and steps in
Thanks for reading!
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