Do you have the feeling that your metabolism is only running on the back burner? Then it would help if you quickly banned these metabolic stoppers from your everyday life. When it comes to body weight and your desired figure, it’s not always just about how much you eat. It’s all about how your body uses what you eat.
The metabolism, also known as metabolism, is decisive for this. To put it simply, the components of the food consumed, such as fats and carbohydrates, which serve as energy suppliers for the body, are metabolized. The metabolism is different in every person. You could also say: unfair. Because while the so-called “good feed converters” can eat what they want, the “bad feed converters” gain weight very quickly. But: You can do something yourself to boost your metabolism.
Why Is Metabolism Essential In Losing Weight?
A fast metabolism is, of course, especially beneficial if you want to lose weight or at least want to keep it off. But age, gender, and diet determine how effectively the metabolic processes in your body run. One thing is clear: the more you metabolize, i.e., burn, the sooner the pounds fall off. And the less this process is hindered, the less strenuous the weight loss project. We have put together the most famous “brakes” in the metabolism game for you here. Often it is about eating a little too much or too little, but the time when you eat also plays a role. See for yourself.
How Can I Boost My Metabolism?
If you have a relatively slow metabolism, you still don’t have to put up with your fate. Certain foods or habits with which you unconsciously slow down your metabolism can also be to blame for this. To boost your metabolism, you should avoid unnecessary metabolic brakes in everyday life and instead act like this:
Incorporate More Protein Into Your Diet
Protein-rich foods are THE metabolism booster par excellence. Why? Your body has to expend a lot of energy to break down the proteins into their constituent parts, the amino acids. With the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, the effort is much less. Protein is also filling for a long time because it stays in the stomach for a long time and thus prevents cravings. It also regulates your blood sugar level to not go on roller coaster rides due to fluctuating insulin levels. Another plus point, that the hormone insulin can paralyze your fat burning. Your metabolism is effectively stimulated by eating eggs, fish and meat, tofu, and legumes.
Eat Less Sugar (It Paralyzes Your Metabolism)
Everyone knows that sugar is unhealthy and does not help you lose weight. The reason: Sugar bombs like soft drinks and sweets slow down your metabolism. After consuming a pack of gummy bears, the body is flooded with sugar, and your blood sugar level rises rapidly. The pancreas then releases insulin. The hormone ensures that the sugar from the blood reaches the cells where it is needed. It can happen that the pancreas “overshoots the mark” a little, and, in the end, too little sugar remains in the blood—the result: hypoglycemia. Concentration and performance decline, and cravings are the results.
Don’t Eat Too Irregularly
If you rely on “dinner canceling” when losing weight, you tend to achieve the opposite: if you skip whole meals or eat very irregularly, your metabolism slows down. To keep vital metabolic processes going, your body depends on a regular supply of nutrients, such as carbohydrates and proteins. If you refuse him this “refill” and add too few calories every day, he will switch to economy mode.
Especially in the morning, it is essential to supply the body with new energy, as your stores were emptied overnight. A healthy breakfast is now needed, ideally combining high-quality proteins (for example, eggs, yogurt, or quark) and complex carbohydrates in wholemeal bread or oat flakes. Breakfast should be served no later than 2 hours after you get up to boost your metabolism.
Always Drink Enough Water
Incredible, but true: your body consists of around 70 percent water. Almost nothing runs in your body without liquid fuel because water is required for numerous vital metabolic processes. But those who drink too little water automatically slow down their metabolism because they run on the back burner due to the lack of water. Just think about your digestion: water stimulates it. Without water, there is a risk of constipation.
How Much Water Should You Drink Each Day?
30 to 40 ml of water per kilogram of body weight. Example: You weigh 60 kilos? Then an average of 2.1 liters of water per day (1.8-2.4 l) is ideal for you. In the summer and when you do a lot of sport, your fluid requirements also increase. How are you supposed to do it? The best thing to do tomorrow is to fill up an extra-large glass bottle with a capacity of 2 liters or a lovely glass jug with fresh water and put it right at your desk.
Drink Less Alcohol
If you want to lose a few pounds, it is best to avoid alcohol. There are several reasons for this: Alcohol is a real calorie bomb. Would you like an example? A glass (0.2 l) of red wine has around 170 kcal, a glass (0.2 l) of sparkling wine at 160 kcal. Cocktails and long drinks such as Caipirinha or Cuba Libre are even worse. In addition, alcohol paralyzes your metabolism.
After a glass of wine, your body is primarily concerned with breaking down alcohol. Carbohydrate and fat metabolism meanwhile come to an almost complete standstill. The sugar in sparkling wine & Co. also lets your insulin level rise rapidly and fall back into the basement even faster. In other words: Your metabolism is slowed down by alcohol, the burning of fat is inhibited. But don’t worry: there are now many spirits in an alcohol-free version.
Avoid Junk Food
Not only do burgers and fries have loads of calories, but your body can also hardly draw any valuable nutrients from the junk food. He is looking in vain for essential vitamins, fiber, and the like here. What he finds are additives of all kinds, as well as many unhealthy, saturated fatty acids. Fat inhibits your metabolism and makes digestion sluggish and slow. Even worse are the so-called trans fats, which are produced, for example, during deep-frying. They raise blood lipid levels, boost your cholesterol, and even increase your risk of developing cancer.
Do More Exercise Regularly
As already said at the beginning: Sport is essential for recovery. Sitting for long periods and generally too little exercise in everyday life are the worst metabolic breaks ever. During such holidays, the body shuts down its activity mode, and the metabolism slows down. As a result, for example, the muscles burn fewer calories, and you gain weight faster. The solution: exercise! Exercise is the best and most effective way to stimulate a slow metabolism.
A mix of strength and endurance training is ideal. As a result, you can not only burn fat but also build muscle at the same time. Forces have the advantage that they consume energy even when they are at rest. More muscles increase your basal metabolic rate. Without these seven metabolic brakes, you can quickly get your metabolism going. The secret: many exercises, little sugar, alcohol, a lot of protein, no fast food, and always enough water ensure a fast metabolism.
