Boosting Your Metabolism: Can It Really Help With Weight Loss?

What Can You Do to Boost Your Metabolism?

If weight loss is about burning more calories than you consume, then a fast metabolism seems to be the shortcut to your wellness goals.

But how do you get this coveted weight-loss hack (and is it really the secret weapon everyone thinks it is)?

What Exactly Is Metabolism?

Metabolism is the combination of all the processes that convert food into energy; it’s what keeps your body breathing, moving and even digesting food. Think of it like your body’s engine: The food you eat is your fuel, and your metabolism turns that fuel into the energy it needs to function properly. Whatever energy it doesn’t use it stores as fat.

Given its central role in burning (and storing) calories, your metabolism plays an important part in maintaining body weight – and if you’re on a diet, losing weight.

Still, while metabolism and weight are related, a healthy metabolism is not a golden ticket to weight loss. Body weight is complex and is influenced both by lifestyle factors (like diet and exercise) and individual differences (like genes and hormones).

The most effective approach combines:

• Eating a balanced, nourishing diet
• Staying active and building muscle
• Staying hydrated
• Getting enough rest

Focusing on small, consistent habits will help you feel healthier and more energetic – and that’s the real win!

Eating Your Way to a Faster Metabolism

Conventional wisdom says the way to lose weight is to reduce your food intake. (Makes sense, right? The fewer the calories, the greater the weight loss.) But overly restrictive diets can undercut your weight-loss goals by slowing your metabolism.

Instead of cutting foods out of your diet, focus on adding more of the foods that may naturally increase your metabolic rate and burn more calories.

Consider incorporating foods like:

• Lean proteins: Your body burns more calories when metabolizing protein compared to other foods, making it a great weight-loss booster. Lean protein sources that could increase your metabolism include chicken, fish, legumes (think beans and lentils) and nuts.
• Complex carbohydrates: Complex carbs (as opposed to simple carbs, like sugar) take longer to digest, requiring more energy from your body’s fuel stores. Brown rice, whole-grain bread, and certain fruits and vegetables (like broccoli and cauliflower) are great complex carb options.

In addition to the above foods, water plays an essential role in keeping your energy-processing system running smoothly; even mild dehydration can slow it down. If you want to maintain a healthy metabolism, it’s important you stay hydrated throughout the day.

Exercise Gets the Body Moving – and the Metabolism Cranking

When exercising in an effort to increase your metabolism, keep one core principle in mind: Lean muscle mass costs more energy to sustain. In other words, building muscle is one of the most effective ways to support your metabolism.

Weightlifting is the tried-and-true way of building muscle; as few as two weightlifting workouts per week could be enough to increase your muscle mass, depending on your goals and personal health profile. Other muscle-building activities include:

• Climbing stairs
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Bodyweight exercises
• Yoga

In addition to building strength, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help boost your metabolism by increasing your resting metabolic rate – the number of calories your body burns when you’re not exercising.

Consider incorporating short, intense bursts of exercise – like sprints, burpees and squat jumps – into your exercise routine.

If your goal is losing weight, taking steps to boost your metabolism, while helpful, should be part of a more comprehensive wellness plan.