Metabolism

kiranicoleparsons

What are some ways that you can boost your metabolism?

queenliz99

You can edit your post within an hour.

queenliz99

You cannot boost your metabolism.

Ninkyou

Gain muscle.

level3tjg

http://www.shapefit.com/health/metabolic-rate-myth.html

middlehaitch

You will burn more calories by moving more.
For weight loss eat less than you burn.

Cheers, h.

zoeysasha37

Exercise?

YaGirlMaddi

Gaining muscle actually raises your metabolism . You burn more calories the more muscle you have.

galgenstrick

Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. So if you gain more muscle you'll get a small boost to your BMR, but that's going to take a lot of work and time to be a significant amount...

lemonlionheart

There are no foods or magic pills that boost metabolism. Your body burns calories at a higher rate the more active you are.

gracepostie

I hear drinking like 16 oz water immediately after waking up boosts it!!
Jump starts it for the day. If that's not true. It's still good for you to drink all that water anyway;).

HutchA12

gracepostie wrote: »

I hear drinking like 16 oz water immediately after waking up boosts it!!
Jump starts it for the day. If that's not true. It's still good for you to drink all that water anyway;).

It doesn't. Your metabolism never stops. It doesn't need a boost, Jumpstart, or charge. No metabolism means you're body has no functions.

LKArgh

Metabolism does not need boosting, and cannot change, unless you suffer from a diagnosed medical problem. If you want to burn more calories, move more.

kiranicoleparsons

Metabolisms do slow down. They don't stop but they slow down. That is why it is harder for older people to loose weight. I'm 18 but have a medical issue that slows it down like someone twice my age.

Heidisjourney

How has your doctor suggested you can boost it?

LKArgh

kiranicoleparsons wrote: »

Metabolisms do slow down. They don't stop but they slow down. That is why it is harder for older people to loose weight. I'm 18 but have a medical issue that slows it down like someone twice my age.

If you are ill, this is a question for your dr. It is true that older people have slower metabolisms. It is also true that age is not something you can cure... If your dr has told you there is something wrong with your body, then he/she is the right person to explain to you if and what you should be doing. Do not look for magic "boosts". At best you will be wasting time and money, at worst you will damage your health.

sheermomentum

And by "boost your metabolism," I'm assuming you mean "burn more calories." Exercise. Cardio to burn calories immediately, weight training to gain muscle which burns more calories at rest than fat does. And do keep in mind that even someone twice your age would only be likely to burn about 100 calories less per day than someone your age. Its not that much of a difference.

KatEmmaMarie

While I was on my weight loss journey about 4 years ago, I researched everything that could help me optimize my caloric burn in a healthy way. Here are some of the things I added to my calorie deficit and exercise plan:
1) I read that green tea can help with "boosting your metabolism" so I made sure to drink 1-3 cups of green tea a day. The antioxidant EGCG is supposedly known to help boost metabolism and the other antioxidants are really healthy for you.
2) I also read that eating hot peppers can aid in increasing your caloric burn. This is because of the compound capsaicin found in the peppers. So, I added some jalapenos to my diet (luckily I like hot food!)
3) Supposedly drinking ice water can help your boost your caloric burn. This is because your body has to work harder to warm your body back up. This was super easy for me to do because I already always drink ice water, especially while I exercise. This can also be said about the atmosphere, in the summer, keep the A/C off so your body has to work a little harder to cool yourself down and in the winter keep the thermostat a little lower so your body has to work harder to warm yourself up.

These are the main things I added to my diet and exercise. If you're looking for short cuts to losing weight/"boosting" your metabolism, then you wont see any true results. The only way to really make a difference in your over all health and weight is to eat a healthy diet (or at a caloric deficit if you're looking to lose weight) and to exercise (cardio) for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week.
A lot of people here posted saying that metabolism cannot be boosted, and maybe it can't, maybe these things barely add up to make any difference what so ever. But honestly, if they're healthy things you're adding to your lifestyle, I don't see the harm if you makes you feel like it's making a difference.
Doing all the above in addition to my dieting/exercise I consistently lost 2-3 pounds a week until I reached my weight loss goal of 76 pounds total.
Did it work for me? I can't really say for sure if it truly made any difference. I worked my BUTT off to lose the weight by tracking everything I ate and making sure I moved my body.

Also, if you have a diagnosed illness, consult your doctor before making any changes to diet/exercise.
Good Luck in your journey.

peleroja

kiranicoleparsons wrote: »

Metabolisms do slow down. They don't stop but they slow down. That is why it is harder for older people to loose weight. I'm 18 but have a medical issue that slows it down like someone twice my age.

Not exactly. Older people find it harder to lose weight because they tend to lose muscle mass and to be less active.

Here's an abstract from a paper on the subject:

Age is one of the most important factor of changes in energy metabolism. The basal metabolic rate decreases almost linearly with age. Skeletal musculature is a fundamental organ that consumes the largest part of energy in the normal human body. The total volume of skeletal muscle can be estimated by 24-hours creatinine excretion. The volume of skeletal musculature decreases and the percentage of fat tissue increases with age. It is shown that the decrease in muscle mass relative to total body may be wholly responsible for the age-related decreases in basal metabolic rate. Energy consumption by physical activity also decreases with atrophic changes of skeletal muscle. Thus, energy requirement in the elderly decreases. With decrease of energy intake, intake of essential nutrients also decreases. If energy intake, on the other hand, exceeds individual energy needs, fat accumulates in the body. Body fat tends to accumulate in the abdomen in the elderly. Fat tissue in the abdominal cavity is connected directly with the liver through portal vein. Accumulation of abdominal fat causes disturbance in glucose and lipid metabolism. It is shown that glucose tolerance decreases with age. Although age contributes independently to the deterioration in glucose tolerance, the decrease in glucose tolerance may be partly prevented through changes of life-style variables, energy metabolism is essential for the physiological functions. It may also be possible to delay the aging process of various physiological functions by change of dietary habits, stopping smoking, and physical activity.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8361073

middlehaitch

Thank you so much for posting that abstract @peleroja. I read it, then lost it ages and ages ago, but always try to convey the gist of it to conversations about slowing metabolism.
It slapped me in the face when losing during menopause- no excuses.

It is now bookmarked!

Cheers, h.

janejellyroll

kiranicoleparsons wrote: »

Metabolisms do slow down. They don't stop but they slow down. That is why it is harder for older people to loose weight. I'm 18 but have a medical issue that slows it down like someone twice my age.

So you have the metabolism of a 36-year-old? Okay. I'm 36 and I lost 40 pounds in the last year by meeting the calorie goals suggested by MFP. No boosts or special tricks necessary.

AnvilHead

janejellyroll wrote: »

kiranicoleparsons wrote: »

Metabolisms do slow down. They don't stop but they slow down. That is why it is harder for older people to loose weight. I'm 18 but have a medical issue that slows it down like someone twice my age.

So you have the metabolism of a 36-year-old? Okay. I'm 36 and I lost 40 pounds in the last year by meeting the calorie goals suggested by MFP. No boosts or special tricks necessary.

OK, you doubled her age, I'll triple it. I turn 54 this year and have lost 20 pounds in the last 5 months (purposely going for gradual loss) doing nothing more than a caloric deficit and exercise. No snake oil "metabolism boosters" (which don't work, incidentally) or any such voodoo.

Sued0nim

YaGirlMaddi wrote: »

Gaining muscle actually raises your metabolism . You burn more calories the more muscle you have.

Yeah you do

At rest I believe that
A lb of muscle burns 6-10 calories a day
A lb of fat burns 4

C'n I get a woot!

kiranicoleparsons wrote: »

Metabolisms do slow down. They don't stop but they slow down. That is why it is harder for older people to loose weight. I'm 18 but have a medical issue that slows it down like someone twice my age.

Metabolisms slow down due to lack of muscle and TDEEs by lack of activity so there's an easy solution to the losing 100 cals per decade (which is a slice of bread a day)

I hope your medical condition is medicated adequately ...have you had your RMR checked?

Sued0nim

Sorry missed the age boasting

I'm 48
Lost 53lbs over 10-12 months
I was clinically obese in May 2014, my BF% is around 23% now which is deemed lean
Maintaining for 11 months
Resting heart rate is 60 which puts me at "athlete" ...LOL
Can lift heavy things

AnvilHead

rabbitjb wrote: »

Sorry missed the age boasting

I'm 48
Lost 53lbs over 10-12 months
I was clinically obese in May 2014, my BF% is around 23% now which is deemed lean
Maintaining for 11 months
Resting heart rate is 60 which puts me at "athlete" ...LOL
Can lift heavy things

That can't possibly be. You're like, old and stuff, and everybody knows old people can't lose weight and get in shape. Their metabolism is all slow.

juggernaut1974

Buncha geezers in this thread

Ninkyou

juggernaut1974 wrote: »

Buncha geezers in this thread

I *almost* clicked flag for "like". Damnit, I need a like button.

Now, get off my lawn.

Sued0nim

I remember when it was all fields round here

_Terrapin_

The sun is up for another ten minute and then you old folk need to rest.

KnitSewSpin

Oh my aching bones

Ignitionnet

You can certainly increase metabolic rate a bit however the legality of some of the methods varies from place to place.

Any stimulant will increase calorie burn but the ones that aren't 'dubious' have a very minor impact. Green tea is about as good as it gets without pharmaceuticals.

Exercise has a surprisingly long lasting impact on metabolism. The afterburn effect isn't trivial.