How to Reduce Weight by Increasing Your Metabolism

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icandoit
icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who learn how to reduce weight by increasing their metabolism everyday. For many of those people the chief cause of their weight problem is overeating, irregular meal habits, and just plain not eating healthy foods. If you are one of them then it is important to understand that the best way to lose weight and get the body you always wanted is by increasing your metabolism.

The first place everyone looks to when it comes to weight reduction is their diet. They think, "I'll just eat less and lose weight", and while this can work it is only effective for a short period of time and for minimal losses. If your caloric intake goes to low the body responds by actually slowing down its metabolism because it goes into starvation mode. This happens because the calories needed for the body to function on a normal level are no longer available.

This is true whether you cut back on the amount of food you eat or start skipping meals everyday. Here is the theory behind going into a caloric deficit to lose weight: As you take in food from your daily diet, you gain nutrients and energy. If you use up more energy in a day than your diet provides, your body will tap into its supply of fat to give you the extra energy needed to function properly. Meals that are skipped, or which do not contain the right nutrition will eventually cause a low metabolic rate which in turn will cause the fat to return even faster when your diet finishes. You will know if your metabolic rate is low and your diet isn't healthy enough because you feel tired all the time. When you are on a diet, you go hungry and your body will signal to your brain to conserve fat for energy because your body is built with a mechanism to conserve fat during famine and it does not know the difference between starvation and a diet.

The second part of any weight reduction program is exercise because getting your body into motion is a good way to start increasing your metabolism. The simple fact is exercise burns calories, both during and after the exercise routine. Your resting metabolic rate will increase there by burning extra calories even while your body is at rest.

The hardest part about exercise is actually starting to do it. Once you have made the effort to fit more exercise into your daily routine, and stick to it, you will find it becomes easier and almost automatic. This is good because exercise is an important part of any weight reduction plan. Try getting at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise like walking briskly, jogging, biking, or swimming at least 3 days a week (build up to 5 or 6 days if you can). Exercise can come in many forms and can focus on toning different parts of the body as well as helping us to lose weight caused by excess body fat.

So there it is, if you want to know how to reduce weight then you need to increase your metabolism. The easiest way to do this is with a combination of diet and exercise. It will take a little will power and dedication at first, but once you get into the weight loss groove your new healthy lifestyle will become second nature.

Replies

  • icandoit
    icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
    Options
    There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who learn how to reduce weight by increasing their metabolism everyday. For many of those people the chief cause of their weight problem is overeating, irregular meal habits, and just plain not eating healthy foods. If you are one of them then it is important to understand that the best way to lose weight and get the body you always wanted is by increasing your metabolism.

    The first place everyone looks to when it comes to weight reduction is their diet. They think, "I'll just eat less and lose weight", and while this can work it is only effective for a short period of time and for minimal losses. If your caloric intake goes to low the body responds by actually slowing down its metabolism because it goes into starvation mode. This happens because the calories needed for the body to function on a normal level are no longer available.

    This is true whether you cut back on the amount of food you eat or start skipping meals everyday. Here is the theory behind going into a caloric deficit to lose weight: As you take in food from your daily diet, you gain nutrients and energy. If you use up more energy in a day than your diet provides, your body will tap into its supply of fat to give you the extra energy needed to function properly. Meals that are skipped, or which do not contain the right nutrition will eventually cause a low metabolic rate which in turn will cause the fat to return even faster when your diet finishes. You will know if your metabolic rate is low and your diet isn't healthy enough because you feel tired all the time. When you are on a diet, you go hungry and your body will signal to your brain to conserve fat for energy because your body is built with a mechanism to conserve fat during famine and it does not know the difference between starvation and a diet.

    The second part of any weight reduction program is exercise because getting your body into motion is a good way to start increasing your metabolism. The simple fact is exercise burns calories, both during and after the exercise routine. Your resting metabolic rate will increase there by burning extra calories even while your body is at rest.

    The hardest part about exercise is actually starting to do it. Once you have made the effort to fit more exercise into your daily routine, and stick to it, you will find it becomes easier and almost automatic. This is good because exercise is an important part of any weight reduction plan. Try getting at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise like walking briskly, jogging, biking, or swimming at least 3 days a week (build up to 5 or 6 days if you can). Exercise can come in many forms and can focus on toning different parts of the body as well as helping us to lose weight caused by excess body fat.

    So there it is, if you want to know how to reduce weight then you need to increase your metabolism. The easiest way to do this is with a combination of diet and exercise. It will take a little will power and dedication at first, but once you get into the weight loss groove your new healthy lifestyle will become second nature.
  • auntkaren
    auntkaren Posts: 1,490 Member
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    I feel that I am following all the steps correctly as you stated, but for the past three days I have really been tired. I push myself to do my exercises , but really tired. I take vitamins with eating very healthy meals , no sweets. What do you think is going on with me. ?:yawn: Makes me tempted to eat candy bar for a pick up, but I plenty of fruit, shouldn't that do it?
  • sitarami
    sitarami Posts: 68 Member
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    "Meals that are skipped, or which do not contain the right nutrition will eventually cause a low metabolic rate which in turn will cause the fat to return even faster when your diet finishes."


    The above mentioned sentence is very instructive. When you eat (let's say a twinky and fries and ice cream-(yum:blushing: )) some times you feel you're satisfying a hunger not realizing that you are contributing to your weight gain because of several reasons:
    1- the body is not getting nutrition and must strip itself of minerals and vitamins to digest the junk food.
    2- that meal is full of saturated fat.
    3-the food slows down your 'engine', it slows down your metabolism.

    Thanks for bringing up this topic!
  • sitarami
    sitarami Posts: 68 Member
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    "I feel that I am following all the steps correctly as you stated, but for the past three days I have really been tired. I push myself to do my exercises , but really tired. I take vitamins with eating very healthy meals , no sweets. What do you think is going on with me. ? Makes me tempted to eat candy bar for a pick up, but I plenty of fruit, shouldn't that do it?"
    Edited by auntkaren on Wed 04/09/08 03:12 PM




    Dear Aunt karen:flowerforyou:
    When I start a new diet/fitness regime I usually feel exhausted before I get use to it. Try a natural pep pill, or drink some green tea or even a green tea pep pill, if you need the kick. :wink:
  • kelpie06
    kelpie06 Posts: 93 Member
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    I feel that I am following all the steps correctly as you stated, but for the past three days I have really been tired. I push myself to do my exercises , but really tired. I take vitamins with eating very healthy meals , no sweets. What do you think is going on with me. ?:yawn: Makes me tempted to eat candy bar for a pick up, but I plenty of fruit, shouldn't that do it?

    For me, some days of the month I just need more energy (a.k.a. food). I seriously feel like I need to eat something every hour. Sometimes nuts or raisins can give you energy. But if you feel tired and feel hungry, listen to your body. You probably need a few more calories. Just make sure they come from things that help your body function and not hurt it.