Metabolic rate - tips needed to speed it up

sweatymary

Hi All,

My metabolic rate has slowed down and I would be grateful for any tips to help speed it back up again :-D

I'm going through the menopause, and 30 lbs kind of sneaked up on me :-D

I joined a gym a month ago, made changes to my diet and am determined to head back up the down slope and am feeling really good and very determined.

Short journeys in the car have been replaced by walking

Cardio vascular exercise has gone from virtually zero to 4 times a week

I'm eating more fruit and veg and healthy snacks

Unfortunately my work keeps me sitting down for long periods of time.

Any advice and tips would be very greatly appreciated :-D

Kathy_Noring

I once had a doctor who specialized in fitness and nutrition evaluate my diet and exercise habits right before I turned 40. He said we lose muscle as we age and middle-aged people should strength train to rebuild muscle and rev up their metabolism. He also said my diet was woefully short on protein.

So . . . based on the advice I was given by a doctor, I would recommend you strength train and eat more protein!

melaniecheeks

Strength train - as heavy as you can.
Eat protein to build that muscle
Spciy foods are great for your metabolism - cinnamon, curries etc
Start each day with a slice of lemon in hot water.
Dont go for long periods without eating.

sweatymary

Thank you :-D I was thinking about adding in weights and toning routine to my new exercise regime but wasn't sure if this would be beneficial or not ... thanks for advice :-D

sweatymary

Thanks again :-D weights and protein and a healthy curry here I come :-D

morganadk2_deleted

Hi i can't see your diary Are you eating to enough?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit


This is just a part of it! please read the link above


Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)


Also this might be helpful http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/00trayn/view/how-to-bust-a-3-month-plateau-87677

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat



Good luck on your journey

sweatymary

BRILLIANT!!!! This is exactly the advice I was looking for! I'm going to look at the links and re-adjust what I'm doing. As I'm new to this site I'm not sure how to share my food diary, but I already think I'm not eating enough and not covering my exercise calories so I'm pretty sure my body is on starvation mode :-/ Would it be ok to add you as a friend?