Metabolism Kick Starters

Help....My metabolism seems to have shifted into low/no gear. I'm almost 49 so I know some of the issue is hormonal but come on man!

What are some ways to fire up my metabolism? I'm eager to try your suggestions!
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Replies

  • rehlaereht
    rehlaereht Posts: 7
    Well... I have read several articles on drinmking warm water and a half of lemon. Its said to kick start thermogenesis which is the process that ultimately burns fat. In addition, its a great detox for your liver. I have been starting my day with a cup of warm lemon water for the past 3 weeks in addition to making smarter nutrition choices, and daily excersice (even if its just a walk). I have been losing weight at a healthy pace... 1-2 pounds a week. I have recently added green tea and increased my water. They say your body is like a fireplace and in order to keep the fire (your metabolism) going you need to feed it constantly IE snacking (good snacking).
    I hope this helps... Have a wonderful day and good luck.

    -Camille
  • SenseiCole
    SenseiCole Posts: 429 Member
    Eat small, frequent meals

    Drink iced water

    Boost metabolism temporarily with aerobic exercise.

    Boost metabolism in the long run with weight training

    http://www.wikihow.com/Increase-Your-Metabolism

    get more sleep

    Go fish. EPA and DHA, the omega-3 fatty acids found only in fish oil

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/increase-your-metabolism-start-losing-fat


    Make sure you eat breakfast.

    Eat the majority of your food earlier in the day.

    http://thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/12ways.htm





    anyone can add me
  • mcibty
    mcibty Posts: 1,252 Member
    Hey,

    The best thing (or so I have read and am currently doing) is to eat within 1 hour of waking up. This time frame gets me nicely to my desk at work in time for a metabolic-boosting breakfast. Others will eat other things, and I'm sure if I had more time I would make more effort, but I start my day with either a handful of raw cashews and a banana, or two hard boiled eggs. Chase this with a black coffee, and a glass of ice water with lemon. The just have a snack every 2 hours or so. Water is an understated resource for diets, the more the better, and adding a few drops of lemon juice will only help matters.

    Add this with regular exercise of cardio and weights/resistance training, and you should be just fine!

    Also... Sleeping right. Sounds like common sense, but get yourself into a decent routine if you're not sleeping enough.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    increasing your lean body mass; pretty much everything else is bro-science.
  • RunEatLift
    RunEatLift Posts: 68
    increasing your lean body mass; pretty much everything else is bro-science.

    ^
    Start lifting heavy things.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    increasing your lean body mass; pretty much everything else is bro-science.

    ^
    Start lifting heavy things.

    Each pound of muscle burns an additional 6 calories per day. Everything else in this thread is wrong, especially about frequent meals/meal timing. Short fasts (12-72 hours) can actually increase metabolic rate.
  • mcibty
    mcibty Posts: 1,252 Member
    ...Well it's not really BS is it. You'll never find conclusive and absolute evidence suggesting one sole way to increase it. The metabolism is a mystic creature sometimes. There's a lot of evidence to suggest fasting is the last thing you should do, but I wouldn't call it BS.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    ...Well it's not really BS is it. You'll never find conclusive and absolute evidence suggesting one sole way to increase it. The metabolism is a mystic creature sometimes. There's a lot of evidence to suggest fasting is the last thing you should do, but I wouldn't call it BS.
    Ok. We can start with some studies showing that meal timing and frequency is irrelevant.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319656

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1905998

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15085170

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8399092

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8383639

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21123467

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985

    If needed, I can provide links about how fasting increases metabolic rate.
  • confetti_blind
    confetti_blind Posts: 91 Member
    caffeine is good.

    also heard that eating chilli nd spicy food can make your metabolism improve.

    cardio nd lifting weights has got to be the best suggestion though.
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
    Ah... so many experts, so little time:wink:
  • mcibty
    mcibty Posts: 1,252 Member
    Wow, aggressive. I'm simply saying that when it comes to nutrition, it's much like religion. Everyone thinks their way is right, and everyone has their own evidence to suggest they are right, but doesn't mean they are! It's great you've found the way that works best for you, but if I were asking the question, I'd want a few suggestions to look into.
  • Doodlewhopper
    Doodlewhopper Posts: 1,018 Member
    First broscience voodoo potions at best are a waste of time.

    Second, have a physical and have your thyroid function tested.

    Third, increase your body's mitochondria.

    "as you age the number of mitochondria in your cells decreases in efficiency by about 5-8 percent every ten years. This is one of the main reasons why you have less energy the older you get. One easy way to reverse this is by exercising. Those who exercise have more mitochondria, which means more potential for energy and the ability to burn more calories for healthy weight loss. "

    http://www.getprograde.com/optimizing-mitochondria-for-healthy-weight-loss.html

    "it is increasing recognized that acquired mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of highly prevalent diseases such as obesity/diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases"

    http://depts.washington.edu/mmcslu/

    The answer is "MUS-KELS" The more muscle you have the more mitochondria. The more mitochondria the more fuel burning engines you have.

    In very simple terms, mitochondria is metabolism. Now drop and give me 40. LOL
  • rotill
    rotill Posts: 244 Member
    Go see your doctor. It's common for women's metabolism to plunge at this age, and you may be developing hypothyreosis. Just go make sure that's not it, because if it is, you need medication.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    ghost peppers
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
    Lift. Heavy. Now.
  • TracyJo93
    TracyJo93 Posts: 197 Member
    Peppers, black pepper, green tea.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    increasing your lean body mass; pretty much everything else is bro-science.

    ^
    Start lifting heavy things.

    Each pound of muscle burns an additional 6 calories per day. Everything else in this thread is bs, especially about frequent meals/meal timing. Short fasts (12-72 hours) can actually increase metabolic rate.

    Also agree.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    ...Well it's not really BS is it. You'll never find conclusive and absolute evidence suggesting one sole way to increase it. The metabolism is a mystic creature sometimes. There's a lot of evidence to suggest fasting is the last thing you should do, but I wouldn't call it BS.

    There's also evidence that fasting increases your metabolism ...

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837292
  • TravisBikes
    TravisBikes Posts: 674 Member
    First lift heavy.

    Then eat the ghost peppers.


    Might have problems if you do it in the other order.

    Just sayin'
  • MudRunLvr
    MudRunLvr Posts: 226 Member
    increasing your lean body mass; pretty much everything else is bro-science.

    ^
    Start lifting heavy things.

    Listen to this, and only this. Every other thing I've read in this thread is a myth from a Cosmo magazine.
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
    increasing your lean body mass; pretty much everything else is bro-science.

    ^
    Start lifting heavy things.

    Listen to this, and only this. Every other thing I've read in this thread is a myth from a Cosmo magazine.

    I knew you were a Cosmo reader. Do you eat Dreamy Clusters while reading it?
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    Short answer is: You can't really control your metabolism with food.

    Increase your metabolism by doing stuff. That's all there is to it.

    Slapping yourself across the face first thing will do more to up your metabolism than breakfast will.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Wow, aggressive. I'm simply saying that when it comes to nutrition, it's much like religion. Everyone thinks their way is right, and everyone has their own evidence to suggest they are right, but doesn't mean they are! It's great you've found the way that works best for you, but if I were asking the question, I'd want a few suggestions to look into.

    I guess it's a difference of opinion, but I'd rather have answers that are supported by science.

    This post has a good summary of the research on the subject, OP
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/820577-meal-frequency-rev-up-that-furnace-lol
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
    Short answer is: You can't really control your metabolism with food.

    Increase your metabolism by doing stuff. That's all there is to it.

    Slapping yourself across the face first thing will do more to up your metabolism than breakfast will.

    How many reps and sets?
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    increasing your lean body mass; pretty much everything else is bro-science.

    ^
    Start lifting heavy things.

    this and this
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    Short answer is: You can't really control your metabolism with food.

    Increase your metabolism by doing stuff. That's all there is to it.

    Slapping yourself across the face first thing will do more to up your metabolism than breakfast will.

    How many reps and sets?

    Just the one. Then *kitten*. As many reps as you can handle.
  • Glamaz0n
    Glamaz0n Posts: 18
    increasing your lean body mass; pretty much everything else is bro-science.

    Quoted for truth.

    You don't need to eat breakfast. You need to eat at a deficit (however you do that is your business)

    You don't need to drink lemon water. You need to stay hydrated (however you do that is your business)

    You need to stay accountable to the macro-nutrient profile that yields the results you want (you can only do that with discipline to self and knowledge. DO YOUR RESEARCH)

    in sum, aggressively pursue knowledge and use it to find what works for you.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Wow, aggressive. I'm simply saying that when it comes to nutrition, it's much like religion. Everyone thinks their way is right, and everyone has their own evidence to suggest they are right, but doesn't mean they are! It's great you've found the way that works best for you, but if I were asking the question, I'd want a few suggestions to look into.

    I guess it's a difference of opinion, but I'd rather have answers that are supported by science.

    This post has a good summary of the research on the subject, OP
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/820577-meal-frequency-rev-up-that-furnace-lol

    Me too. And I like to take advice from the people who seem to post a lot of information, supported by scientific studies. And who have hot bodies and/or have achieved their weight loss goals.
  • MissStick
    MissStick Posts: 21
    Thank you to everyone who's been offering suggestions, links and support. I'm working on the muscles. Hired a trainer as a b-day gift to myself. She kicks my less than steel buns!

    I'm SO happy to have this forum because I love the support and education. I wish the sniping wasn't happening. I think everyone's intentions are sincere
  • ScatteredThoughts
    ScatteredThoughts Posts: 3,562 Member
    Wow, aggressive. I'm simply saying that when it comes to nutrition, it's much like religion. Everyone thinks their way is right, and everyone has their own evidence to suggest they are right, but doesn't mean they are! It's great you've found the way that works best for you, but if I were asking the question, I'd want a few suggestions to look into.

    Well said!

    And with that in mind, I suggest that OP wear a blue hat every Thursday, for a guaranteed extra 5lbs a week weight loss.


    I don't need no stinkin' science and research.