Boosting Metabolism?

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callmecorinne
callmecorinne Posts: 19
in Food and Nutrition
Hi. Okay so my metabolism is really slow mostly due to my medications. Does anyone know of any foods, exercises or supplements that help boost your metabolism and really work?

Thanks. :)

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  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    The only real booster is to develop muscle. Do strength exercises, whether it be at a gym using weight machines, a pilates class, or at home with weights.
  • callmecorinne
    callmecorinne Posts: 19
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    ooh, good i love strength exercises. (Former gymnast so i love getting stronger) Thanks! I'll include more strength in my workout. :)
  • iTim__
    iTim__ Posts: 6,823 Member
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    I've a low metabolism because of hypothyroidism. A couple of things I found help me include:

    1. Vitamin B Complex (that either includes Vitamin C or also take Vitamin C... it helps B to work)
    2. After a cardio workout, I do (at least) 15 additional minutes of weight resistance training and then follow that with hot tub, steam room, sauna (one... not all). This helps to keep the body temp up and the metabolism going for a while longer.

    I don't know how much scientific fact is behind what I mentioned, but it seems to work for me.
  • ChristinaRamos
    ChristinaRamos Posts: 226
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    Drink gallons of water!! Water increases metabolism
  • iTim__
    iTim__ Posts: 6,823 Member
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    Drink gallons of water!! Water increases metabolism

    Good point. I've noticed this too. Especially if you increase water and decrease sodium.
  • xDSaraxD
    xDSaraxD Posts: 12
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    Another thing that boosts your metabolism is spicy food such as cayenne pepper- err, and if you don't want to dump that on your food you can always take cayenne pepper pills such as I do. But, on the downside you might get heart burn x_x
  • iTim__
    iTim__ Posts: 6,823 Member
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    Another thing that boosts your metabolism is spicy food such as cayenne pepper- err, and if you don't want to dump that on your food you can always take cayenne pepper pills such as I do. But, on the downside you might get heart burn x_x

    Great point. You know, I've been adding more and more peppers to my food as I've been losing weight. I used to get a lot of heartburn, but as the weight dropped, so too did the heartburn. My tolerance for peppers has grown from banana peppers to the point where I love Bhut Jolokia (world's hottest pepper) to spice up my food.
  • audigal2008
    audigal2008 Posts: 1,129 Member
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    Another thing that boosts your metabolism is spicy food such as cayenne pepper- err, and if you don't want to dump that on your food you can always take cayenne pepper pills such as I do. But, on the downside you might get heart burn x_x

    Great point. You know, I've been adding more and more peppers to my food as I've been losing weight. I used to get a lot of heartburn, but as the weight dropped, so too did the heartburn. My tolerance for peppers has grown from banana peppers to the point where I love Bhut Jolokia (world's hottest pepper) to spice up my food.
    eek the hottest thing in my diet is black pepper lol
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
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    Drink gallons of water!! Water increases metabolism

    Good point. I've noticed this too. Especially if you increase water and decrease sodium.

    ditto. I had a slow metabolism beacuse of years of eating terrible and not exercising, along with it being hereditary... but it's definitely increased with regular exercise that half the time is muscle building moves, drinking about 72oz or more water a day, eating a breakfast that's well-rounded and is about 300-400 calories within the first hour I get up (dr.oz on tv gave me that tip :o) ) and I also take a b-complex vitamin on top of my multi, so maybe that helps too- i'm not sure. It definitely helps with energy level though! Also with MFP's guidance eating MORE FOOD more often throughout the day! I think before I started I wasn't eating enough (and what I was eating was on the bad side, I also skipped breakfast every day) so I'm confident that that's also helped to retrain my metabolism. I eat 5-6 times a day and eat all of my exercise calories back. This is all working for me slowly but surely! I lose about 1-2 pounds a month, which I'm happy with as long as it keeps on goin'!
  • NeedANewFocus
    NeedANewFocus Posts: 898 Member
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    I agree with all the above including copeing with stress effectively. Mood plays a large role in our everyday struggles with weight loss. The better you become at handling and coping with stress the healthier your body will feel.
  • MaitreyeeMAYHEM
    MaitreyeeMAYHEM Posts: 559 Member
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    Eat healthy, get tons of fiber, exercise daily and most importantly DRINK WATER!! Water is your best friend when it comes to metabolism.
  • ape087
    ape087 Posts: 30 Member
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    Ive had bariatric surgery, so Ive had all the lovely blood work ups and physician visits and such about this same issue. I too have low metobolism and they said that there are a few things that can help. The first is being Vitamin B12 (and taking it with orange juice, or getting the drops helps it be absorbed the fastest), Iron, and lots and lots of water.
  • iTim__
    iTim__ Posts: 6,823 Member
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    Just found this on WebMD... it says a lot of what others have already said, just in a more scientific way. :)

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/slideshow-boost-your-metabolism

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