Losing weight, including belly fat, is quite challenging when you have a slow metabolism. It plays an extremely important role in the body. Therefore, it is important to know if we can change it. If yes, how to boost your metabolism? But first!
What is metabolism?
It’s a chemical process inside your body in which the food and drinks you consume are absorbed and utilized to produce the energy needed for daily activities and store the remaining energy for later use.
If metabolism is slow, it could mean that your body is storing more calories than it is burning because of the body’s reduced ability to metabolize food into calories, and that could eventually lead to weight gain. This build-up is mostly visible and concentrated on your body’s belly and lower abdominal area.
It might surprise you, but we burn most of our calories at rest for basic body functions like blood circulation, temperature regulation, breathing, digestion, and all other life-sustaining activities. This is called basal metabolic rate, and according to an estimate, we burn between 65 and 80 percent of our calories for these basic body functions.
Some other factors that can affect metabolism are diabetes, depression, low oxygen in the blood, starvation diets, and muscle atrophy.
This leads us to conclude that while metabolism is important for weight loss, a major part of it is beyond our control because things like breathing and digestion are not in our control.
But still, we can influence the rate at which calories are burned in at least three primary ways: by getting physically active, by increasing muscle to body fat ratio in the body because someone with 75 pounds of muscles will burn more calories than another person who has 110 pounds of lean muscle and lastly by eating metabolism boosting diet.
Research literature has linked lower resting metabolic rate with weight gain.
What is the link between slow metabolism and belly fat?
Belly fat is already known to be the most stubborn fat to lose, and having a slow metabolism can make it even harder and frustrating to lose belly fat because of the low energy expenditure.
Some factors lead to your metabolism being slow naturally or with time. Sometimes, as you age, your metabolism will naturally slow down, and that’s completely okay. It’s an entirely natural process. However, there are things you can do to change your diet and maintain your metabolism.
Many things can help you boost your metabolism, although you can’t control some factors like age, body size, gender, and genes. Thus, reducing fat with a slower metabolism can be incredibly difficult, but it’s not impossible. There are several ways to speed up the metabolism and eliminate belly fat.
What makes your metabolism faster?
We discussed above that physical activity is only one part of the metabolism equation. It accounts for a very small portion of daily calorie expenditure. So if you count on just exercise to ramp up your metabolism, you will not gain much. However, the following tips will give you an edge for burning more calories when you have a slower metabolism and want to boost it. So read on if you want to know how to speed up your metabolism naturally.
Fill Up on Soluble Fiber
Consuming soluble fiber triggers weight loss by giving our bodies a prolonged feeling of fullness. You should consume fresh fruits and vegetables to suppress your hunger and cravings and reduce your daily calories. Soluble fiber absorbs water inside the body and converts it into a gel. This gel slows the movement of food through your digestive system, which results in a slowdown of digestion and increased absorption of nutrients. Some examples of rich sources of soluble fiber are mentioned below.
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Oats
- Flax seeds
- Avocados
- Blackberries
- Legumes
Read up and add them to your daily routine to control those untimely cravings and boost your metabolism by staying fuller!
Say No to Alcohol
Cutting back on alcohol may help reduce your belly fat. High consumption of alcohol may be a risk factor for obesity in some people. Excess intake of alcohol may lead to alcoholic and fatty liver. It can damage your liver, and most importantly, it affects how your body metabolizes and stores fats and carbs. However, people with slow metabolism don’t need to give it up altogether but have it in moderation. Excess intake will create problems for slow metabolism and introduce more obstacles to losing belly fat.
Build More Muscles
Muscle mass is a key factor that is actually influencing your metabolic rate. Muscle cells require more energy than fat cells. Building more muscles will need more energy, so your body will eventually burn more calories to provide that energy.
Therefore, a person with more muscle cells than fat cells tends to have a faster metabolism naturally because your body will need more energy; therefore, to get that, it will speed up the digestion and metabolism by itself and burn extra calories.
So, focus on building more muscles to shed weight with a slower metabolism. This can be done by going for strength training instead of other exercises. A study indicated that nine months of resistance training increased resting metabolic rate by about 5 percent on average.
Follow a High Protein Diet
Protein is a macronutrient in your diet. Another way to speed up your metabolism is to add a good amount of protein to your diet. Skinless chicken, eggs, mushrooms, oats, turkey, beans, lentils, fish, and tofu are some great lean protein sources. It takes longer for your body to digest protein, and you spend more energy digesting them.
According to a study, people who consume more protein may have less abdominal fat. A higher protein diet causes our body to release the hormone PYY, which reduces cravings and suppresses our appetite, which will boost your metabolism. A study published in PubMed indicates that diets higher in protein tend to cause more weight and fat loss than diets lower in protein.
However, watch it so that you don’t overeat protein, which has repercussions.
Reduce Stress
Excess stress may result in fat gain around your waist and belly area. When you are under stress, your body produces a hormone called cortisol. Higher cortisol levels slow your metabolism, increasing appetite and cravings and, therefore, more abdominal fat storage. So, you should minimize your stress if you want to lose fat.
Try to relax and take care of your health and which will, in turn, take care of optimum calorie consumption.
Stay Active
Exercise is an effective way to burn calories and reduce abdominal fat. Physical activity lowers blood sugar levels and reduces inflammation, improving the metabolic processes with excess abdominal fat. You should include activities like swimming or biking to get your heart rate up.
Thus, try to engage yourself in different workout patterns like strength training, cardio, and HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) when you want to shed weight with a slow metabolism. The more active you are, the more calories you will burn.
And as a plus, the physical activity effectively reduces blood pressure.
Consume Fewer Carbs
Consuming refined carbs results in excessive belly fat and many medical conditions. Refined carbs are present in foods like bread, pasta, rice, candies, and, most of all, sugar. You should replace refined carbs with healthy carb sources like whole grains, legumes, and vegetables. Consumption of healthy carbs will improve your metabolic health and reduce your calorie intake at the same time.
When you cut carbs, your appetite decreases, and you will lose weight eventually. If you reduce your carb intake to 50 grams per day, your body goes into a state known as ketosis, a state in which it starts burning fats as its primary fuel and appetite is reduced.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Getting enough sleep should be your major priority if you want to shed weight with a slow metabolism. Enough sleep helps maintain a healthy metabolic rate. Lack of sleep decreases the calories your body burns, disrupts your hormones, and changes how your body processes sugar.
At the same time, sleep deficiency results in the release of hormones ghrelin (hunger hormone) and a decrease of leptin (fullness hormone). So, without enough sleep, your brain will reduce leptin and raise ghrelin. A study published in PubMed explains that sleep deprivation is inversely related to metabolism. Another study also links adverse metabolic outcomes to sleep issues.
Stay Hydrated
Water is the most important component of our diet and top the list of drinks that speed up your metabolism. Our body needs water to process calories. The fluid level in the body helps to break down fat. You cannot achieve your goal of weight loss and muscle gain without staying hydrated. Not drinking enough water will result in dehydration, which can lower your calorie-burning rate. In dehydration mode, some people confuse thirst with hunger and eat unnecessarily.
People who consume water instead of sugary drinks are more successful at shedding weight, and similarly, drinking water a half hour before your meals will make you eat less. So, you should consume at least 8-10 glasses of water daily to remain hydrated and to lose weight.
Don’t Starve Yourself
Crash diets can hinder the process of weight loss and will slow down your metabolism. With these diets, our body uses muscle mass for energy instead of fat, thus slowing down our metabolic rate. So, you should always opt for a calorie-deficit diet i.e., consuming fewer calories than your body burns. Just say no to a crash diet, switch to healthier options, and practice portion control.
Switch to Green Tea and Coffee
Green tea is considered a very healthy beverage. If you want to lose weight with slower than normal metabolism, start consuming green tea and coffee because these are counted among the foods that increase metabolism and burn fat. According to a study, caffeine speeds up your metabolism and makes you more alert. Caffeine and EGCG are present in green tea and coffee.
Caffeine increases your metabolism, and the antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) helps reduce belly fat. Most fat-burning diets have caffeine as their main ingredient. Do try adding 2-3 cups of green tea and coffee to your daily routine and exercise.
Add Fish to Your Diet
Fish is considered extremely healthy. It is an essential source of lean protein and Omega-3. Omega 3 fats are thermogenic in nature, so they increase metabolism. Omega-3 fat helps to reduce visceral fat and protects your body from diseases. Your body will burn more calories digesting protein than fat and carbohydrates.
Salmon, herring, sardines, and mackerel are good sources of fatty fish. Try to consume 2-3 servings of fish in a week.
Avoid Trans Fats Foods
Trans fats are created when hydrogen is pumped into unsaturated fats. Trans fats are found in margarine, spreads, and, most importantly, packaged and instant foods. Trans fats harm your body by lowering good cholesterol levels and elevating bad cholesterol levels. These unhealthy fats might make your body prone to many diseases, such as high insulin resistance, heart diseases, and gain in abdominal fat.
Avoid foods containing trans fats and read the labels of packaged foods carefully before purchasing.
Add Lemon and Water
Bitter foods stimulate the body’s digestive juices, which kick-start the digestion process in the body. During hyper digestion, the body breaks down the food better and absorbs more nutrients, both of which aid you in maintaining a healthy weight and a flat stomach. So, start your day with lemon and water.
Avoid Fruit Juice and Sugary Beverages
Although fruit juices are healthy, their juice contains large amounts of sugar. These contain large amounts of fructose,, which builds up more fat around your abdomen and liver. So, try to minimize intake of sugary drinks in your diet, such as sugary sodas, fruit juices, and other high-sugar sports drinks.
According to a study published in BMC nutrition, the intake of sugar-sweetened drinks with protein rich meal decreases metabolic efficiency resulting in more fat being stored.
Keep A Check on Thyroid Gland
The thyroid gland regulates your metabolic process in the body. Iron and selenium are responsible for the function of thyroid glands. By consuming a diet low in iron and zinc, your thyroid gland will produce fewer hormones, resulting in a slow metabolism and accumulation of fat in different body parts. So, try to include iron-rich foods for properly functioning the thyroid gland.
Add Chili Peppers and Spices to Your Diet
Some spices are beneficial in boosting a slow metabolism and help you to control your portion. Similarly, chili peppers contain a chemical called Capsaicin which is known for its appetite-reducing properties. It increases the number of calories and fat your body burns. In spices, ginger is mostly consumed to reduce hunger levels and promote a feeling of fullness.
Lastly, Be Patient
Weight loss is never an easy thing to achieve. Your metabolism system will determine how fast or slow you will shed weight. Patience and consistency in diet and lifestyle are essential for reducing belly fat with a slow metabolism. In the long run, it will take plenty of time and lifestyle changes to change your metabolic rate and boost fat loss.
How long does it take to speed up metabolism?
How long it will take to speed up your metabolism depends on factors like your diet, physical activity level, and overall health status.
Some of the tips we shared above will increase your metabolism quickly. For example, any kind of physical exercise will increase your metabolism rate naturally for several hours, even after you have finished exercising. But some of the strategies, like eating more vegetables and fish, will increase gradually over time.
Therefore, one should consider all these interventions a long-term commitment and focus on a nutrient-dense diet and regular physical activity. By staying consistent on these two things, you can expect an increase in metabolism in about three months.
What is the most natural way to increase metabolism?
In fact, the most natural way to increase metabolism is regularly eating a healthy diet and getting regular physical activity spread throughout the week. Some other natural ways like getting enough sleep, having coffee or tea in reasonable amounts, and drinking enough water daily are also natural ways to speed up metabolism.
