Weight Management

How To Increase Your Metabolism?

Posted on by Mukta Agrawal
05
Apr

“Do you know how to increase or speed up your metabolism?” You can increase your metabolism if you wish to. Your ancestors are partly responsible for your metabolism. By ancestors, I mean your genes, but most of it depends on yourself whether you want to become slim or obese.

First, let us understand what metabolism is.

What Is Metabolism?

Metabolism simply means breakdown. Metabolism is a process in which the food is converted into carbohydrates, protein, and fat to provide energy to your body. This energy helps you to do all your daily activities, like tie your laces, shake your legs, move your hips and leave your seat. You may wonder, does shaking your leg speed up your metabolism. Yes, it also counts because it is a part of physical exercise.

Come let us together follow these six simple steps to increase metabolism:

Ways To Increase Your Metabolism

  1. Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal

You surely might be knowing how important it is to have breakfast. But tell me frankly, do you have it daily? Let me guess, No. This is mainly because as soon as you wake up, your mind is stressed.

Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal

Come with me further to see what exactly breakfast does or why is it so important.

The name itself suggests break-fast means breaking the fast. It is the first meal which you will be consuming after 8-10 hrs of fasting. If breakfast, also called as metabolism boosting foods, is not taken then probably the next meal will be stored by the body that can lead to many medical problems.

Skipping Breakfast Can Lead To

Morning time between 7.00am-10.00am is the ideal time to eat breakfast. This is the time where the metabolism of the body is very high and whatever you will eat at this time will properly get metabolized. Eating your breakfast on the right time hence is the right answer to how to increase your metabolism.

  1. Keep Checking The Amount Of Calories Eaten

In my college days, I use to hear many comments like “I eat so less yet I am fat, and she eats so much yet she is so thin why is that so? Today I understood the answer lies in a person’s metabolism.

If you have a good metabolism then you can continue to be thin in spite of eating in large amounts. Whatever food we eat finally gets converted into energy and each food item we consume contains calories and hence one has to be very careful in consuming calories.

Caloric Confusion

Looking at foods that speed up your metabolism only from calories perspective is a crime. A medium size apple has more calories than 200 ml of cola. Does it make cola superior to apple? What about nutrients?

The difference between brown rice and white rice is not much in terms of calories. But the difference is huge when it comes to nutrients. So, brown rice is any day a better food than white rice.

Lack of healthy foods can lead to several nutritional deficiency as Omega 3 deficiency, magnesium deficiency and Vitamin B complex deficiency. So such deficiencies not just affect your health but also your weight.

Hence it is very important to understand the importance of calories and also to know the food item which contains empty calories, means only calories without any nutrients.

  1. Energy In Should Be Less Or Equal To Energy Out

To maintain a healthy lifestyle amount of calories consumed in a day should be burn out the same day otherwise the body stores the excess.

Caloric Calculation

The simple nutritional calculation says that minus 500 calories from your diet and you will attain your weight loss goals. But I feel it is too generalized.  It doesn’t work for all.  For example, the caloric requirement for a sedentary female is 1500 kcal. Pooja is obese and wants to lose weight is just consuming 900 calories so I can’t reduce more 500 calories from her diet as it will be too less.

I know now the next question will come to me is if she is eating so less why she is fat? The reason is simple the calories consumed by her is moreover empty calories that hardly contains any nutrients and fiber. So here the solution is burning out more calories rather than reducing calories from the diet and changing the form of her calories from empty to nutritious.

  1. Making Exercise Your Routine

“I cannot go to the gym; it’s raining outside” are the common excuses most of you make to go for exercise. However, I feel these excuses are probably for not going out or for not waking up early morning. Exercise, unfortunately, is famous by morning walk or going to gym and hence these excuses are oftenly heard by many. But every problem has its solution.

Making Exercise Your Routine

 Exercises At Home And Ways To Speed Up Your Metabolism

  • Exercise can be done in a very small room
  • Doing three sets of jumping- 40times each set
  • Doing surya namaskar 20-25 times
  • Walking in a small area for 40 min
  • Doing meditation for 30-45 min with deep breathing exercises
  • Doing spot jogging for 30 min
  • You can also do vajrasana to burn calories. Yoga is an excellent exercise that helps you in gaining good mental balance and good body weight also. So start doing this simple vajrasana to burn calories.

All the above exercise are the most effective ways to increase metabolism. It has also been said in research papers that people who do a cardio activity like running, walking, jumping, jogging more than 3-5 times a week their metabolic rate increases even when in resting position.

  1. Weight Once Gone Should Not Come Back (YO-YO EFFECT)

In my five years of experience as a nutritionist, the most common statement that I heard is “My friend was following a diet, and she lost 10 kg in a month. But, I am losing 3 kg only with your diet, your diet is a waste”. I asked politely, “Mam in the third month how much she lost?” She replied, “She gained 5 kg.”

Now I will tell you what I explained her after which she went home with a blushing smile. I told that one should never gain back the weight that is lost. Instead, losing weight slowly is a better option. Ideal weight loss for an individual should be only 2-4kg/month.

But if the weight is gained back then it shows that your metabolism is getting affected. It will have a bad impact on your health in the near future as it is not a good sign. This is called the YO-YO effect.

Muscle Loss Is Harmful

It is very important to know that from where the weight is getting lost is it from fat or muscle. If you are losing weight too fast it may be that you are losing on muscle which will eventually make you weak. This lost weight will come back again within no time and hence it takes a toll on your metabolism booster. We have metabolism booster pills which help to solve this problem.

  1. Bedtime Snack Is The Last But Not The Least Meal Of The Day

‘‘I ate my dinner at 10.00 and I don’t feel hungry why should I eat anything at bedtime’’

Do you agree to this?

Bedtime Snack Is The Last But Not The Least Meal Of The Day

I know you will agree in fact any weight watcher will agree, but I disagree completely. Bedtime snack is very different from your dinner and hence it is important. Dinner might be high in carbohydrate or fat.

Bedtime snack should be a protein meal which will release slowly over the night and takes care of your body needs. Hence one should always drink a cup of milk or a glass of buttermilk or eat anything high in protein and low in fat before going to bed.

Before going, I would like to tell you increasing your metabolism naturally is not difficult if you follow a healthy lifestyle and tips on how to increase your metabolism given above.

Suggestions

Breakfast is important if you still have no time then take 2 scoops of whey protein in a glass of milk. Also to increase your metabolism Omega 3 fatty acid is the ultimate solution.

For any further queries, please write in the comments below.

Mukta Agrawal

Dt. Mukta Agrawal is a qualified dietitian and has done her post-graduation in clinical nutrition and dietetics, she has done her specialization in diabetes and cardiac care and also she is a certified bariatric nutritionist. She is a lifestyle coach and diabetic educator. She has 12 plus years of experience in the field of health and fitness industry. Mukta is passionate about educating people regarding the truths and myths of health through the INLIFE Blog. Her belief in the fact that good health is for everyone is one of the highlights of her writing.

38 thoughts on “How To Increase Your Metabolism?”

  1. Ali says:

    Hello.. thanks for your article… i want to do querry about my height… i had joined the gym at the age of 15 at that time my height was 5’7 now mm of 19 still the same height… so please suggest me some of your product for better hormonal growth…

    Reply
  2. Akash Kotare says:

    Thanks Mukta!

    I really appreciate ur simple health tips.

    U r amongst those who share their knowledge for others sake.

    If u dont mind, can i ask u just one question?

    Reply
    • Mukta Agrawal says:

      You most welcome Akash.Thanks for appreciating my articles and Yes you can definitely ask whatever you want

      Reply
  3. virendra says:

    I want to know there are any herbal products and natural way to cure fatty liver as well as bowel thickness i am already using ur vitamin d and pre and probiotic.

    Reply
    • Mukta Agrawal says:

      Dear Virendra,

      The supplements which you are taking will help you in curing your bowel thickness.
      Fatty liver can be cured once you loose your belly fat.For that you need to take a lot of care in your diet.
      You should not be consuming any foods which are high in fat.

      Also the supplements other than you are taking

      1) karela vegeteterian capsule – Dosage- 2 capsules per day

      2) Omega 3 6 9- Flax seed oil capsules – Dosage- 3 capsules per day after meals

      3) Vitamin B12 – Dosage – 1 tab per day after meal

      These supplements can be consumed all together properly divided in a day and has no interactions.

      Reply
  4. Muthu says:

    You have written a simple but very useful article for understanding metabolism.
    I have skin problem for the past 20 years (doctors diagnose it, as psoriasis) Really, allopathic medicine/siddha medicine did not work. For the last 3 months, I started taking Flaxseed oil capsules. It is remarkably working well and the disease is under control but not completely gone, itching/scaling is still there, but much less. People say that it is due to immune system disorder. Can you suggest any additional food supplement, diet control for total elimination of this disease or atleast effective control of this disease

    Reply
    • Mukta Agrawal says:

      Hi Mutthu,

      Firstly thanks a lot for your wonderful review about the capsules.
      The advice from my side is that you need to keep your skin moist all the time.
      Foods to consume
      1) 2 Lt of water
      2) Citrus fruits
      3) almonds
      4) Raw vegetables like tomato,cucumber etc
      5) All coloured fruits and vegetables

      Supplement Advice
      1) Wheat germ oil
      Dosage – 2 capsules per day

      2) Almond Oil capsules
      Dosage – 2 capsules per day

      Try and avoid all kind of spicy foods in your diet

      I hope you got the desired answer if you have any further query please mail to- updates@inlifehalthcare.com

      Reply
  6. Bibhuti Bhanja says:

    Good one.and I really increase my metabolism by taking Oats with milk in the morning.Metabolism is the fact for every person to say good bye to the various diseaes.

    Reply
  7. Dr Bhavesh Thakkar says:

    Hi Mukta Agrawal….its a very useful n informative article. Very nicely explained in a simple languange….Thanks.

    Reply
  8. Dinesh Kumar says:

    Good Article and sure will help others to understand the importance of break fast. Can I ask one thing . how can we minimize the hyper pigmentation on face.Is there any diet / Vitamins available to reduce the Hyper Pigmentation.

    Reply
  9. Sulabh Jain says:

    This is the first time i came to know about so many things. Its quite awesome & wonderful article about metabolism. & its effect on our daily lifestyle.

    Thanks Mukta ji

    Reply
    • Mukta Agrawal says:

      Thank you sulabh for appreciating my article.But,I will be more happy if you start implementing the same in your lifestyle.
      Do share your experience with me .

      Reply
        • Mukta Agrawal says:

          Hi vinay the best way to improve bone health is to include calcium and protein in your diet also you need to check your vitamin D levels as it helps in calcium absorption.

          You can include foods like Milk, Curd, Buttermilk, Ragi. Rajgira, Spinach, Spirullina, Quinoa etc

          Reply
  10. Nitin Agrawal says:

    Great article, and the way of explaining it was really amazing. Its so simple to lead a healthy life but people doesn’t understand it and gets confused and stressed, due to the lack of knowledge.
    this article is very informative and helpful, actually its a wonderful guide to be followed to be healthy.
    I am following this basic things in my day to day life, and I must tell you it feels amazing, I am much more energetic, active and healthy.
    keep up the good work.
    cheers

    Reply
    • Mukta Agrawal says:

      Thanks Nitin for reading my article and liking it.I completely agree with you that it is very simple to lead a healthy lifestyle, just the right approach and determination are required.
      Best of luck for the healthy routine which you are following do maintain the same and please keep sharing your views.

      Reply
    • Mukta Agrawal says:

      Thanks bharat for appreciating the article.
      No, I do not advice for walk immediately after Lunch/Dinner.
      For the simple reason is after having meal’s metabolism of the body is required to digest the food and if you start walking at that time then there are high chances of the digestion process getting suffered.
      In ideal situation a person should sit in Vajrasana position for 5-10 min after having Lunch/Dinner

      Reply
  12. Praveen says:

    Thanks for sharing such an in-depth article on Metabolism. This is very interesting and helpful. I shall try best to follow this and keep you posted on the updates.

    Regards,

    Praveen Bellur

    Reply
    • Mukta Agrawal says:

      Thanks Praveen for appreciating the article.
      I will be waiting for your updates. Please feel free to ask more queries and questions I am there to help you.

      Reply
  13. raj says:

    Great article on metabolism.In fact you said each and everything about metabolism which is very essential in todays modern life.your tips of exercising at home is very good for those persons who can’t go to gym and bedtime snack should be protein rich which is very essential as our body receives nothing during sleep.Tell me more about omege 3,6,9 fatty acid and which is good and how we can get it naturally.Else you are doing a great job mukta.Take care and god bless you.

    Reply
  14. Mohammad Chand Khan says:

    Good one…
    Simple & Effective tips -> Thank you
    Difference between Weight loss & Muscle Loss is a very important point , wrong dieting could make you loose your muscle and also weak!

    Also in this comment i would like to share my regular breakfast schedule :
    i split my morning nutrition into parts ( i prefer calling nutrition rather than break fast ) .. i start with 6.00 in the morning with a glass full of milk , then at 7.00 a bowl of Oats , and half an hour later 7.30 scrambled eggs (a little of olive oil in it i think wont affect ) and half an hour later a Fruit diet – a bowl of mixed fruits or a single fruit cut into pieces
    ( This would be my Morning nutrtion daily! )

    this gives me my Protien from Milk and eggs, Charbohydrates and fibre from Oats , and nutrients from fruits …
    ( any additions or subtractions from this – suggestions pls! )

    and Thanks again for the article 🙂

    Reply
    • Mukta Agrawal says:

      Thanks Mohammad for liking the article and also for sharing your daily morning nutrition with me.
      I would surely like to comment on it.

      Firstly, I would like to tell you that one should never have fruit along with three main meals.
      For the simple reason that main meal for example breakfast already has some carbohydrate in it like oats and you should not combine two different types of carbohydrates.

      Fruit is a complete meal in itself and hence it should be consumed two hours after your major meals.
      My suggestion to you is to take

      A glass of milk + oats ( Protein and CHO combination)
      After 2 hours
      1 fruit with eggs (Protein and CHO combination)

      Hope i’ve resolved you query.

      Reply
  15. Ta Arnault Praharsh says:

    This metabolism article found to be wonderful, needs to be brought in daily schedule, however for thyroid-issues, as you mentioned in your article, i avoided cabbage and cauliflower and so on…..its working.

    Reply
    • Mukta Agrawal says:

      Thanks Ta Arnault for appreciating the article.Please share your experiences with me after implementing above mentioned things in your daily schedule.

      Reply
  16. Nikhil says:

    I have gone through your entire Metabolism article. So nicely elaborated the importance of Metabolilsm which is very simple to understand.
    This simple but effective techniques of boosting Metabolism will surely help me.
    This article signifies your expertise in the field of Nurtritionist.

    And as a customer I feel that i am in safe hands by using right Inlife products with right advise.

    Cheers
    Keep sharing Keep caring.

    Reply
    • Mukta Agrawal says:

      Thanks Nikhil for such a wonderful compliment. But i will only say that Inlife & i are nothing without you all, our customers are our top priority.
      Keep taking good care of your health.

      Reply
  17. rishabh agarwal says:

    very nice article very brief descriptipn about metabolism. i will try to follow the basic requirments which are been mentioned in the article.

    Reply

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