Diet and Exercise to Increase Your Metabolism and Help You Lose Weight

For many people in the UK, our physical appearance is often a key concern, especially when we are continually exposed to lithe, beautiful bodies on social media and in magazines every day.  And, of course, obesity is a major problem in this country and a cause of many serious health conditions.  Controlling our weight and tone can be difficult, but we would like to share an approach you may not have tried before. With a little understanding of your metabolism, you could be well on your way to rude physical health once you understand how the right diet and exercise are effective for increasing your metabolism for weight loss.

What Is Your Metabolism?

In short, metabolism is a term that describes all the chemical reactions in your body that keep your body alive and functioning. It is also the collection of processes by which the food you eat is converted to energy – essentially, the chemical reactions that keep you alive. Metabolism is also thought of in terms of the rate at which this occurs. Our metabolism is fast as children and young teenagers but slows as we enter adulthood. However, the degree to which our metabolic rate varies and can also be changed.

Metabolic processes see food processed even at rest, as a function of keeping bodily processes ticking along. This is known as your basic metabolic rate. But for those with a slower metabolism, fewer calories are burnt over time. This can result in the gaining of weight if changes are not made to their lifestyle. But there are ways in which the metabolism can be sped back up – some of which involve the kinds of food we eat.

Diet and Your Metabolism

Certain foodstuffs can have the effect of increasing our metabolic rate, inspiring our bodies to burn calories quicker. Caffeine is well-documented for having this effect, especially if taken after breakfast. Green tea is also espoused as a way to increase your metabolism, being rife with both caffeine and healthy antioxidants.

There are also some no-go foods when it comes to your metabolic rate. Refined grains and sugars alike are full of carbohydrates, which can contribute to physical sluggishness as well as a slowdown of body processes. Alcohol is also a dangerous substance to consume in excess, taxing the liver and also contributing a lot of empty calories.

Good Habits to Form for Improving Your Metabolism

The Right Diet

While there are specific foods that can help to boost your metabolism, the simple act of creating a healthy, balanced diet can be a significant help in getting more from your body. The most common goal for any dieting person is to reduce the number of calories they are taking in, in order to create caloric deficit and lose weight; combining this goal with metabolism-boosting techniques can help you control your weight faster and see results sooner.

Two healthy diet approaches you might consider which are very similar are a low GI diet and a Mediterranean diet. In both instances, these are diets fad diets are are not based on miks and shakes, but good quality whole foods that will not only help increase your metabolic rate but also improve your general health.

But dieting is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and there may be a number of barriers preventing you from achieving the results you need.

In certain situations, extra medical support can be useful. In some extreme instances, people who are severely obese may be referred by their GP for gastric sleeve surgery. However, with the NHS under severe stress, there are currently major concerns about after-care for weight loss surgery.

Consulting surgeons about a gastric sleeve procedure could be a novel solution to any issues you are experiencing with long-term weight loss, being a medical intervention that enables you to control your eating easier. If you are considering gastric surgery, considering a private hospital might be a better option if you have the financial resources.

Whatever your decision, if you are considering gastric surgery it is essential you understand that this is major surgery and it also entails extensive long-term lifestyle changes.

Drink more water

Drinking water instead of sugary drinks is a must if you want to lose weight. But it seems that drinking water may temporarily speed up your metabolism. Drinking a large glass of water 30 minutes before you have a meal is particularly effective as it will also help you eat less.

Exercise

But any dietary interventions, regardless of their nature, should be backed up with a sympathetic increase in attention to exercise. Caloric deficits cannot be meaningfully maintained by diet alone, with exercise the best way to shave off the calories. It is also true that certain exercises can inspire a metabolism boost themselves – allowing you to address your calories in the most efficient possible way.

Explosive exercises that target more than one muscle group are best for spiking your metabolism, with burpees and jumping lunges a good place to start. Swimming and other relatively high-intensity workouts can also have a beneficial effect.