Metabolism is THE essential factor in helping you lose weight. But what hides this somewhat barbaric term? Why is it so important when you want to lose weight … or gain weight ?
Metabolism is a set of chemical reactions regulating the functioning of our body and in particular our digestion.
Metabolic functioning thus plays a role in weight loss, provided it is high, then helping to improve the rate of calorie elimination.
What is metabolism?
To be clear, your basic metabolism corresponds to your caloric expenditure essential to maintaining the vital functions of your body : brain activity, breathing, cardiac activity, activity of your postural muscles, digestion, hormonal secretions , the regulation of body temperature.
This energy expenditure varies from one individual to another. The higher it is, the more calories you need to consume, without gaining weight. In addition to the basal metabolism, there are other energy expenditures linked to the sports activity carried out, the rhythm of life, the way of life, etc.
Sport rather than a diet… but not only!
When you want to lose weight, one of the solutions that immediately comes to mind is to go on a diet . We had also published here a comparison of the most effective slimming methods .
Yes, but that’s not a miracle solution. The body will put itself on alert to preserve itself, because of the lack of food. This is why it adapts by reducing its metabolism and therefore the number of calories consumed. In addition, the body will make sure to conserve its energy reserves. Therefore, instead of consuming fat reserves, it will use muscle tissue for energy purposes. In other words, you will lose muscle before you lose fat .
The solution to avoid this is to eat enough and with good frequency. You need to select your food wisely in quality and quantity.
In addition to controlling your diet, sport is your ally because it increases your metabolism . This is due in particular to the energy expenditure required by exercise and muscle gain . By practicing a sport such as bodybuilding, you will gain muscle mass . Your body will therefore expend more calories to make these muscles work, thus naturally increasing your metabolism. CQFD.
8 Ways to Boost Your Basal Metabolism
As you will have understood, the basal metabolism plays a crucial role in keeping the line. But since all men are not equal in this area, there are solutions to “hack” their metabolism, bypass it, stimulate it and sport a dream figure.
1. Take care of your diet
This indeed makes it possible to provide the nutrients (and therefore the energy) necessary for the proper functioning of the metabolism and the activation of your body.
No need to skip a meal thinking you’ll lose a few calories. Skipping meals, especially breakfast, slows metabolism and increases cravings. Since the metabolism is slower, eating later in the day will necessarily make you gain weight. It is therefore preferable to take small meals more often, which makes it possible to distribute the calories ingested more evenly. Plan four to five meals a day at set times and don’t hesitate to have one to two snacks rich in lean protein.
2. Favor metabolism-boosting foods
You can also fill your plate with fiber like whole grains, vegetables, and fruit , which are long-lasting satiators, as well as protein like meat, fish, and eggs.
The body actually spends more energy to assimilate them than the lipids which will be stored directly to form unsightly curves.
Conversely, avoid foods high in saturated fat such as butter, cold cuts, pastries, industrial dishes , and bite into avocados , fatty fish, oilseeds, without forgetting to season your dishes with vegetable oils. .
The ideal is to eat a balanced diet respecting the proportions of nutrients that the body needs to function well, i.e. 55% carbohydrates, 30% lipids and 15% proteins .
You can also find commercial metabolism boosters to help you burn fat faster. This is the case of L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10 or raspberry ketone, which have natural appetite suppressant and fat-burning properties.
To preserve your health, it remains imperative to consult your doctor before starting any cure, in order to know the possible contraindications.
3. Don’t forget to hydrate
Water deficiency slows metabolism and fat breakdown. Drink it throughout the day, especially if you exercise . In addition, water fills the stomach and provides a feeling of satiety, in addition to cleaning the impurities accumulated in the body.
4. Do regular physical exercise
Alongside food, the practice of physical activity is the other essential factor to increase your metabolism : doing sustained training can help boost it very quickly!
In fact, muscles consume more energy than fats. It is therefore essential to increase muscle mass by following a sports program of at least 30 minutes, consisting of short periods of cardiovascular exercises and low-intensity exercises.
Stay regular and rigorous, the ideal being to devote yourself to it three times a week.
5. Focus on morning jogging
Even if it means doing sports to increase your metabolism, you might as well do it the smart way! Prefer morning sessions that would stimulate more than a session in the middle of the day . This is due to the brutal awakening that you provoke on your metabolism after the rest phase that was the night.
The burst of energy therefore triggers the activity of your metabolism, allowing you to burn calories, even several hours after your sports session .