You eat healthy all the time, you count calories, you exercise, and yet you can’t lose weight? You might suffer from slow metabolism effects. Learn what slows down metabolism and how to fix a slow metabolism and get back on track!
Everybody says eating nutritious food and exercising will help you lose weight and get healthy. This is true, but sometimes, that’s not enough. And it can be frustrating to do all the right things and see no results. No matter how determined and consistent you are, you might feel like giving up.
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If you know this struggle all too well, you might have a low metabolism, also known as a slow metabolism. It might be due to all the bad eating habits you used to have or because you’re not consuming the right nutrients for your body. Or due to other lifestyle choices.
The good news is you can fix a slow metabolism. It takes determination and patience, but it can be done. I’m here to support you with tips and recommendations.
Before we discuss how to fix a slow metabolism, let’s make sure we’re on the same page with the definition of metabolism. Metabolism can be categorized into two types:
- catabolism – the process of breaking down molecules to obtain energy;
- anabolism – the process of synthesis that breaks down all the compounds needed by the cells in our body.
Since metabolism is closely linked to nutrition, your calorie intake needs can vary. A slow metabolism will burn fewer calories during activity and rest, leaving the person prone to gaining weight, while a fast metabolism will burn calories faster.
If you’re wondering what slows down metabolism, there are many causes for a low metabolism – some are medical problems, and some are habits that you can change. They differ from person to person, but the most common slow metabolism causes are:
- sleep deprivation;
- eating fewer calories than your body needs;
- nutrient deficiencies;
- not exercising;
- dehydration;
- hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland).
REASONS & HABITS
Now that you know the most common causes for a slow metabolism, it’s time to analyze your daily habits to find out why your metabolism is so slow. There are many slow metabolism symptoms and slow metabolism effects (and we will discuss them in a minute) you can experience but, even if you’re not, it’s good to change your unhealthy habits and to make healthier choices to fix or prevent a slow metabolism.
- You’re not eating enough – not eating enough can slow your metabolism. When you want to lose weight too fast, and you cut down too many calories, your body will try to conserve energy to function properly. Eventually, if you continue to deprive it of calories, your body will start to burn fewer and fewer calories, preventing you from achieving your goals.
- You binge eat – if you don’t eat the entire day and you eat a huge meal at dinner time or you starve yourself for hours and then give in and eat huge portions, your metabolism will slow down and go into survival mode. This means it will store fat and calories instead of burning them.
- You don’t eat enough protein – protein is not only important for muscle building, it is also important for fat loss. Lack of protein can increase hunger and insulin responses. When you lose control of your appetite, you’re more likely to binge eat. Most often, this means filling up on unhealthy carbohydrates like junk food. Furthermore, without protein, you’ll start to lose muscle tissue and slow down metabolism.
- You don’t eat carbs – even though cutting down carbs ensures fast weight loss, a low-carb diet usually backfires and you gain all the weight back very fast after you stop dieting. Another problem with low-carb diets is that your body will turn protein into blood sugar to maintain your energy and that will make you lose muscle mass. Not to mention the fact that carbs = fuel, and without carbs you feel tired, unable to exercise, and your muscles will be starved of energy. We're talking healthy carbohydrates like quinoa, vegetables, grains, and nuts.
- You eat refined carbs – cutting out carbs entirely from your diet is not recommended but neither is consuming refined carbs. Refined carbs will elevate your blood glucose levels, your pancreas will produce more insulin to prevent it from going too high, and then your liver will secret lipoproteins that will lead to an increase in your fat mass. This whole chain reaction can be easily prevented if you stay away from refined carbs and eat carbs that are clean, healthy, and nutritious.
- You sit too much – this doesn’t require any complicated explanation. Basically, the longer you sit, the slower your metabolism. We sit way too much nowadays – at our desk while working, on the couch while watching TV, driving, waiting for someone and so on. Just get up and move a little. Add strength training or aerobics to your daily activity (it's as easy as a fast walk and taking the stairs).
- You don’t sleep enough – to maintain our energy level, we need to rest and sleep. In this way, our metabolism will be healthy and will function properly. Sleep deprivation causes slow metabolism.
To identify all the slow metabolism causes, we have to talk about metabolic killers - foods that slow metabolism. Let’s see what we have on this list, shall we? We have…
- refined grains – large quantities of starch and gluten slow down your metabolism;
- alcohol – a glass of alcohol from time to time is fine but drinking alcohol often is linked to weight gain (not only due to the empty calories but also because alcohol decreases the body’s fat-burning ability);
- highly sprayed fruits and veggies – food contaminated with pesticides can also lead to slow metabolism and difficulty with weight loss;
- fruit juice – too much sugar in one drink – even though it’s natural sugar, one glass of juice can contain 22 grams of sugar. Now that’s a lot.
- soda – this is worse than juice – at least you get vitamins and nutrients from juice, but soda doesn’t bring anything but problems;
- fried food – filled with trans fats and high in calories, fried foods are known as foods that slow metabolism, and they are also linked to other health problems;
- frozen meals – I’m not talking about meal prep here, I’m talking about the frozen meals you can buy from the grocery store - those are usually high in sugar, fat, and salt to compensate for the lack of flavor;
- “healthy” treats – not the actual healthy treats but the fake ones such as granola bars and protein bars – some of them are high in sugar, corn syrup, artificial colors, and harmful preservatives, and all these cause a slower metabolism.
Slow metabolism symptoms can be fixed. Let me start by saying that because I don’t want you to lose hope. But, to fix the problems, you have to identify them (or prevent them if you’re not experiencing all of these slow metabolism effects).
The most common slow metabolism symptoms are:
- weight gain – unexplained gain weight that happens despite your efforts to eat healthily and count calories;
- difficulty losing weight – again, despite doing all the right things;
- lack of energy and fatigue – when you have a slow metabolism, your body burns energy at a slower rate, which can make you experience fatigue regularly;
- dry skin – dry skin is one of the slow metabolism signs because, unless that’s your skin type since forever, it shows that your cells aren’t very active;
- headaches – usually due to thyroid hormones;
- trouble staying focused;
- hair loss – the same process that makes your skin dry when you have a slow metabolism applies here.
If you want to learn how to fix your metabolism, you have to start making dietary changes and embrace foods and ingredients that will help you increase calorie burning.
- foods rich in protein – lean meat, eggs, dairy, fish, seafood, nuts, and seeds boost your metabolism with the digestion process and help you gain muscle;
- foods rich in zinc, selenium, and iron – these minerals are vital for your body, and they help the thyroid gland to function properly and regulate hormones;
- chili peppers – if you don’t mind the heat, chili peppers are a great way to boost your metabolism by burning calories and fat faster;
- coffee – coffee lovers, you can rejoice! Drink it moderately though and stay away from coffee drinks with tons of added sugar;
- tea – pretty much the same thing that happens when you drink coffee, happens when you drink tea thanks to caffeine;
- legumes and pulses – lentils, chickpeas, beans – all of them are high in protein compared to other veggies and plants, not to mention fiber and other amazing nutrients;
- cacao and cocoa extract – they stimulate the use of fat for energy so don’t shy away from dark chocolate (choose dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa);
- apple cider vinegar – it increases the amount of fat burned in a day (you can read more about the benefits of apple cider vinegar here);
- coconut oil – it contains healthy fats and it is turned to energy easily, compared to saturated fats.
STEPS FOR FIXING A SLOW METABOLISM
If you avoid all the mistakes and foods that slow metabolism, you’re on the right path. If you also eat foods that will help you increase your metabolism, you are even closer to your goal. However, to make sure you are successful, there are a few more things you can do. Follow these steps for how to fix your metabolism:
- embrace reverse dieting – increase your calorie intake by 100-200 calories per week until you reverse the metabolic damage, then you can go back to calorie restriction to lose weight;
- start high intensity interval training – weight training and fast-paced movement like briskly climbing stairs increases the number of calories you burn and it builds muscles, which will help increase your metabolic rate because you’ll burn more calories each day;
- increase your protein intake – protein is essential in muscle building and, as discussed, more muscle = faster metabolism;
- boost protein with protein powder – an easy and delicious way to get extra protein to increase your basal metabolic rate is to enjoy cleanish Plant-Based Protein Powder in your favorite smoothie or shake;
- eat full-fat dairy – calcium is good for the bones but also keeps your metabolism on an even keel;
- eat healthy fats – make sure you avoid saturated fats and you always choose healthy fats such as avocado, greek yogurt, and olive oil.
If nothing works and you still experience slow metabolism symptoms, you should consider talking to your doctor. There are medical conditions and health problems that can slow down metabolism. Some of these are excess cortisol (which also causes high blood pressure), Cushing's syndrome,and Diabetes. The hormones testosterone in males and estrogen in females can also slow your metabolism if unbalanced.
Medications (for example, some steroids and antidepressants) can sometimes play a role, and discussing that with your health provider may provide insight. A registered dietitian can set you on the right track to healthy eating, resulting in a higher amount of energy (giving you the ability to move more, more often). While eating healthy and following my tips may help improve things, knowing the root cause and treating it is best.
