how do i speed up my metabolism?

Question

i have been eating very little and i have lost a lot of weight, (im 5"3 and i weigh 99lbs) im afraid that if i start eating normal again that i will gain weight, and i really dont want to! i just want to be able to eat "anything" again and not gain an ounce. i feel really bad about myself and everytime i eat something bad for me my stomach hurts and im not hungry for the rest of the day. please help! i dont want to count calories and grams of fat for the rest of my life!

i already exersize and ride my bike 15 min a day and take a 30min walk (every day) and there are a lot of hills, i live in new mexico, the hills are insane!

Answer 1

well for starters.. i REALLY don't think you need to worry abotu gaining weight... i'm 5'4 at 160 lbs..... i'm your opposite..lol.. but anyway. if you want to speed up your metabolism, you can try green tea extracts i find they work well, and eating a very small amount every hour or couple hours will also improve it (liek nto a emal.. but a few carrot sticks or some celerey.. som'n light and healthy), as the constant intake forces it to burn the food and therefore makes it want to keep at the pace even when your not taking anything in. and of course excersice... the last one is a given!!!

Answer 2

excersize everyday. ride your bike or something for at least a half hour. if you feel tired, and your really out of shape, just ride your bike for at least a half hour every 2 days. at least 2 or 3 times a week. build up from there. keep working at it so eventually you are exersizing every day. your metabolism will probably be pretty good when you dont feel that out of breath after riding your bike for a whole hour. so keep going. after about a month of riding your bike for a half hour, step it up to about 45 minutes, or a whole hour. when your riding your bike everyday for about an hour (and find a good course, where there are hills, and your not just going on flat level land, and your not going too slow) your metabolism will be to the point where you can go out and do whatever you want 1 or 2 days out of the week, eating whatever you possibly want to.

even when your at this point in life, you could still ruin your diet and gain all that weight back if you're eating too much ice cream, or just too much in general. you still have to watch your portions, and eat about 4 servings every meal. (when your on a diet, people will often be instructed to eat 2 or 3 portions every meal) but 4 is about right for the average body.

on the other hand, if you kept a strict diet every day, you could probably take one day out of the week, and eat whatever you could possibly want, and still be perfectly OK, as long as you stick to your exersize. its all about moderation. to much of anything in life will kill you, eventually. some things quicker than others.

so now that you know, good luck! i'm sure if youre smart enough to get that wieght off all by yourself, you'll be able to keep it off with being smart about what you do with your body, and what you eat.

Answer 3

Eat more and exercise. You need to gain weight, your 10 lbs underweight. I used to have the same fears as you. I used to eat almost nothing and was afraid that I'd gain too much weight once I started eating normal again. But once I started eating normal again, I was not able to gain a single pound. But I needed to gain weight because I was 5'7 and 86lbs. I was on 4000 cal day diet and wasn't able to gain weight besides water for 2 months or so. So just eat more and don't worry.

Answer 4

Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit and protein. Forget the potato chips and pizza and other carbohydrate foods. Your vegetables will provide enough complex carbs. to keep you healthy. You sound as though you are fairly light anyway, 99 lbs is not big! If you make sure you get enough protein you won't feel hungry and want to eat junk. If you get a busy life and are always running around you'll keep thin!

Answer 5

To maintain weight you must burn off as many calories as you consume and the best way is to get in a regular activity pattern. Find a "life-long" physical activity that you like to do and set up a regular schedule of doing that activity or a variety of "life-long" activities that you like. Adjust your activity level as you see yourself gaining or losing weight.

Answer 6

You are about 10-15 underweight now. If you eat healthy foods and get moderate exercise daily you'll be fine.

Answer 7

There is an interesting and informative section on Yahoo about this today. Check that out and ti will help out considerably.

Answer 8

start working out more often... and eat more often as well but smaller portions

Answer 9

The following healthy living recommendations will help you if you’re trying to lose weight, tone up your muscles, have aspirations of building lean muscle mass, are attempting to get a wash board stomach, or just want to feel better:

*1) Burn more calories then you're consuming everyday and measure your results using the following formula: Calories Consumed minus Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) minus Physical Activity minus the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). A website that explains this formula in more detail and will help you determine how many calories you need to reach or maintain a certain weight is at http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/...

Get an online, desktop, or cell phone diet and fitness calculator. This will allow you to easily calculate the above formula, set goals, log your daily calorie consumption, and register your physical activities.

Set realistic goals for your ideal body weight. Here are two websites that will calculate a suggested body weight:
Adults: http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.ht...
Teens/Children: http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/exercise/w...

It is difficult and unhealthy to lose more than one or two pounds per week. There are 3,500 calories in a pound. If you eat 500 fewer calories per day for a week you will lose one pound. If you burn through exercise 500 more calories per day for a week you will lose one pound.

Here are two articles on how to break through a weight loss plateau:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/86/...
http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/18/10...

*2) Eat natural and organic foods found on earth versus something created by a corporation to make money. Eat meals in small portions throughout the day and take a good multi-vitamin supplement.

Do not try fad diets or diet pills. Avoid “High Glycemic Load Carbs” (sugar, pastries, desserts, refined starches such as breads, pasta, refined grains like white rice; high starch vegetables such as potatoes) and drink lots of water. Read this article for more information on high GL Carbs:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsou...

The following are food pyramids and several articles on what you should eat everyday:
Food Pyramids:
http://www.rayandterry.com/html/images/p...
http://www.mypyramid.gov/
Antioxidant Superstars - Vegetables and Beans:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/104...
Antioxidant Loaded Fruits:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/104...
Good Carbs Mean Better Weight:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/100...
The Benefits of Protein:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/85/...
Some Fats Are Good For You:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/49/...
Antioxidants in Green and Black Tea:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/104...
What You Should Eat Daily:
http://www.oprah.com/health/yourbody/sli...
Best Foods to Fight off Disease and Keep You Healthy:
http://www.oprah.com/health/yourbody/sli...

*3) Perform cardiovascular, core, and/or strength training on most days. Read a book or find a certified trainer to make sure you're doing all exercises correctly.

The following is a website and numerous articles on cardiovascular, core, and strength training:
Exercise Prescription on the Net
http://www.exrx.net/
Starting an Exercise Program:
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/...
Strength Training Basics:
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/...
Cardiovascular Machine Workouts:
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/...
Balance Your Way to a Stronger Body:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/64/...
Understanding Your Training Heart Rate:
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/...
Exercise Errors:
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/...
Getting a Flat Stomach:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/71/...
Weight Lifting - Does Order Matter:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/80/...
Encouraging Exercise in Your Kids:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/95/...
Strength Training Safe and Effective for Kids:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/32/...

*4) Get plenty of sleep. Sleep experts say most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health, and safety.

*5) Educate yourself continually on health issues and make a life long commitment to good health. A great free publication is “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005”. A reputable test you can take to measure your biological age is at http://realage.com
Look at all areas where you can enhance your health. For example, make improvements in the quality of the air you breathe. Review outdoor air quality forecasts where you live and get an indoor air purifier.


*Click on all the source links below to get the full benefit of the recommendations. The answers presented to your health questions are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Answer 10

Certain individuals copy and paste my answers and they have been reported to Yahoo. If you see a duplicate of this answer please click on my picture and look up my answer history to see where this answer originated from.

Do some type of aerobic exercise and/or weight training on most days and don't skip meals.

The following healthy living recommendations will help you if you’re trying to lose weight, tone up your muscles, have aspirations of building lean muscle mass, are attempting to get a wash board stomach, or just want to feel better:

*1) Burn more calories then you're consuming everyday and measure your results using the following formula: Calories Consumed minus Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) minus Physical Activity minus the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). A website that explains this formula in more detail and will help you determine how many calories you need to reach or maintain a certain weight is at http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/weight/calsburned.htm

Get an online, desktop, or cell phone diet and fitness calculator. This will allow you to easily calculate the above formula, set goals, log your daily calorie consumption, and register your physical activities.

Set realistic goals for your ideal body weight. Here are two websites that will calculate a suggested body weight:
Adults: http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm
Teens/Children: http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/exercise/weight/bmi.html

It is difficult and unhealthy to lose more than one or two pounds per week. There are 3,500 calories in a pound. If you eat 500 fewer calories per day for a week you will lose one pound. If you burn through exercise 500 more calories per day for a week you will lose one pound.

Here are two articles on how to break through a weight loss plateau:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/86/99147.htm
http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/18/102117.htm

*2) Eat natural and organic foods found on earth versus something created by a corporation to make money. Eat meals in small portions throughout the day and take a good multi-vitamin supplement.

Do not try fad diets or diet pills. Avoid “High Glycemic Load Carbs” (sugar, pastries, desserts, refined starches such as breads, pasta, refined grains like white rice; high starch vegetables such as potatoes) and drink lots of water. Read this article for more information on high GL Carbs:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates.html

The following are food pyramids and several articles on what you should eat everyday:
Food Pyramids:
http://www.rayandterry.com/html/images/PyramidLRG.gif?osCsid=26a424be471d1337e7c2f105d5c64d9d
http://www.mypyramid.gov/
Antioxidant Superstars - Vegetables and Beans:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/104/107638.html
Antioxidant Loaded Fruits:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/104/107640.html
Good Carbs Mean Better Weight:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/100/105783.htm
The Benefits of Protein:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/85/98824.htm
Some Fats Are Good For You:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/49/40075.htm
Antioxidants in Green and Black Tea:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/104/107641.html
What You Should Eat Daily:
http://www.oprah.com/health/yourbody/slide/slide_yourbody_healthfood_201.jhtml
Best Foods to Fight off Disease and Keep You Healthy:
http://www.oprah.com/health/yourbody/slide/slide_yourbody_healthfood_101.jhtml

*3) Perform cardiovascular, core, and/or strength training on most days. Read a book or find a certified trainer to make sure you're doing all exercises correctly.

The following is a website and numerous articles on cardiovascular, core, and strength training:
Exercise Prescription on the Net
http://www.exrx.net/
Starting an Exercise Program:
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/activity/startexercise.htm
Strength Training Basics:
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/activity/trainbasics.htm
Cardiovascular Machine Workouts:
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/activity/cardiowork.htm
Balance Your Way to a Stronger Body:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/64/72314.htm
Understanding Your Training Heart Rate:
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/activity/thr.htm
Exercise Errors:
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/activity/errors.htm
Getting a Flat Stomach:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/71/81365.htm
Weight Lifting - Does Order Matter:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/80/96440.htm
Encouraging Exercise in Your Kids:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/95/103524.htm
Strength Training Safe and Effective for Kids:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/32/1728_81005.htm

*4) Get plenty of sleep. Sleep experts say most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health, and safety.

*5) Educate yourself continually on health issues and make a life long commitment to good health. A great free publication is “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005”. A reputable test you can take to measure your biological age is at http://realage.com
Look at all areas where you can enhance your health. For example, make improvements in the quality of the air you breathe. Review outdoor air quality forecasts where you live and get an indoor air purifier.

Send me an email or yahoo instant message to "gainbetterhealth" if you have any questions and good luck!

*Click on all the source links below to get the full benefit of the recommendations. The answers presented to your health questions are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.