How can I raise my metabolism?

Question

I'm trying to get in shape, but I'm having a hard time doing it. Here's what I'm doing now:
- strength training twice a week for an hour with a trainer
- run on the treadmill or on the elliptical for 40 minutes to an hour 2-3 times/week
- eat b/w 1200-1400 (net) calories each day (net = calories eaten minus calories lost during workout)

I generally eat 3-4 meals per day, the only sugar I consume is in chai (small, nonfat) and I try to eat a lot of vegetables and fruit and if I'm having starches, they're whole wheat.

However, I'm a bit frustrated. I'm 125lbs and about 5' tall. I haven't lost weight or inches and I've been keeping this up for 8 weeks. Any suggestions? I've been thinking about working out in the morning instead to get my metabolism going, but any other healthy suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer 1

here are a few useful tips, that might help
Train With Weights
Supplement With Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are involved in the manufacture of hormones and repair of cell membranes in your body. With the right types of fats, your body can use these anabolically.
Every Little Bit Counts

Believe it or not, simply changing some simple daily habits can have a huge impact on your metabolism. Do you play the game of driving around the parking lot for twenty minutes waiting for the perfect space to open? Instead, park at the edge of the parking lot and walk to your destination.
You'll probably get there quicker, and burn some calories along the way. Other metabolism-boosting activities include standing instead of sitting, taking stairs instead of elevators, and even fidgeting!

Drink Cold Water

Eat Whole Foods

Increase Frequency Of Eating

Perform High Intensity Cardio

Increase Protein

Fluctuate Calories
Zigzagging calories is by far one of the most effective methods for keeping your metabolism revved. Homeostasis is the action your body takes to "remain stable." In other words, if you drop your calories, your body will try to slow your metabolism in order to keep things the same.

By zigzagging calories, you may be able to thwart this mechanism. Some people zigzag day by day - for example, if their target is 2000 calories, they'll consume 1800 one day and 2200 the next. I prefer to consume low calories for a week or two, and then raise calories for a week, and then drop them again.

good luck

Answer 2

It is said the green tea helps boost metabolism.

At your height and weight you're taking in too many calories. That's why you're not losing weight. If I understand your "net" calories numbers correctly, you eat more than the 1200-1400 calories a day and come up with those figures after you deduct your exercise?

The small-framed person needs far fewer calories than the person with the larger frame. On top of that, a woman who has "average muscles" or even "minimal muscles" will not burn up calories the way a body-builder type person (particularly a guy) would. It sounds like you're eating the right kinds of foods, although for small women carbohydrates are more of a problem than they are for many other people. If you want to lose weight you probably have to make sure you don't take in more than one serving of starches a day, and that should be a small serving.

A recent news program reported a study where people ate the same number of calories in fruits and vegetables while other people ate the same number in starches. The people who ate the fruits and vegetables did not gain weight on that number of calories while the starches-people did. In other words, the fruits and vegetables you're eating can stay.

I assume you've looked up the number of calories required to maintain the weight you have now on the frame you have?

It isn't difficult to keep calories down around 1200 in terms of what you eat. From there the work-outs would take calories away, and you'd probably end up losing weight.

Also, I don't know what your age is; but don't forget that with every decade your metabolism slows down a little more. In other words the older you are, the more you need to cut down on calories further.

Answer 3

You don't have much weight that you need to lose, so it will take you longer to drop a couple of pounds than someone that ways 160 pounds. Also, it doesn't matter what time of day you workout, that's just a myth. Now, are you sure you're calculating your calories correctly? So many people don't eat the correct portion sizes. Maybe you're eating more than you think. And make sure you're counting liquid calories, they add up. And I would be eating between 1200-1500 calories a day regardless of how much exercise you're doing. I write down everything that I eat and all of my exercises, but I don't take away the calories that I've burned and think of it as extra calories that I can eat. I hope I'm making sense. I stick to 1500 calories a day and I don't do the whole net calorie thing. The other thing is that you could just be building muscle which weighs more than fat. Good luck and I'm sure you'll get the results that you want soon!

Answer 4

Only one suggestion and alot more commentary: Eat more calories. The small amount of calories you're eating naturally lowers your metabolism. Do you still have lots of fatty deposits on your body? I would think that if you've trained for this long and are eating healthy, your body composition must be very ideal already. Muscles that are developed from exercise and eating right are much heavier than the fat that it replaced. If you work out in the morning, it's an idea... but like the others, not guaranteed to work. Maybe you need to re-evaluate what, personally, is the right body weight and shape for yourself. Maybe you're already there. Your habits seem to be very, very good. You can perhaps get checked out for hypothyroidism, which is common in middle-aged women and causes lowered metabolism, but I don't know if that is the group you belong to. On another note, natural raisers of metabolism are fidgeting while sitting, spicy foods, and caffeine (but don't over-intake). I wish you the best of luck! Remember, any exercise/diet regime is useless if you're constantly criticising your own body. Love yourself, first and foremost! Good luck!

Answer 5

Get active - it's a sure-fire way to increase the amount of muscle you have, which in turn will speed up your metabolism. Do a mixture of aerobic and resistance training for best results. And don't forget to be more active in your daily life too.

Eat little and often - there's evidence that eating small, regular meals throughout the day, rather than one or two large meals, may help to keep your metabolism ticking over. Surprisingly, around 10 percent of the calories we use each day go on digesting and absorbing food - so the more times you eat, the greater this effect is likely to be.

Eat plenty of protein-rich foods - research shows that around 25 percent of calories in a protein-rich meal may be burnt off. But make sure you choose low-fat protein foods such as lean meat, skinless chicken and low-fat dairy products.

Spice up meals - it's not an old wives tale after all! Spices like chilli are thought to raise metabolism by up to 50 percent for up to three hours after eating, due to increasing your heart rate. But before putting the local Indian takeaway on speed dial, work out which curries have the lowest calorie and fat content.

Swap you daily cuppa for green tea - there's evidence that it contains antioxidants that speed up metabolism.

Try a CLA supplement - more extensive studies need to be carried out before any definite conclusions can be drawn, but research has shown that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) might increase muscle and therefore boost metabolism.

Chill out - research shows that being very cold can increase metabolism by up to 20 percent.

Have a sauna - being very hot is also thought to boost metabolism by about 20 percent (but check you don't have any underlying medical problems that mean you shouldn't go in saunas or steam rooms).

Answer 6

Sounds good overall... I dont do half that and have lost 20 lbs so it doesnt make sense why you arent losing anything. I say keep doing what you are doing, maybe cut back more on your calories and instead of drinking Chai get regular coffee and add sweet n low to it. Water helps burn calories and boost metabolism so start drinking lots of water, I hate water, so I add these walmart brand flavors to it, I LOVE FRUIT PUNCH and they have zero calories. Keep going tho, Im sure youll start looking great and feeling great soon. Sometimes it just takes longer for others! Good job tho, at least you are doing something about it instead of just complaining about your weight.

Answer 7

Eat little and often at least 6 small meals per day
Exercise
Lots of water

You may be building muscle mass if you are weight training, that may be why the actual loss is lower than you would like

These sites have great info on boosting metabolism & staying healthy
http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories/burning_calories/boost_metabolism.htm

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/12ways.htm

http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/articles-submit/jeremy-likness/dont-let-metabolism-fall.htm

Sounds like you're working really hard. Good luck with it!

Answer 8

The more often you eat the faster your motabolism! i know what you are thinking, but try these following steps and you will see otherwise go and get advise from a dietry specialist, but they will only tell you the same thing i am telling you and i'm doing it for free.... For example You should be consuming food 5 times a day Breakfast: egg whites (no yolk), grilled chicken breast (no skin) Snack: fruit salad Lunch: basmati rice (no more then a clenched hand full), steamed vegies, tuna or salmon Snack: almonds, raisens, yoghurt (low fat) Dinner: Baked potato (no skin), grilled fish, steamed or boiled vegies etc. Note: for the vegies, choose non gassy vegies as vegies such as cabbage and leek will cause you go bloat. Excersise: walking, jogging, swimming and cycling are all good for toning! Hope this helps

Answer 9

A few steps you can take to improve your metabolism naturally are:

1. Drink Cold Water – Water is great to drink and you should be drinking a minimum of 8 to 10, glasses daily, of course, more is better. It will help increase your metabolism and remove toxins and fat. Drinking ice cold water before meals will shrink your stomach so you feel full quicker, and the cold water also helps to increase the metabolism.

2. Eat Every Three Hours – Eat a small balanced meal every three hours, including snacks. Meals and snacks should be balance, meaning they should contain a complete protein, carbohydrates, as well as natural fat. Failure to eat consistently can lead to a slower metabolism and fat storage. Skipping meals slows down your metabolism. To ignite weight loss you need to be consuming the right foods throughout the day in a balanced manner.

3. Don't Skip Breakfast – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, as it gets your metabolism running in high gear. You wouldn't drive to work on an empty tank and you shouldn't start your day without adequate nourishment. Your first meal sets your metabolism for the day and keeps it going as long as you eat every three hours. If you get up early and eat a late breakfast, you missed out on several hours of burning calories.

4. Don't Fear Fat – Fat has a bad rep. Many think fat makes you fat. This is false. The type of fat and how much fat you eat impact your body fat composition. Fat is needed by the body. Those who follow a very low-fat diet have a harder time ridding their body of fat. Choose natural healthy fats such as olive oil, avocados, various nuts, flax, and natural peanut butter.

5. Omit Trans Fat – Trans fat is the bad fat, the cause of weight gain, low energy, depression, cancer, and heart disease. You will never get the body you desire by eating "healthy" fast food, frozen dinners, etc. If it's man-made, it's not the best choice. Go with the foods Mother Nature provided to meet your fat loss goals.

6. Be Active Daily – Stay active at least six days a week. You can easily cycle cardio and weight training so it's balanced and not overbearing. In addition to that, take the stairs when possible or park further out to get that little bit of extra movement and keep the heart and lungs working optimally. Studies show little movements such as tapping your toes while working also helps to burn calories.

7. Do Cardiovascular Exercise – Cardio is heart and lung healthy. It also burns calories. Doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty can tap into fat stores and keeps the body burning calories at a high rate for about an hour after cardio is finished. If you fail to eat adequately daily, this can work against you. Doing morning cardio on very low calorie die can burn muscle. Another good time to incorporate cardio is in the evening, after your last meal. This allows you to burn calories so you are not sleeping on them. You do not have to implement a morning and evening session, choose one or the other or cycle between the two to prevent staleness and boredom.

8. HIIT It – Blend some High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) into your cardiovascular program from time to time to give your body and metabolism a good shock. The body is programmed to adapt. Therefore, the same cardio day in and day out can become stale real fast. Take one or two days a week and implement some HIIT to give the body an added shock.

9. Weight Train – Resistance training builds muscle, which is metabolically active tissue. The more muscle you acquire, the faster your metabolism. Muscle will put curves in the right places and allow you to eat more calories a day.

10. Listen to Your Body – Killing yourself with workouts is just as dangerous as not working out at all. Listen to your body and get proper rest. Don't train if you are ill or just simply too tired. Training in such a state can cause more problems than it solves.

If any of the above fail to prove results in 4 to 6 weeks, there could be an underlying problem, such as a food allergy, acidic pH, sluggish thyroid, hormonal imbalance, etc. If so, I recommend searching a natural healer in your area to determine the cause and work from there. For the most part, proper diet and herbs can correct any ailments.

I really hope this helps!

Answer 10

You might want to try additional weight training - if you haven't already. The more muscles the more your metabolism will increase. I had really good success also with Dr. Ian Smith's Fat Smash Diet - but it's not easy! Good luck!