Boosting Your Metabolism

Question: I've read that boosting your metabolism is the key to losing body fat.  Is this true?  

I would like to lose 10 pounds of stubburn fat that just won't seem to go away no matter how much I reduce the calories I eat everyday.  If increasing my metabolism is the answer could you give me some tips on how to do it safely without drugs or dangerous supplements because I've heard that things like ephedra, Trimspa and even hoodia might not be safe to take.  Can you help me?

Answer:  Yes I can help you.

You're absolutely right.  Boosting your metabolism is the key to weight loss / fat loss.  Supplements can assist you...but they're not necessary.  You can do it 100% naturally. 

What I'm going to do is tell you a little bit about what metabolism is and how it effects your weight loss / fat loss goals. Then give you some simple things you can do to increase your metabolic rate immediately.

What is Metabolism?

Your metabolism refers to how your body goes about extracting energy from food (burning calories), building and repairing tissue and organs, and how efficiently it does this. That last part about efficiency is a key point in weight loss and weight gain.

Fast metabolism vs. slow metabolism

It's safe to say that people with fast metabolisms burn the calories they consume more efficiently than people with slow metabolisms.

It's also true that boosting your metabolism will help you burn the calories you consume more efficiently.  The goal then is to make you a more efficient calorie burner.  When you become a more efficient calorie burner you can actually eat more food (calories) than you do now while at the same time lose body fat you want to lose.

Tips to Boosting your Metabolism

There are many things you can do to increase your metabolism. Here are a few..

1. Eat 5-6 times a day

This seems to be illogical, but it really works wonders! 

When you reduce your calories and the frequesncy of your meals throughout the day you are sending a signal to your body that it needs to retain body fat.  Why does this happen?  It's actually a survival mechanism.  Your body is programmed to treat a prolonged reduction in calories and infrequent food intake by going into "starvation mode".

Starvation mode is characterized by a lowing of the body's metabolism.  In starvation mode the body looks to store as much fat as possible.  You will actually lose muscle and gain bodyfat as your metabolism gets lower and lower.  Not a good situation.

The opposite happens when you show your body that you have an abundance of food available.  In this situation your body's metabolism will increase and you will shed body fat and increase your muscle mass.

What I suggest is that you eat 5-6 small meals each day.  By doing this you will naturally boost you metabolism, increase you muscle mass and shed body fat.

2. Get on a good weigh training program

Muscle is metabolically active and fat is metabolically inactive.  What does that mean?  It means that muscle burns fat - fat does not.

Think of it this way...the muscle on your body is like a furnace that needs fuel to keep going.  The more fuel put on the fire, the hotter it burns.  That's why muscular people can eat more (within reason) and still not get fat.

Conversely, the fat on your body...burns nothing.

It's simple...you can increase your body's muscle mass by lifting weights...so just do it.

3. Eat healthy fats

"What! Doesn't eating fats make you fat?"

I know this seems like yet another paradox but it's true...there are some fats, like coconut oil and Omega-3 oils, that will actually help you burn more body fat.  Let's take a quick look at both of these beneficial fats.

1. Coconut Oil
   
   Back in the 1940's farmers discovered that attempts to fatten up their animals with coconut oil produced the effect.  The animals actually became leaner and more active.
   
   Coconut oil is a saturated fat, like animal fat, yet structually different in that it is made up of medium-chain as opposed to long-chain fatty acids.  This means that coconut oil molecules are small enough to be absorbed directly into the liver to be used as an immediate source of energy.  The end result is that this fat is not at all likely to be stored as bodyfat.
   
   
2. Omega-3 Oils
   
   One of the main reasons omega 3 oil increases fat metabolism is because of its effects on the hormone insulin.  Insulin inhibits the enzyme lipase which breaks down fat for use as energy and activates the enzyme that converts carbohydrates into fat.
   
   Insulin encourages the use of fat for storage (it's increased when you're in starvation mode) and reduces the use of fat for fuel.  Therefore...lower insulin levels mean better conversion of fat for energy as opposed to storage.
   
   Natural sources of omega-3 fats: sardines, salmon, herring, mackeral, walnuts, flax seeds, mustard seeds, pumpkin seeds, spirulina and green-leafy vegetables.

4. Stay well hydrated

There's a saying that "water is the ultimate solution".  That's a cute play on words...but it's really true.  Everything thing that happens in the body...every function...every chemical reaction...takes place in, and is dependent upon, the presence of water. 

Metabolism is no different.  Without enough water in your system metabolism slows down.  Therefore, in order to insure that things run smoothely and efficiently you need to be well hydrated at all times.

8...eight ounce cups of water a day is a starting point.  Your diet, activity level, climate you live in, etc., all play a factor in the amount of water you need to stay hydrated.

Drink and be merry.

Conclusion

Boosting your metabolism is essential if you want to lose bodyfat and have a muscular physique.  Boosting your metabolism is easy.  All you need to do is eat 5-6 meals a day, lift weights, eat healthy fats and stay well hydrated.

There's no need for fancy supplements.  Some of them are okay, and they can help can help...but they're not necessary.  Boosting your metabolism can be done naturally.  Now it's up to you to do it.