How can I lose weight with a slow metabolism

In the last post I talked about what metabolism is and how it can vary between individuals, but what happens if your metabolism is slow?

Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of kcals you need each day to keep all the processes in your body functioning correctly, which comprises of roughly 60-70% of your overall energy burned during the day. This is typically what people refer to when they talk about metabolism or metabolic rate and it can vary a lot between individuals.

Although there are some telltale signs of a slow metabolism, the only real way to measure your metabolism is with metabolic testing. This can look at both resting (RMR Test) and during activity (VO2Max or metabolic efficiency test).

So let’s say you do have a slow metabolism? What can you do about it.

Firstly, if it has been established that you do have a low metabolism, you may wish to go and see your Doctor. Conditions such as hypothyroidism and Cushing's Syndrome can result in a slow metabolism, which need to be ruled out.

If from testing, we find that your metabolic rate is slower than we’d like, there are few things that you can do to help.

Eat more - Not always what people want to hear, but to get the body burning more, you need to eat more. This may result in a plateau in weight loss, but long term this will be the best thing for your body.
Incorporate protein in every meal – proteins have a higher thermic effect on food, and can raise your metabolic rate by upto 15–30%! Protein also helps keep you full and can prevent you from overeating.
· High-Intensity Workout – a quick and intense burst of exercise boost the metabolic rate beyond the exercise session. Kcals needed to recover after the session are the cause of this.
Getting fit with Aerobic Exercises – Adding in endurance activities such as walking, jogging, swimming and cycling into your week can help improve your bodies ability to burn more kcals during activity, help burn more at rest, your body becomes better at using fat as a fuel and can store more carbohydrates in the muscle which reduces the amount stores as fat.
Strength training – Although muscles do burn more calories than fat, the overall kcal expenditure from an increase in muscle mass is probably less than you think. However, an increase in muscle mass enables you to lift more weight and do more repetitions increasing your kcal burn during exercise. Muscles also act as storage for carbohydrates enabling you to eat more of them without turning to fat! Win win :) Suitable strength training activities should target major muscle groups, i.e., chest, back, shoulders and legs.
Be active better part of the day – being sedentary is dangerous. Try to stand more often while at the office. Studies show that standing up can burn more kcals so make the effort to walk more, ditch the lift for the stairs and try and get moving!
Get enough sleep – Lack of sleep is associated with an increased risk of obesity, insulin resistance, increased blood sugar levels. These again can be related to a slow metabolism.
What about supplements? Although supplements like caffeine and green tea extract are reported to have a small effect on your metabolism, this will have a negligible effect on any weight loss efforts. We're talking around 50kcals a day haha!

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Find out more at >> www.boxnutrition.co.uk/ignite