There is a lot of talk about slow metabolism and weight loss, understand exactly what the relationship between the two is, how it happens and how to reverse it.
Everyone knows a person who eats everything in large quantities and doesn’t gain weight, right? While others go on a diet, and still can’t lose weight so easily. Obviously, several factors are related to weight loss or gain, and one of them is the famous slow metabolism.
There is a lot of talk about food, the weight loss process and slow metabolism. However, not everyone knows exactly what the latter is and how it influences a person’s weight. Briefly, we can define metabolism as the set of chemical reactions that take place in our body and that keep us alive.
Therefore, people who have this accelerated action end up having an easier time expending energy and consequently losing more fat. Unlike those who do not have such an accelerated functioning, the famous slow metabolism.
So, today we will demystify what a slow metabolism is, what can influence it and tips on how to reverse the problem. In addition, it is clear to understand the relationship between metabolism and weight gain.
slow metabolism
Before talking about slow metabolism, we have to understand what metabolism itself is. Firstly, we have to know that each person has an organism with unique characteristics and works in a different way. Definitely, no one is like anyone else. And it is precisely this functioning that we are going to talk about today.
As previously stated, metabolism is all the chemical reactions that take place in our body. From the simplest, such as opening your eyes and breathing, to the most complex, such as food digestion and energy expenditure. So, we can also say that all these chemical reactions are responsible for transforming the calories in the food we eat into energy to keep our cells functioning. This complex system of biochemical reactions is what builds and deconstructs the molecules responsible for making the organism function.
Therefore, there are individuals who have this activity much faster than others, and therefore end up using much more energy than those who have a longer activity, what we call slow metabolism. So, you’re on a diet, eating right, exercising regularly and you can’t lose the weight you want? Perhaps the problem is slow metabolism.
Slow metabolism and weight gain
To understand the relationship between weight gain and slow metabolism, we need to keep in mind that everything we eat has calories, and excess calories, that is, those that do not become energy, are transformed into fat.
Therefore, a person’s weight is defined more precisely by energy balance. Also called energy balance, it is a term corresponding to the calculation made from the total calories ingested throughout the day minus what we spend during that period. Therefore, when we consume more calories than we expend, the balance becomes positive, and results in weight gain, since the body stores more energy in the form of fat.
Knowing this, the body burns these calories, that is, transforms them into energy in three situations: during rest, when we eat food and when doing physical activities. The first, called basal metabolism, is the one with the greatest genetic influence, and corresponds to 60% of all caloric expenditure. The second situation that influences metabolism is food thermogenesis, which burns calories and transforms them into energy when ingesting food. In this case, it corresponds to a caloric expenditure of 20%.
And last but not least, there is metabolism related to physical activity. So, when exercising, the body is burning calories, which can vary between 20 to 40% of caloric expenditure depending on each person’s level of physical activity.
So, knowing that everything we eat turns into energy, in the case of those who have a slow metabolism and don’t use as much energy, everything that is left ends up turning into fat. Therefore, people with poor metabolism are more prone to weight gain and tend to have more difficulty losing it.
Causes of slow metabolism
Several factors can influence the slowness of metabolism, such as the person’s living conditions, and especially diet. Therefore, metabolism is influenced by genetics, age, weight, sex, hormonal changes such as thyroid, for example, sedentary lifestyle, etc.
However, for a healthy person without any type of health complication, the cause of slow metabolism may be unhealthy habits, especially regarding diet and lack of physical activity.
When it comes to food, an unbalanced diet is the main factor in slow metabolism, since most of the foods eaten do not require much effort from the body to be digested. And more than that, in addition to not providing a significant caloric expenditure, foods such as simple, refined carbohydrates, sugars and ultra-processed foods release a lot of glucose, resulting in blood sugar spikes.
Therefore, it is very important to choose the foods you eat carefully, giving preference to those that allow the body to expend more energy when eating them. An example of this are proteins, which in addition to using more calories, also bring more satiety. And also the regular practice of physical exercises that stimulate metabolism.
Tips on how to reverse slow metabolism
So, as we have seen so far, a slow metabolism does have a great influence on weight gain, but it is not the only reason for this. But, if you suspect that you may have a slow metabolism, the first step is to consult an endocrinologist. He will do a metabolic rate test and from this he will be able to diagnose whether there is a slow metabolism and then offer the best treatment to speed it up.
However, if you do not have any serious health condition, some changes in habits can improve your metabolism and reverse the situation, favoring weight loss and increasing your mood:
Eat thermogenic foods
Foods called thermogenic are those that help speed up metabolism. Among the main ones are peppers (the hotter they are, the more they accelerate metabolism), cinnamon, ginger, caffeine (coffee and tea), green tea and garlic. All of these foods help to increase body temperature, consequently accelerating metabolism and promoting fat burning. Therefore, the tip is to include these foods in your diet and consume them daily.
Increase protein consumption
Foods rich in protein are also essential in the diet of anyone who wants to have an accelerated metabolism. This type of food causes the body to spend more calories to process its nutrients during digestion and also stimulates muscle mass gain. So, the more muscles, the faster your metabolism will be. Therefore, try to eat more meat, chicken, eggs, fish and cheese in the main meals of the day.
Consume fibers
Another thing that cannot be missing from your diet is fiber. This is because fibrous foods require greater effort to be digested, increasing caloric loss and also help to delay the release of glucose in the body, prolonging the feeling of satiety in the body. So, instead of white bread, opt for wholemeal, and invest in a diet full of fiber.
Avoid skipping breakfast
Breakfast is one of the main meals of the day, because the body needs energy after long hours of fasting at night. Therefore, this meal has a great influence on the speed of metabolism throughout the day. So, when we skip this meal, the body tends to reduce fat burning in an attempt to conserve energy, slowing down the metabolism. Therefore, if the intention is to speed it up, the tip is to have breakfast within an hour of waking up, including healthy foods, such as fruits, fiber and proteins.
Drink green tea
As previously mentioned, green tea is a thermogenic, rich in catechins and caffeine, which helps to speed up metabolism. And more than that, the polyphenols present in green tea also reduce the accumulation of fat and promote its burning, which can help with the weight loss process. Therefore, the ideal is to consume 3 to 5 cups of green tea daily to have effects on metabolism.
Do physical exercise regularly
Not just to lose weight, but regular physical activity helps to tone and increase muscle mass, helping to speed up your metabolism. In this way, muscles use more energy than fat cells, therefore favoring caloric expenditure. Furthermore, physical activity also causes metabolism to continue increasing for up to 4 hours.
The ideal is to include physical activity in your routine, such as weight training or strength training 2 to 3 times a week. You can choose to walk, run, swim, ride a bike if you are unable to do high-intensity training.
Relieve stress
Stress and anxiety are responsible for the production of cortisol, a hormone that increases the production of fat in the body and slows down the metabolism. Therefore, it is very important to try to control and alleviate stress and anxiety. Although it is not so simple, it is possible to do this with pleasant activities such as walking and stretching, relaxing activities such as meditation and yoga or a hobby that makes you happy and distracts you in moments of tension, such as painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, etc. .
Sleep well
Sleep is essential for the proper functioning of the body and also has a great influence on metabolism. Therefore, sleeping 8 to 9 hours a night, quality sleep is essential to regulate hormonal production, improve mood and stimulate muscle mass gain. Furthermore, it is during sleep that muscles recover from training and grow, and as we know, the more muscle mass, the faster the metabolism and calorie burning.
Anyway, what did you think of this article? In fact, take the opportunity to also check out How to lose weight quickly and healthily? 20 useful tips, without radicalism.
Sources: Boa Forma Filóo Saúde Tua Saúde Minha Vida
Images: Formularium Biologia Net Tribuna da Produção Bodybuilding Fanatics São Lucas VIX
