age is really just a number

Just say “No” to “Fat burning” supplements or any pills that claim to boost your metabolism. Many of these supplements have detrimental side effects and the ingredients can be contaminated, since they are not regulated by the FDA. Many women ask me how they can increase their metabolism to help with weight loss. There are natural ways you can improve your metabolism without risking your health. 

Here are My Top Ten Tips:

Drink More Cold Water. Many of us walk around dehydrated every day. You should drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water each day. Studies show that drinking 17 ounces (0.5L) of water increase your metabolism by 10-30% for about an hour. This effect is increased if the water is cold. Your body needs to use calories to heat up the water. I personally drink 16 ounces of cold water first thing in the morning. I feel like it gets my metabolism going. One study of overweight adults found that those who drank half a liter of water before their meals lost 44% more weight than those who didn’t. It fills you up and increases your metabolism. A win-win!

Eat More Protein. Eating food can increase your metabolism for a few hours. This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF). It’s caused by the extra calories required to digest, absorb, and process the nutrients in your meal. Protein causes the largest rise in TEF. It increases your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats. Eating more protein can also reduce the drop in metabolism often associated with losing fat. This is because it reduces muscle loss, which is a common side effect of dieting.

Do a High-Intensity Workout. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves quick and very intense bursts of activity. It can help you burn more fat by increasing your metabolic rate, even after your workout has finished. This effect is believed to be greater for HIIT than for other types of exercise. What’s more, HIIT has also been shown to help you burn fat. One study in overweight young men found that 12 weeks of high-intensity exercise reduced fat mass by 4.4 pounds (2 kg) and belly fat by 17%). So, mix it up and add a few high-intensity workouts to your usual routine.

Add Weight Training to Your Workouts. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat and building muscle can help increase your metabolism. This means you will burn more calories each day, even at rest. Lifting weights will also help you retain muscle and combat the drop in metabolism that can occur during weight loss. Weight Training, even body weight exercise, is important for building and retaining muscle. Higher amounts of muscle will result in a higher metabolism.

Stand up More. You wonder why your Apple Watch keeps telling you to stand up? Sitting too much is bad for your health. Sitting is the “new” smoking. This is partly because long periods of sitting burn fewer calories and can lead to weight gain. If you have a desk job, try standing up for short periods to break up the length of time you  spend sitting down. You can also invest in a standing desk, or a standing laptop stand for your desk. This is the one I use when I’m writing.

Drink Green Tea or Oolong Tea. Green tea and oolong tea have been shown to increase metabolism by 4–5%. These teas help convert some of the fat stored in your body into free fatty acids, which may increase fat burning by 10–17%. As they are low in calories, drinking these teas may be good for both weight loss and weight maintenance. It’s thought their metabolism-boosting properties may help prevent the dreaded weight loss plateau that occurs due to a decrease in metabolism.

Eat Spicy Foods. Peppers contain capsaicin, a substance that can boost your metabolism. However, many people can’t tolerate these spices at the doses required to have a significant effect. Thai food that lights your tongue on fire doses. Alone, the effects of adding spices to your food may be quite small. However, it may lead to a slight advantage when combined with other metabolism-boosting strategies.

Get More Sleep. We are a nation of sleepyheads. Lack of sleep is linked to a major increase in the risk of obesity. This may partly be caused by the negative effects of sleep deprivation on metabolism. Lack of sleep has also been linked to increased blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, which are both linked to a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It’s also been shown to boost the hunger hormone ghrelin and decrease the fullness hormone called leptin. This could explain why many people who are sleep-deprived feel hungry and struggle to lose weight. The average adult needs at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. How much sleep are you getting?

Drink Coffee. Studies have shown that the caffeine in coffee can boost metabolism by 3–11%. Like green tea, it also promotes fat burning. However, this seems to affect lean people more. In one study, coffee increased fat burning by 29% for lean women, but only 10% for obese women. Coffee’s effects on metabolism and fat burning may also contribute to successful weight loss and maintenance.

Replace Cooking Fats with Coconut Oil. Unlike other saturated fats, coconut oil is relatively high in medium-chain fats. Medium-chain fats can increase your metabolism more than the long-chain fats found in foods like butter. In one study, researchers found that medium-chain fats increased metabolism by 12% compared to long-chain fats, which raised it by just 4%. Due to the unique fatty acid profile of coconut oil, replacing some of your other cooking fats with it may have modest benefits for weight loss.

The Bottom Line

Instead of looking for a “fat burning” supplement that is unhealthy, you can make small lifestyle changes and incorporate these tips into your routine to boost your metabolism. Having a higher metabolism can help you lose weight and keep it off, while also giving you more energy.