You’ve probably heard people blame their weight on a slow metabolism. We’ve probably done it too. We tend to further blame it on aging. Is age a primary factor of metabolism? Is metabolism really the cause of weight gain? And if so, what are the possible ways to boost metabolism?
Coach Mia and Coach Bunny share what they discovered thru their own transformation experience, mentoring women, and continued research.
What is Metabolism?
In simple terms, metabolism is the internal process by which your body expends energy and burns calories. It runs 24/7 to keep your body moving, even when you’re resting or sleeping, by converting the food and nutrients you consume into the energy your body needs in order to breathe, circulate blood, grow and repair cells, and everything else it does to survive.
The Mayo Clinic further explains it as “converting food into energy” — energy that our body needs to digest, absorb, transport, and store essential nutrients it needs to stay alive and functioning.
There is some truth that weight gain/weight loss is linked to metabolism. However, contrary to common belief, slow metabolism is rarely the cause of excess weight gain. Our metabolism affects our body’s basic energy needs. But how much of what we eat and drink along with how much physical activity or exercise we do are the things that ultimately determine our weight and our fat loss.
Some things that matter
- Being a Woman. It’s true that our gender influences your metabolism. Men naturally have higher metabolism only because they have more muscles than women. Women, as we age, tend to lose muscle mass, replaced by fat. Fat slows down metabolism. Our sex hormones also play a major role in how we consume and expel energy.
- Our Age. It’s partly true that as we age our metabolism slows. With age, muscle mass decreases, and fat content rises. Again, for women, our hormonal balance changes with decreased estrogen, triggering even our moods, and food cravings.
- Our Body Composition. (Body Fat %) Let’s face it, fat occupies more space in our body, is less dense, and contributes nothing to burning calories. A high Body fat% is both a cause and an effect of slow metabolism.
What really matters to boost metabolism
4. What We Do. Our daily activity and exercise help maintain muscle mass, triggers hormones to function properly and contribute to a better functioning body. When our body repairs from a strenuous exercise, metabolism increases.
5. What We Eat. (Thermogenesis/ Thermic Effect of Food) Simply put, it’s the energy used in the processing of the food we eat. The digesting, absorbing, transporting, and storing of the food we eat consume energy. The breaking-down of food burns calories. Certain types of food break-down quicker with less energy needed and expelled. Certain natural whole foods we eat tend to get digested slower and longer, thus needing more energy, and increase calorie burn.
Hack and Boost Metabolism with Food
FYFG Coaches Mia and Bunny learned to boost metabolism by changing the quality of food they ate, and the portions they had. Here are 2 Hacks they live by.
Hack #1: Increase the diversity of plants in your diet (fruits and vegetables, whole grains), and lean protein.
Foods that boost metabolism
- Lean Protein-rich Food -These take more TEF to digest, absorb, and process. These also make you feel fuller for longer, hindering over-eating.
- Eggs
- legumes,
- nuts and seeds,
- tofu, tempeh,
- lean red meat, fish, and poultry.
- Iron, Zinc, and Selenium-rich food – These are usually found in most fibrous vegetables. These types of food also support healthy thyroid function, which regulates our metabolism.
- broccoli,
- kale, spinach,
- edamame,
- legumes, and pulses (for their protein and fiber content).
- Chili Peppers, Cinnamon, Ginger – Adding these into your dishes has a thermogenic effect. Some science reviews have shown that it can help burn up to 50calories.
- Oolong and Green Tea – Aside from their antioxidant properties, Green Tea has been known to have higher TEF than other teas and coffee. Refrain from adding other additives like cream or sugar.
- Coconut Oil – Being an MCT (Medium Chain Triglyceride), this type of oil gets absorbed better and metabolized in the liver to convert into energy faster. Thus, it less likely to get stored as fat.
- Whole Grains and Pseudo-Grains. Whole grains such as brown/red rice that have higher fiber content than white rice. Pseudo-grains are buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa. These have higher protein and fiber content than regular grains.
Other factors contribute to Thermogenesis:
- The size of your meal. – Having very little on your plate with lettuce leaves and a few tomatoes and cucumbers will not contribute to any calorie burn. However, neither will a large calorie meal be the answer. Eating a well-portioned balanced meal is best.
- What’s on your plate – What you have on your plate matters on how fast that gets burned. Lean Proteins are about 20% TEF, as compared to simple starch carbs 5%. However, consuming high amounts of animal protein can lead to higher saturated fat that triggers inflammation and other NCDs. Consuming lean protein is best. Consuming High-Fiber Carbs are about 5-10% TEF.
- The number of meals in a day – Having balanced 3 meals a day burns more calories than having it broken down into smaller meals throughout the day. Snacking is considered a ‘meal’ in this case.
- Eating at irregular meal hours. An irregular meal pattern — 3 meals on one day, 9 meals the next day, 6 meals the next day — has been shown to induce a significantly lower TEF. A regular meal pattern that has roughly the same sized meals lends to higher calorie burn.
Hack #2: Eat less of processed food, white flour (white bread, pastries), and reduce sugar.
Foods that slow it down
- White Flour and its products – White flour has been overly processed to remove any natural fibers, thereby making it one fo the quickest to digest. Hardly any calories are burned in digesting these, slowing down metabolism. Plus consuming white flour bread, cakes and pastries has been linked to increased insulin, blood sugar, and diabetes.
- Vegetable oils and hydrogenated fats. These are oils that are highly processed and contain high levels of Omega-6. Omega-6 has pro-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, studies have shown that omega-6 fatty acids promote insulin resistance, which contributes to a higher risk of obesity.
- Sugary food and drink. Soda or drinks with high-fructose corn syrup increase blood sugar and insulin. Over time, this causes insulin resistance. Sugar is stored into fat rather than burned as fuel. Plus, sugary food promotes poor gut health and poor immune system.
- Processed and overly-Processed food. Think of your favorite fast food resto menu, large-scale manufactured processed meats, and cheeses, packaged cookies, etc. The chemical additives that make them shelf-stable deteriorate good gut microbiome and slow down metabolism.
Imagine If
Imagine taking control of your diet, with more food and drink that boost metabolism. Consider how much of it you take so to benefit your metabolism. Imagine eating a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits in your meals. You’re selecting leaner meats, and protein. The journey to boosting metabolism begins here. Couple this with less sugary and processed foods/ sauces and you’ll get there faster. Your body will begin to function the way it’s meant to be. Inflammation reduces. Immunity increases. Good gut microbiome thrives. Hormones rebalance, and fat loss happens. Now that’s FIERCE!