Revitalize: 10 Powerful Ways to Reset Your Metabolism

by Becky Bell, RD

Have you ever felt like no matter how much you exercise or how strictly you diet, the scale just doesn’t seem to budge? You’re not alone. Many people struggle with a sluggish metabolism, which can make weight loss feel like an uphill battle. But what if you could reset your metabolism and get it working for you, not against you? As a Registered Dietitian and weight loss expert, I’m here to share some powerful, science-backed methods to help you do just that. In this blog post, we’ll explore why your metabolism might not be working optimally and unveil 10 practical tips to boost it, helping you achieve your health and fitness goals more effectively.

What is Metabolism?

When most of us hear the word “metabolism,” we think of burning calories. While that is part of what your metabolism does, it’s a whole lot more than that. Your metabolism is all of the processes in your body that convert your food into energy.

When your metabolism is not working efficiently, you may struggle to lose weight, but you might also experience other symptoms like low energy, digestive issues, and hormone imbalances.

Signs of a Slow Metabolism

So how do you know if your metabolism is unhealthy? Here are some common signs of a sluggish metabolism:

Not feeling hungry in the morning
Frequently cold
Bloating and constipation
Tired after eating
Sugar cravings
Belly fat
Needing snacks between meals
Weight loss resistance

Causes of a Slow Metabolism

You may assume that your age is to blame for your slow metabolism. But studies show that metabolism is relatively stable from ages 19-60. And even after age 60, metabolism only slows down by about 1% per year.

So what causes a sluggish metabolism? Here are the top reasons your metabolism may not be running optimally:

A long history of dieting:

If you’ve been jumping from diet to diet for years, your metabolism has likely adapted and become less efficient at burning calories.

Low calorie diets:

Undereating or chronically following low calorie diets also slows down your metabolism, making your body hang on to excess weight.

Poor gut health:

Lack of beneficial bacteria in your gut can alter your metabolism

Inflammation:

Inflammation drives metabolic imbalances and makes your body more likely to store body fat.

Unmanaged stress:

Stress stimulates the hormone cortisol and excess cortisol can affect your metabolism and cause your body to hang on to excess fat.

10 Proven Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

The good news is that it’s possible to reset your metabolism. Here are 10 science-backed ways to improve your metabolism so that you can lose weight more effectively.

1. Eat Enough Food

Think of your metabolism as a coal fire, the more fuel you add, the stronger the fire burns. The same goes for your metabolism! Adequate nutrient intake is necessary to keep your metabolism going and for most people, that’s a lot more than 1200 calories!

While you do have to be in a calorie deficit (taking in less than your body is burning) to lose weight, a large calorie deficit can slow down your metabolism. Aim for a 300 calorie deficit per day to lose weight and also support your metabolism.

2. Balance Your Blood Sugar

Balancing blood sugar is essential for supporting metabolism and burning fat efficiently. Stable blood sugar levels also improve energy and mood, improved concentration, significantly decrease food cravings, and support hormone balance.

To keep blood sugar balanced, get adequate protein, fat, and fiber at meals and avoid eating carbohydrates by themselves.

3. Eat Enough Protein

Adequate protein intake is vital for supporting metabolism and overall health. Protein helps to preserve lean muscle mass, which increases your metabolic rate. Protein also has a high Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), which means your body actually burns calories digesting protein.

The other powerful benefit of protein is that it suppresses your hunger hormones and keeps you full!

4. Lift Weights

Weight lifting is crucial for supporting metabolism. It builds lean muscle, increasing your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), leading to more calories burned at rest. Lifting weights also improves overall body composition, making it an effective tool for boosting metabolism.

5. Increase Your Fiber Intake

Fiber has a high TEF, which means you increase your daily calorie burn by increasing fiber intake. Consuming 25+ grams per day also lowers inflammation, regulates your appetite, and feeds beneficial gut bacteria, which regulate metabolism and digestion.

6. Prioritize Sleep

Prioritizing sleep is crucial for supporting metabolism and overall health. During sleep, the body undergoes essential restorative processes that are vital for hormone balance and healthy metabolism. Lack of sleep not only impairs metabolism, but it also increases your appetite and cravings. Aim for 7-9 hours a night to support your metabolism!

7 . Support Your Gut Health

Your gut bacteria help run your metabolism. Certain strains of bacteria actually extract more calories from food, while others support fat burning. Eating less processed food and more plants (fruits, veggies, nuts/seeds, whole grains) promotes gut diversity and reduces inflammation, improving your metabolism.

8. Get More Daily Movement (NEAT)

Increasing movement, specifically non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), can have a big impact on your metabolism. NEAT involves daily activities like walking and standing that burn calories and improve overall energy expenditure. Incorporating more movement throughout the day can help maintain a healthy weight, boost metabolism, and improve insulin sensitivity. Get moving!

9. Daily Stress Management

Breathe in… breathe out.

Chronic stress can disrupt hormonal balance, negatively impacting metabolism and contributing to weight gain. By adopting stress-reduction techniques, you can improve metabolic function, digestion, and maintain a healthy weight! Start with just 5 minutes a day of a stress-relieving activity, like meditation, journaling, stretching, or deep breathing.

10. Stay Hydrated

Not only does staying hydrated help regulate your appetite and keep cravings at bay, but increasing your water intake also increases your metabolism and can help mobilize stored fat.

Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water. So if you weigh 180 pounds, aim for 90 ounces of water every day.

Final Thoughts

If you are feeling stuck on your weight loss journey, focusing on supporting your metabolism can help get the scale moving. However, “resetting your metabolism” is not a quick fix.

Sustainable weight loss requires healthy habit change and incorporating realistic nutrition strategies that you can actually stick with for the long run.

If you’re overwhelmed with where to start on your weight loss journey, work with a Registered Dietitian to get the support you need to be successful.

Revitalize: 10 Powerful Ways to Reset Your Metabolism

by Becky Bell, RD

What is Metabolism?

Signs of a Slow Metabolism

Not feeling hungry in the morning

Frequently cold

Bloating and constipation

Tired after eating

Sugar cravings

Belly fat

Needing snacks between meals

Weight loss resistance