6 habits that slow down your metabolism

1. Eat too few calories

To lose weight, you need to create a slight calorie deficit. But if your body is lacking in nutrients, metabolic slowdown can begin, which will lead to the exact opposite result.

When you drastically reduce your calorie intake (for example, start the diet almost with a hunger strike), your body immediately senses that there is not enough food. And it reduces the rate at which calories are usually burned.

Controlled studies have confirmed that if you consume less than 1,000 calories a day, your metabolic rate slows down.

Usually, experiments go like this: Researchers measure basal metabolism - the metabolic rate at rest (in fact, this is the number of calories burned while resting). Some studies measure total daily energy expenditure - the number of calories burned at rest and while active for 24 hours.

Study No. 1. Obese women who consumed 420 kcal per day for 4-6 months significantly decreased resting metabolic rate. Moreover, when they returned to their normal diet in the next 5 weeks, their basal metabolic rate became lower than before the diet. …
Study No. 2. Overweight people consumed 890 kcal per day. After three months, scientists found that, on average, these people began to burn 630 kcal less per day than before. …
Study No. 3. It turns out that metabolism slows down even with a slight dietary restriction. A small four-day study involved 32 people who were divided into two groups. In people who consumed 1,114 kcal per day, the metabolic rate decreased by almost half compared to subjects who consumed 1,462 kcal per day. At the same time, the indicators of weight loss were the same in both groups. …

When the number of calories consumed sharply decreases for a long time, the metabolic rate slows down, so it becomes more difficult to lose weight or maintain the same weight.

2. Eat a little protein food

To maintain a healthy weight, it is imperative that you eat enough protein. This will make you feel full, and a high protein intake will increase the rate at which your body burns calories.

The acceleration of metabolism occurs due to the fact that during the digestion process, a thermal effect begins to act.

The thermal effect of protein is much higher than that of fats or carbohydrates. Usually in people who eat mostly protein food, the metabolic rate temporarily increases by 20-30%, while for carbohydrates this figure fluctuates in the region of 5-10%, and for fats - 3%.

Although metabolic rate inevitably decreases during weight loss, there is scientific evidence that high protein intake can minimize this effect.

Study No. 1. Participants followed one of three diets and tried to maintain 10-15% weight loss. On a high protein diet, total daily energy expenditure was reduced by only 97 kcal. Participants who ate less protein burned 297–423 kcal less per day. …
Study No. 2. It turns out that in order for the metabolic rate not to slow down during a diet, a person should eat at least 1.2 grams of protein for every kilogram of their weight. …

Protein helps to increase the metabolic rate, unlike carbohydrates and fats. To maintain the metabolic rate during the diet, more protein foods must be added to the diet.

3. Move a little

If you spend most of your time sitting, your body burns fewer calories.

Of course, daily exercise or exercise is the most important factor in calorie burning. But even a little physical activity (like cleaning or climbing stairs) is enough to keep your metabolic rate from slowing down. This activity helps burn up to 2,000 kcal every day.

Due to inactivity, your body burns fewer calories. Try to minimize the time you spend sitting and move more.

4. Little sleep

Sleep is essential for well-being. Sleeping less than your body needs increases your risk of developing a number of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and depression. In addition, lack of sleep lowers the metabolic rate and increases the likelihood of gaining excess weight.

Sleep deprivation is made worse by sleeping during the day rather than at night. Circadian rhythms are disrupted, affecting biological processes that manifest themselves in response to light or darkness during a 24-hour cycle.

Study No. 1. Participants - healthy adults - slept 4 hours a day for 5 days in a row. Their metabolic rate slowed down by an average of 2.6%. However, she returned to her previous levels after 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep. …
Study No. 2. During a 5-week experiment, scientists determined that prolonged sleep deprivation combined with disturbed circadian rhythms leads to a decrease in basal metabolism by an average of 8%. …

Sleep at night and the amount of time your body needs. This will help keep your metabolic rate at a normal level.

5. Drink lots of sweetened drinks

Sugary drinks have an extremely negative impact on human health in general and lead to various diseases, including insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity.

In 2012, scientists found that the consumption of soda, packaged juices and energy drinks also affects the metabolic rate. For 12 weeks, participants in the experiment received 25% of their calories from high-sugar drinks. … Because of this diet, the metabolic rate slowed down significantly.

High consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages can help reduce metabolic rate and accumulate belly and liver fat.

6. Neglect power loads

Strength training helps build muscle mass. The less fat in your body and more muscle, the more calories you can burn at rest.

Even the smallest amount of strength training significantly increases your daily energy expenditure. In the experiment, which lasted 6 months, participants did small 11-minute strength training sessions three times a week. On average, their metabolic rate increased by 7.4% and each day they burned an additional 125 kcal. …

If you do not do any strength exercises at all, your metabolic rate decreases. This is especially true with age.

Strength training increases muscle mass and helps maintain metabolic rate while dieting. Your metabolic rate slows down with age, but strength training will help minimize this effect.