Metabolism refers to all chemical processes in the human body. If your metabolism is fast, your body will require more calories (and will burn more calories while running). People with “slower” metabolisms often struggle with excess weight.

At some point in your life, you may have heard that someone is thin because they have a “fast metabolism.” You may also have felt doomed to be overweight because your metabolism is slow. While everyone’s body is different, there is good news: you can restore your broken metabolism.

How to Fix Metabolism: Six Ways to Get It Running

Have you been looking for ways to shed those stubborn pounds quickly, but nothing seems to work? You eat less, move your body more, and try countless trendy diets, yet the scale refuses to budge.

At some point, it can seem that losing fat is impossible, no matter what you do. If that’s the case, you are most likely dealing with a slowed, broken, or crashed metabolism. When your body’s metabolic rate slows down, losing weight becomes an uphill battle.

Fear not! Fixing a sluggish or broken metabolism is well within your control with the proper knowledge and tools at hand. Prepare to conquer calories, break free from the vicious cycle of frustration, and make your metabolism work like a clock.

What is Metabolism and Why Is Everybody Talking About It

Think of metabolism as your body’s energy engine; no matter what you’re doing, it’s working 24/7, turning the calories you consume into fuel for your body. The higher your metabolism – the more calories you cut, even when resting. Seems like a dream, right? Who doesn’t want a turbocharged metabolism that helps shed extra pounds and stay energized?

Is metabolism just about burning calories and turning them into energy? Well, no. Metabolism is broken into two main processes: anabolism and catabolism.

Anabolism is all about growth and building – it takes your tiny molecules and builds them into more complex ones. It also involves storing energy, maintaining the body’s tissues, and supporting new cells.

Catabolism is the process of breaking down the food you eat for use as energy.

Both processes influence your body weight; when you are in an anabolic state – you build your muscle mass. A catabolic state is all about losing both fat and muscle. That’s why understanding metabolism matters – you’ll have a cheat code for unlocking your body’s potential and optimizing the main metabolic processes to achieve your fitness goals.

7 Signs of a Slow Metabolism: Listen to Your Body’s Cues

Have you felt like you are at a plateau with your progress? Like you have been standing at the same place for quite some time despite all the effort, unable to lose weight or build muscle, ready to give up?

Well, your metabolism might be sending you some signals.

If you’ve been asking yourself, “Is my metabolism slow?” here’s the list of signs to check:

Weight Gain

Does the number on the scale seem to be going up despite your best efforts, or is your weight stuck at a plateau? It’s time to check your metabolism. Sudden and stubborn weight gain is one of the main signs of a crashed metabolism.

Lack of Energy

Have you felt like you are running on empty, even if you had enough sleep and rest? If your metabolism is running low, you will also feel low, feeling exhausted 24/7.

Difficulty Building Muscle

You’re hitting the gym regularly, pumping iron, and building muscles, but the results aren’t there. A crashed metabolism can make it a real challenge to build muscle, even if you’re a regular at a gym.

Cravings

Have you been battling cravings for your favorite sweets and junk food? If you don’t want to eat anything except cookies and chips, it can be a sign that a slow metabolism is messing with your hunger hormones.

Fatigue and Brain Fog

Can’t concentrate on anything and feel like your brain is covered in a thick fog? A crashed metabolism affects your cognitive function, making you focus, work, and think harder.

Mood Changes

A broken metabolism often makes you feel anxious, nervous, angry, or not yourself. This is because your mood hormones are out of whack, leaving you feeling emotional and irritable.

Issues with Menstrual Periods

If your periods have been irregular lately, it might be a sign that your metabolism needs fixing.

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What Slows Down Your Metabolism: 5 Main Causes

You may have heard that metabolism is all about genetics, but it’s not always true. Oftentimes, your lifestyle causes your metabolism to hit the brakes. Here’s why your metabolism may be sluggish:

Undereating

Following strict diets, eating only one meal a day, and consuming fewer than 1,000 calories a day is not the way to go; it can be detrimental to health and metabolism, putting your body into a preservation mode. When your body doesn’t receive enough calories, your metabolic rate slows down, lowering the rate of burning calories.

Sedentary Lifestyle

The more you move your body – the more calories you burn. If you’re not hitting the gym, running, or doing other activities on purpose, the chances might be that you’re mostly sitting at work from 9 to 5 and not moving much at home.

There’s still a solution if you don’t have time to play sports or work out. Try walking around the house more, working at a standing desk, or using the stairs instead of the elevator. Even the most minor changes can help you prevent your metabolism from dropping.

Lack of Sleep

Proper sleep is the basic of good health. Poor sleep can increase the chance of heart disease, depression, diabetes, and other illnesses. Moreover, if you don’t sleep enough, your metabolic rate can drop, making it easier to gain weight.

Stress

Have you ever heard about cortisol? Every time you’re under stress, your adrenal glands produce cortisol, sending your body into a fight-or-flight state. The worst thing is that you might not even know that stress is constant! Once released, cortisol slows your metabolism, increases your appetite, and spikes your blood sugar levels.

Sugary Drinks

Occasional Pepsi or Coke won’t do harm, but drinking sugary drinks daily can cause severe damage to your health. Insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity, slow metabolism – the list goes on.

How to Fix a Slow Metabolism in 6 Easy Steps: Sluggish No More

How to increase metabolism after 40, 50, and more years? How do you get it up and running again at all, and is it even possible? Here are the ways to boost metabolism:

Eat Healthy Fats

Healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty wild fish are your mitochondria’s favorite fuel. The most effective “fuel” for your mitochondria is medium chain triglycerides or MCT oil, found in coconut oil.

Eat Green

While nutritionists often disagree, almost everyone agrees that we should eat plenty of fresh vegetables and other plant foods. Colorful, antioxidant-rich plant foods become essential for mitochondrial health and the reduction of oxidative stress.

Avoid Sugar and Flour

High-glycemic, high-carbohydrate foods put your body under tremendous stress. Fast-absorbing carbohydrates are the most damaging factor in the system. If you can’t cut out sugar and flour completely, limit their consumption gradually.

Stop Obsessing Over Numbers

Quality over quantity is vital to optimizing your metabolism. Calculate your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) or the calories your body needs to survive complete rest to know how much you should eat. If you consume fewer calories than you should, your body thinks it’s starving.

Calculating your RMR is easy. If you’re average height, take your weight in pounds and multiply it by 10. If you’re very muscular and lean, multiply your weight by 13. If you’re overweight, multiply it by 8. Eating less than your required RMR means your body goes into overweight mode.

Move Faster

Research shows that HIIT workouts increase your metabolic rate for hours after exercise, even more than jogging or weight training. Moreover, high-intensity workouts can shift your body’s metabolism towards using fat for energy.

Sleep Well

Studies show that lack of sleep worsens inflammation, increases the risk of heart disease, and hinders our immune, brain, and cellular performance. Try to get eight hours of sleep every night, go to bed, and wake up simultaneously every day. It is critical to pay attention to your circadian rhythm since it affects your metabolism and weight by regulating blood sugar and cholesterol.

How to Fix a Damaged Metabolism After Dieting

When looking for a quick and easy fix for gaining weight, you’ve probably tried the so-called crash diets or yo-yo diets. These diets promise you life-changing results in a month or two, but the only thing that changes is your metabolism – it crashes.

If you consume way fewer calories than you need, your body goes into starvation mode, absorbing more calories from food and storing them instead of burning them. Here’s where the slow metabolism comes from.

Crash dieting is ironic – you gain even more in an attempt to lose weight. Breaking this cycle of “yo-yo dieting” as soon as possible by restoring your metabolism and getting it back on track is critical.

Here’s how to achieve metabolic restoration:

Eat a healthy, nutritious diet
Eat more protein
Get enough sleep
Eat more fiber
Stay well hydrated
Brink black coffee and tea
The more your body, the more
Manage your stress

How to Kickstart Your Metabolism in the Morning: 3 Steps to Success

It is possible to keep your body’s fat-burning machine up and to run first thing in the morning, the minute you wake up.

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If you’ve noticed damaged metabolism symptoms and want to wake your metabolism up and make it work for you throughout the day, focus on these tips:

Caffeine Is Your Best Friend

Surprise, the biggest coffee fan! Your favorite cup of cappuccino, filter coffee, or flat white is the boost your metabolism needs in the morning. Caffeine can boost your metabolic rate by 11%! Are you not a fan of coffee? Matcha and black tea also count, so enjoy them while your body wakes up.

Focus on Protein

Think of your metabolism as a machine that needs fuel to run smoothly. Breakfast is this fuel, and the more nutritious it is, the higher the chance our body will thank you. Always include protein in your breakfast – it can be Greek yogurt, eggs, chicken or turkey, or any other source of protein of your choice.

Get Moving

Getting your blood flow in the morning is the best way to start the day – stretch, walk, do yoga at home, or hit the gym. The key to healing your metabolism is to get moving – how you do it is up to you.

How to Speed Up Metabolism for Weight Loss

When you carry out the “eat less, exercise more” style to an extreme, it’s like a game of tug-of-war that you can’t win. You pull, and your metabolism kicks back with more force. You increase your effort, your metabolism laughs, and you nearly rip your feet off.

The only way to win the tug of war-against a team that is stronger than you is to let them go and watch them hit the ground. This is the way to get out of metabolic starvation mode.

Recovery at each stage requires a change in thinking.

How to improve your metabolic age? You’ll need to balance cutting calories and getting the right amount of calories, suitable sources of macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat), and proper exercise.

Phase 1

This phase is the simplest to manage. If you stop the “eat less, exercise more” bandwagon, you’ll usually get back on track soon. Switch to a macronutrient-adjusted, eating less approach, less exercise OR a macronutrient-adjusted eating-more approach, getting more exercise. Both will work.

Phase 2

Metabolic resistance? Scroll through your eating pattern. Spend 2-3 weeks in an “eat less, exercise less” stage, then change direction to an “eat more, exercise more” approach. You may need to perform additional steps, including:

The drastic change in macronutrients.
Priority rest and recovery
Change the type of training
Walking
Massage
Naps
Intentional stress reliever
Laugh
Time with pets

Anything that reduces stress hormones and restores the balance of your neuroendocrine system will help your recovery. Expect to return to normal within 1 to 3 months.

Phase 3

Metabolic damage? Once you’re here, you have a choice: “Eat less, exercise less,” along with changing your exercise routine and macronutrients. You will need to focus all of your time on rest and recovery. Walking and some traditional weight training workouts are probably all you’ll be able to do. The goal is to stop the weight gain by giving your metabolism time to recover until you’re ready to change your routine again.

How Long Does It Take to Fix Your Metabolism

The burning question is: “How long does it take to fix my metabolism?” Once you start working on fixing your crushed metabolism – be patient. It’s a journey in itself, a marathon rather than a sprint. The change won’t happen overnight; the results will be noticeable from 8 to 12+ weeks, depending on your metabolic damage.

Mild metabolic damage: 8-10 weeks to restore metabolism.

Moderate metabolic damage: 10-2 to repair fully.

Extreme metabolic damage: 12+ weeks to fully repair.

Age, lifestyle habits, genetics, and health conditions also play a role; some people may see results in a few weeks, while others might wait for months to notice changes. But the good news is – every small step you take towards revitalizing your metabolism counts!

Stay consistent, patient, and committed, and trust the process! You’ve got this!

5 Signs Your Metabolism Is Speeding Up

You’ve been eating healthy, working out, and caring for yourself, so what are the signs that your metabolic machine is getting back on track? How do you tell that a metabolic renewal is on its way? Here are some telltale signs that your body’s engine is working correctly again:

Weight Loss

Is the number on the scale moving down? You’ve restarted your metabolic engine! If you notice that you’ve finally shed some pounds, you’ve been doing everything right, and your metabolism is speeding up. Keep it up!

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Evergy Boost

Do you feel like you’ve got a spring in your step? Do you wake up full of energy, ready to start the day, and power through it? That’s your metabolism reboot, giving you the energy to conquer the day.

Reduced Stress

A well-functioning metabolism is like a chill pill – once it starts running again, you forget what it means to be stressed 24/7. Now, you’re ready to face whatever life throws your way and handle it with confidence and lots of energy.

Improved Digestion

No more indigestion and bloating! A strong and fast metabolism breaks down food and absorbs all the nutrients your body needs, leaving you with smooth digestion and no tummy troubles.

Steady Hunger Levels

No more sugar cravings and over-the-roof hunger levels! With a sped-up metabolism, your hangry episodes will stay in the past, keeping you satiated between your meals.

Wrapping Up: Ignite Your Metabolic Fire

If you’ve made the decision to fix your metabolism – you’re already halfway there. You’ve acknowledged the signs of a crashed metabolism and decided to get it back up and running. Healthy eating, sound sleep, and moving your body’ill help you shed those stubborn pounds and fire up your metabolic rate, experiencing incredible energy boosts and a new level of vitality.

Arm yourself with a clear goal and determination to achieve it, and nothing will stop you on your metabolic journey. Keep pushing forward, stay consistent, and witness a new you in the mirror in a few weeks! We believe in you!

William Read - Nutrition Consultant

William is from Canada, he is passionate nutrition & wellness writer. William understands that the topic of wellness is still not well understood, so his goal is to enlighten and teach people how to live healthier and happier in their bodies.

How To Fix Metabolism