HEALTH TIP!!! 2 Mistakes That Slow Down Your Metabolism

Keeping your metabolism high is crucial for losing weight and keeping it off. Unfortunately, there are several common lifestyle mistakes that may be slowing down your metabolism. Doing these on a regular basis could make it hard to lose weight and make you more prone to weight gain in the future. Here are 6 lifestyle mistakes that can slow down your metabolism

1. Eating Too Few Calories

Eating too few calories can cause a major decrease in metabolism.

Although a calorie deficit is needed for weight loss, it can be counterproductive for your calorie intake to drop too low.

When you dramatically lower your calorie intake, your body senses that food is scarce and lowers the rate at which it burns calories.

Controlled studies on lean and overweight people have confirmed that consuming less than 1,000 calories per day can have a significant impact on your metabolic rate (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Most studies measure resting metabolic rate, which is the number of calories burned during rest. However, some also measure calories burned during rest and activity over 24 hours, which is referred to as total daily energy expenditure.

In one study, when obese women ate 420 calories per day for four to six months, their resting metabolic rates slowed down significantly.

What’s more, even after they increased their calorie intake over the following five weeks, their resting metabolic rates remained much lower than before the diet (3).

In another study, overweight people were asked to consume 890 calories per day. After three months, the total number of calories they burned per day was found to have dropped by 633 calories, on average (4).

It appears that even when calorie restriction is more moderate, it can slow metabolism somewhat.

In a four-day study of 32 people, the resting metabolic rate of people who ate 1,114 calories per day slowed more than twice as much as of those who consumed 1,462 calories daily. However, weight loss was similar for both groups (5).

If you’re going to lose weight by calorie restriction, then don’t restrict your calorie intake too much or for too long.

2. Skimping on Protein

Eating enough protein is extremely important for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

Studies have shown that, in addition to helping you feel full, a high protein intake can significantly increase the rate at which your body burns calories (6, 7, 8).

The increase in metabolism that occurs after digestion is called the thermic effect of food (TEF).

The thermic effect of protein is much higher than the thermic effects of carbs or fat. Indeed, eating protein has been observed to temporarily increase metabolism by about 20–30%, versus 5–10% for carbs and 3% or less for fat (9).

Although metabolic rate inevitably slows during weight loss and continues to be slower during weight maintenance, there’s evidence that higher protein intake can minimize this effect.

In one study, participants followed one of three diets in an effort to maintain a 10–15% weight loss.

The diet highest in protein reduced participants’ total daily energy expenditure by only 97 calories, versus a decrease of 297–423 calories in people who consumed less protein (10).

Another study found that people needed to eat at least 0.5 grams of protein per pound (1.2 grams/kg) of their body weight in order to prevent their metabolism from slowing during and after weight loss (11).

Bottom Line: Protein increases metabolic rate more than carbs or fat. Increased protein intake helps preserve metabolic rate during weight loss and maintenance.

Source: www.authoritynutrition.com