Speeding up a sluggish metabolism

[drew]

I'm trying to quit smoking and need something to help my metabolism keep up while my body adjusts to not having nicotine. I know I'm trading one crutch for another when it comes to metabolism, but I just want to kick the cigs! Once I'm done with the cigs I can start to ween myself off of the nonaddictive replacement. Do probiotics help with metabolism or are they strictly for digestive health?

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[jeanarick]

I don't know if probiotics help with metabolism.  They will keep your digestive track cleaned out.  I've read and been told many times that the only thing that will impact your metabolism is exercise.  Only regular aerobic and/or cardio exercise will up your metobolic rate.

 

[zadidoll]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the metabolism controlled by your thyroid? If you have a sluggish metabolism isn't that called hypothyroidism? If so the best person to talk to would be a doctor.

 

[jeanarick]

I'm certainly no expert and definitely not a doctor, I'm only telling you what professionals have told me, healthy diet and most importantly exercise (specifically building lean muscle) will speed up metabolism.  I know thyroid can affect the metabolism, but is not the only factor that can impact it,

 

[jeanarick]

Just did a quick search on factors that affect metabolism and here's info from the first sight that popped up:

Can you Increase your Metabolism?

Absolutely.

By doing exercise and eating a well-balanced, healthy, weight loss nutritious diet .

Cardio exercises are the best to help crank up your metabolic rate, so you burn off body fat from your entire body.

Cardio for at least 30 minutes per workout for 3-4 times per week, at an intensity level high enough to pump up your heart rate to the target heart rate zone and keep it there throughout your workout session.

Throw in 3-4 rounds of 10-15 minutes of strength-training with weights per week, to boost your muscle growth.

This is because to know what is metabolism you also need to know what role muscle features in your metabolism.

Muscle burns up to 90% more calories than fat. The more muscle you've, the more calories you'll burn in a day. If you pack 1 to 2 lbs of muscle into your body, you could actually burn an extra of 50 - 100 more calories a day.

That's an extra of 350 - 700 calories per week, hey, without any additional effort on your part!

 

[zadidoll]

Definitely a health diet is critical. Unfortunately our metabolism slow down as we age. I remember as a teen being able to eat a whole "giant" pizza from the local pizza parlor and gain nothing and now I'm barely able to eat two slices without gaining a couple of lbs. lol I agree with Jean completely on the diet and exercise.

 

[seasideskincare]

Diet is everything; your body performs by what you put in it, think of it like what kind of gas you put in a car. Drink a ton of water, and set small goals before switching completely over to "healthy eating" as it will help your body adapt. Ideally, you'd want to jump over right away, but our bodies are strong in that they give us big cravings. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

A few tips

- try eating smaller portions (throw your food on a smaller plate)

- 1 meal a day, swap out a carb with steam veggies (this will help a ton)

- take a multi vitamin 

- think about supplementing your diet with a meal replacement shake (many options out there)

- don't be afraid of protein, you won't turn into a woman body builder over night; muscle burns fat 24/7 (while you sleep)

 

[randerso]

I am a bit confused - - are you talking about increasing your resting metabolism rate or new habits to replace the cigarettes? I used to work at Jenny Craig, so I can pass along what I learned there about increasing metabolism. On the food side, try to eat a 100-300 calorie meal every few hours - - the six small meals idea. Also, eat something small for breakfast (granola bar, piece of fruit, egg, etc) as soon as you wake up. The logic behind it: your body's metabolism kicks in when you feed it, so by feeding it every few hours it's going steady all day. I've also heard that caffeine temporarily boosts metabolism; just make sure you aren't getting dehydrated.

On the exercise side, cardio will speed up your metabolism and increased muscle mass will increase your resting metabolic ratel. What I've learned absolutely matches the quoted "Can you boost your metabolism?" segment so no need to repeat the info.

If you are more looking for habits to fill the cig void, I would go for coffee, tea, or my favorite: brisk walks. A brisk walk will get your heart rate up and also acts as an appetite suppressant; a nice benefit considering the temptation to eat more when quitting smoking. Hope this helps and congrats on quitting!

 

[Rocket]

Eat carrots. The small/ baby carrots resemble ciggies and they are a great low fat snack. To speed up a metabolism, you need to eat more smaller meals. Its what i've learned in weight watchers. Instead of three meals, make it five smaller meals (mainly snacks). I choose carrots and fruit. Exercise is also a key. Good luck!

 

[Oracle]

Green tea is said to speed up the metabolism a little.