Since writing this article I have revisited the topic of eating and metabolism. At the time of writing I thought that eating more frequently could boost your metabolism. However, after further reading I have realised that my initial assumption was wrong. For the full details you can read my up to date article on how eating affects your metabolism.
In my last few articles I have discussed a number of ways that you can increase your metabolic rate. However, it is also very important that you understand that certain things will be having a negative effect on your metabolism. You need to be able to identify these so that they can be avoided and help keep your metabolism at an acceptable level. In this article I discuss a number of things you should avoid when attempting to boost your metabolism.
1) SUGARY FOODS:- Sugary foods are high in calories, low in nutritional value and digest easily meaning less calories are burned in the digestion process. Whilst the occasional sugary treat is OK, you need to avoid sugary foods overall.
2) ALCOHOL:- Alcoholic beverages are very high in sugar and calories. They also have a dehydrating effect which can slow your metabolism. Occasional consumption of alcohol is OK but excessive and/or daily consumption of alcohol can have a damaging effect on your metabolism boosting efforts.
3) BIG MEALS:- As I have discussed in previous articles large meals do not promote a fast metabolism. If your meals are too large then a lot of excess calories will be stored as body fat. You really need to be eating smaller meals more frequently to keep your metabolism boosted.
4) SKIPPING MEALS:- Just as eating large meals can hurt your metabolism, eating too few meals can have the same effect. To keep your metabolism high you need to feed it. Plan to eat five or six small meals each day and stick to this plan.
5) SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE:- You need to be active to boost your metabolism. There are lots of options available to you here. Take up a hobby you enjoy which involves physical activity. Alternatively, walk or cycle to work instead of taking the car or bus. Whatever you choose make sure it is something that is both fun, that you can do regularly and that keeps you active.
Taking preventative measures is just as important as taking positive steps if you want to keep your metabolism high. Knowing what to avoid can help you greatly. By avoiding the things listed in this article and combining them with a good diet and exercise plan you can really start to raise your metabolic rate.
About Tom
Not bad overall. I do have to take issue with the stock “eat 5 or 6 meals a day” advice.
Eating more, does NOT boast your metabolism.
reference:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/meal-frequency-and-energy-balance-research-review.html#more-1389
Now, if you have poor insulin sensitivity, it may help to keep a more even blood sugar level (without addressing the root of the problem) but it does NOT cause you to burn more calories than larger, less frequent meals.
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Thanks for commenting Chris. I have read a lot on the topic of meal frequency recently and am starting to realise I may have been wrong when publishing these posts on metabolism. I am planning to revisit the topic but just haven’t got round to it yet.
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I agree – I need to revisit it too. I’m not completely sold on the idea of intermittent fasting just yet. I can try and dig up a link – but I found a site once that had a compilation of a number of studies on it.
From what I’ve seen the results were very mixed, even contradictory I’ve seen some that showed an positive change in glucose tolerance, some that showed the exact opposite. I’m very interested in this, but I’m not sure the evidence either way is convincing yet
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http://www.theiflife.com/2008/11/05/eating-more-meals-does-not-speed-up-your-metabolism/
Love your Blog But I have a problem with the 5 meals a day thing.
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very good reading lots of interesting facts thanks will be on reading for a long while
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Hi Scott. Yes I know what you are saying. I really need to re-visit this topic and set the record straight. I wrote these when this blog was just starting out and at the time I had read a lot of articles suggesting that multiple meals could boost your metabolism. Since then I have read a lot of articles that say multiple meals do not help boost your metabolism. I’ve just not got round to doing it yet.
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Thanks Linda. Glad to have you on board as a reader.
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Wrong! I’m very healthy person, eat very healthy food since I’m a child and do a lot of sport, my BMI is 18%, for a woman is very good, but have a slow meatbolism, and I do not eat unhealthy food as described above. It is genetic and it is not bad.
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Tom Reply:
March 9th, 2009 at 8:18 am
Thanks for the comments. Whilst genetics does have a big influence over your metabolism that does not mean my article is wrong. I agree that comment number 4 is wrong and have edited the beginning of the article to highlight this error. However, most alcoholic beverages and sugary foods have a low thermic effect meaning they do not burn as many calories during digestion as other foods. Furthermore, a sedentary lifestyle means that you do less physical activity and therefore burn less calories and build less muscle than an active person. This also has a negative effect on your metabolism.
If you read my more recent articles on metabolism you will see that I state your basal metabolic rate (BMR) has the biggest influence over your metabolism. I also state that your BMR is mainly a product of your genetics. Whilst it has the most significant impact over your metabolism that does not mean it is the only thing that can affect your metabolism. The factors listed in this article will still slow your metabolism to some degree.
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