A fast metabolism is every woman’s dream, since it makes losing weight much easier. Unfortunately, some things can slow down your fat burning rates, and your slower metabolism can actually result in weight gain.Discover the most common things that slow down your metabolism, so you’ll know how to approach the problem when you’re trying to lose weight, but progress is slower than you’d like.
1. Drastic Dieting
Eating too little, from small portions to skipping entire meals, is always a bad idea when you’re trying to lose weight and keep it off without any side-effects for your health. Feeding your body too little, like going under bottom limit of 1200 calories per day recommended by nutritionists will actually shock it and make it store any fat it can as a reaction to what it perceives as starvation.
2. Sleeping Too Little
When you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re more likely to gain weight. Not only are you more prone to over-snacking when you’re tired, but you’ll also move less. Since lack of sleep reduces how much energy you can spend, it’s also one of the biggest things that slow down your metabolism. Aim for at least 7 hours of sleep per night, preferably 8, when you’re trying to lose weight.
3. Having a Crazy Eating Schedule
If you can schedule regular meal times and stick to them, you’ll allow your body to burn more calories in between the meals. Skipping meals and eating at all hours will actually put your body into conservation mode, just like drastic dieting. The worst meal to skip is breakfast, since it will slow down your metabolism for the entire day.
4. Ignoring Dehydration
Drinking plenty of water is part of most diets for a very good reason. Dehydration is one of the things that slow down your metabolism. Forget about the many health benefits of drinking water, if they haven’t convinced you already, drink at least 8 glasses of water every day in order to keep your body’s fat burning abilities at a good rate.
5. Sitting for Hours
The more time you spend at a desk or on a couch, the slower your metabolism gets. Sitting down for around 8 hours a day means you spend a lot of time in a sedentary lifestyle, even if you also work out regularly. Try to keep moving even when you have a desk job, because a lot of sitting will mess with your metabolism.
6. Eating Pesticides
One of the worst things that slow down your metabolism, pesticides are often found in fresh produce, like the kind you’re probably using to make salads for your diet. Certain chemicals in pesticides, called organochlorines, affect your body’s energy, so if you’re buying all your fruits and vegetables from the supermarket, you should consider switching to organic produce.
7. Drinking the Wrong Thing
Alcohol isn’t broken down quickly by the human body and hangovers are the biggest proof. The digestion process tackles alcohol first, so if you drink a lot with a heavy meal, you’re definitely slowing down your metabolism. At the other end of the spectrum, a cup of coffee or tea have a stimulating effect on your metabolism. If you’re dieting, stick to green tea, since it has better fat burning properties.
8. Exercising the Wrong Way
Sticking to cardio doesn’t have any long term benefits. A good cardio workout will help you lose a few pounds, but always leads to a plateau, since it’s one of the things that slow down your metabolism. If you want to avoid this effect of cardio workouts, mix them with strength training to tone your muscles and lose weight faster.
9. Calcium Deficiency
If you’re not getting enough calcium, your metabolism will slow down. Opt for a diet rich in calcium both for the strength of your bones, but also because it helps the fat burning process and helps your metabolism stay on the fast track.
10. Iron Deficiency
Make sure you’re not lacking iron or you might end up with a particularly slow metabolism. This can happen anytime, but it’s most common on your period, since losing blood also means losing iron. Low levels of iron are among the things that slow down your metabolism, so make sure you eat more iron-rich foods or even take supplements to keep up the fat burning.
