Before attempting any method outlined below to learn how to increase metabolism, please consult a physician!
Intermittent Fasting to Lose Weight & Increase Metabolism
A few years ago, my weight reached a new high. I decided to fast intermittently to cut some of the extra pounds. I had used intermittent fasting a lot to cut a pound or two during my combat career, but never to cut the amount of weight I had currently gained.
The outcome was not the same as it had been previously.
I soon realized the difference. When I previously, solely used intermittent fasting to lose weight, my body was in almost peak condition. My metabolism was a fat burning machine!
Fast forward to my then current condition, and no one had used my name and machine in the same sentence for a long time.
So what could I do to bring my body back into the state of efficiency it previously was in?
I mentioned my weight gain to a friend
The results were amazing!
I lost nearly double the weight I used to lose during fasting. More importantly, I kept a lot of the weight off!
Over the years I’ve refined this method of intermittent fasting for minimal effort and
Step 1 to Learn How to Increase Metabolism with Intermittent Fasting
Practice!!!
Yes, practice! Do
What is even worse than breaking your fast early is the mental edge you lose by failing.
For that reason, I recommend several dry runs, gradually introducing your body to the idea of intermittent fasting.
If you normally eat breakfast at 7, push it back an hour at a time until you’re eating breakfast at lunchtime.
At that time you may need to eat a bigger lunch to feel okay. However, you should be gradually cutting the size of the lunch down until it’s back to normal portions.
Step 2: Greeeeeen Tea
Start your morning off with a quality cup of green tea.
I can not express how important this is!
This is right on par for me with taking a shower to wake myself up in the morning.
If you are a beginner when it comes to intermittent fasting, this step can make or break your fast.
Green tea helps tremendously with hunger pains. You can also substitute for coffee if you’re not a tea drinker.
More importantly, both tea and coffee aid in autophagy according to a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Autophagy is the process your body undergoes to get rid of and replace damaged cells.
Healthier cells work more efficiently resulting in a more efficient fat burning host.
However, three things to note. One, do not use any additives, such as milk or sugar (Lemon juice is fine with tea, and also adds some benefit). Adding cream or sugar defeats the purpose of fasting, and can affect you negatively.
Two, stay hydrated with good old fashioned h20. This is true no matter if you choose to drink tea, coffee, or nothing. But, it is especially true if you are drinking coffee. Coffee will dehydrate you the most, possibly causing headaches and a crashing effect. Water intake will help to combat this.
Three, make sure you drink quality coffee or tea. Cheap counterparts may have little or no effect.
Step 3: This or That
Start swapping foods. A week or so before you start this endeavor, you should begin cataloging what you generally eat on a day to day basis. Instead of simply eliminating problem foods, swap them for healthy or semi-healthy counterparts. Try almond butter for peanut butter, coconut flour instead of wheat flour, and quinoa pasta for wheat pasta.
There are a lot of misconceptions on this process.
While there are some things you should cut out that will be painful, others either add flavor or have no significant impact on flavor. The best example of this is butter. Some people assume you should be substituting butter for products like I can’t believe it’s not butter or low fat
This is false.
Butter is not only fine in moderation but also helps with reducing belly fat. Whole eggs are another example of this.
There are other foods and drinks, however, that will be tough to give up, but definitely have to go.
Sugary drinks, mainly sodas and anything with high fructose corn syrup, are death to your belly area. This is one I personally struggled with. In my
If you believe you can go without any at all, by all means, cut the soda out immediately.
I also find if I am not thirsty, my cravings for soda are less. Therefore, keeping hydrated with water is key. Even if this doesn’t cure your craving for soda, it will cut down the amount you drink. Less soda equals less physical dependence on soda.
Step 4: Work, Work, Work
Do strength exercises.
The bigger the muscle group the better. But if you can’t get to a squat rack or a bench press machine, just do the bodyweight variations at home.
Do not neglect this step.
Even if you can only do one push-up or one squat, do it! As long as you are getting stronger, you’re increasing your bodies fat burning potential.
Step 5: Counting Sheep
I’m a bit of a night owl so this one is difficult for me as well. But a recent article on WebMD recommend between 7-9 hours of sleep a night.
Any less than 7 hours and your body produces the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol.
Elevated cortisol levels can cause loss off muscle mass and an increase of fat accumulation.
So I put the effect to the test. After two weeks of staying between 219 – 221 lbs, I adjusted my sleep schedule to allow for 8 continuous hours of rest. Less than a week later, my new weight range was 216 – 219 lbs.
Bonus Step to Increase Metabolism: More Work!
One key I have used to kickstart my metabolism and maximize my weight loss is sprinting during mealtime.
More specifically, sprinting in the morning during my fast.
For gradual weight loss, this is unnecessary, however, if you’re looking to give your metabolism a kick in the rear, this is the way to do it.
Getting your heart rate up and sustaining it by whatever means will also have a similar effect
Follow the steps outlined above to learn how to increase metabolism. And again as with any exercise or dietary change, please check with your doctor first.
Good luck, and let us know anything that has or has not worked for you in the comment section.