“How can I speed up my metabolism?”

You’re tired of seeing everyone else enjoy what seems like unlimited weight loss progress while you’re struggling to lose even just A FEW pounds and actually keep it off. 

Forget the 20, 30, 40+ pound weight loss goal you have!

You think to yourself, “Maybe my metabolism is just broken.” 

And that metabolism “reset” you saw online seems like a promising fix so maybe that’s an option?  

Here’s the truth about your metabolism…

It isn’t a broken window or leaky pipe.

It doesn’t need fixing. 

But there are a few things you can do to speed it up.

And that’s what this post is all about.

We’ll be going over 4 ways to increase your metabolism and you’ll also get answers to the following questions:

• What is your metabolism?
• What factors influence metabolism?
• Do some people naturally have a faster metabolism than others?
• Does age really play a factor in how fast or slow your metabolism is?

What is metabolism?

Your metabolism is the rate at which you expend energy (or burn calories) to maintain all the chemical processes going on in your body. 

Here’s an easier, non-science speak way to think about it…

Anything that you do, even basic bodily functions like thinking, breathing, moving your hands, digesting your food, and your heart pumping blood–all require energy (or calories). 

Some activities require more energy (or burn more calories) than others. 

Take walking vs. sitting, for example. 

You burn more calories when you get up and walk around than you do by just sitting there. 

How much energy are you using (aka how many calories are you burning)?

The image below isn’t a breakdown of metabolism, per se, but it relates to metabolism because it gives a breakdown of where all the calories you burn (or the amount of energy you use) throughout any given day come from.

The total number of calories you burn during the day is what’s called your TDEE.

It also represents the number of calories you would need to eat to maintain your current weight):

• Total
• Daily
• Energy
• Expenditure

If you fill out all your info in this TDEE calculator, it’ll spit out that number for you. 

Take roughly 80% of your TDEE and you’ll get the number of calories you should be eating for weight loss.   

You can think of your TDEE as a giant pie.

Here’s how it’s split up:

• BMR–The largest piece of your TDEE pie is your BMR, short for basal metabolic rate. Your BMR is the number of calories you burn at complete rest. So if you were to just lay on the couch and watch TV all day long, your BMR is essentially how many calories you’d burn. It accounts for roughly 70% of the calories you burn throughout the day. 
• TEF–Basically, your body burns calories by digesting the food you eat, a process known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). It’s responsible for around 10% of the calories you burn.
• NEAT–This stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. You can think of this as all the physical activity you get outside of your dedicated workouts. Examples of NEAT include going on a walk, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, doing yard work, going grocery shopping, putting the dishes away, etc. It relates to 15% of calories burned. FYI, notice how NEAT burns triple the number of calories as your actual workouts (We’ll talk about this more once we get into the ways to increase your metabolism).
• Workouts–Are you surprised to see that your workouts only burn around 5% of your total daily calories?

Do some people have faster metabolisms than others?

You feel like the weight loss gods have stacked the deck against you. 

Why me? What have I done to be cursed with a slow metabolism?

The reality is this…

Yes, some people do have a naturally faster metabolism than others.

But your “slow” metabolism isn’t what’s holding you back from losing weight.

You’re not losing weight because of your actions (or lack thereof).

Before you start yelling at me through the screen, let me explain. 

Can we agree that some people are just naturally smarter than others when it comes to school?

I know you can name at least a few people you went to school with who barely even studied or seemed to try AT ALL and still got straight A’s. 

But what about those people who want good grades but aren’t naturally as smart? 

Do they just mail it in and say, “Well, I wasn’t blessed with the smart gene so there’s no point in trying”? 

If they want good grades, then absolutely not.

They just might have to study a little longer or try a little harder.

Take that same concept and apply it to weight loss and your metabolism.

Sure, some people will just naturally have a faster metabolism than others and that can make weight loss easier. 

But the number of things well within your control (i.e. your diet, workout, and lifestyle choices) and how much effort you put toward them far outweigh how fast or slow your metabolism is. 

See what I’m saying? 

Does your metabolism slow down as you get older?

 

Research shows your metabolism stays pretty much the same from age 20 alllllll the way to age 60. 

Then after age 60, your metabolism does start to dip (this is just a normal part of life). 

And even then, here’s the thing…

It’s not so much your physical age that drives the decline in your metabolism but it’s more so due to the fact that our lifestyle tends to change the older we get. 

You have kids, you become more sedentary, you move less. 

So, on the surface, it appears that your metabolism is just slowing down with age.

But in reality, the source of that slowdown really just comes down to not being as physically active as you used to be. 

The good news is that you can offset this drop-off by taking advantage of the ways to increase your metabolism we’re about to go over. 

 

How to speed up your metabolism: 4 simple ways

It’s time for what you’ve been ever so patiently waiting for.

I promised you 4 ways to increase your metabolism and I’m a man of my word.

So, without any further ado, here they are:

1. Stop spending so much time bonding with your couch 

If someone came to me and said, “Chad, I just feel so overwhelmed and have absolutely no idea where to start on my weight loss journey…”

Want to know what I’d tell them to do from an exercise perspective?

Just simply start going on walks. 

In terms of ways to increase your metabolism, walking is by far the easiest form of exercise you can do.

Remember NEAT (daily movement) from earlier?

You burn 300% more calories than you do during your actual workouts just by moving more. 

Walking also has massive benefits for your health.

You can reduce your all-cause mortality risk (chances of dying from virtually anything) by as much as 70% if you get enough steps each day.

The sweet spot is somewhere between 7.5K-10K steps but if that’s not a realistic goal for you right now, don’t sweat it at all.

The thing that matters most is that you get up off of the couch and move a little bit more than you currently are.

Also, your daily movement doesn’t have to exclusively be walking.

You could:

• Swim some laps
• Use the elliptical
• Try the rowing machine
• Get on the StairMaster (minus banded kickbacks because they’ll do nothing in terms of helping grow your glutes).  

Just move more, whatever form that is you choose to do it in.

2. Start strength training

Another one of the ways to increase your metabolism is getting in the gym and lifting heavy weights (yes, lifting heavy weights applies to you ladies too 🙂)

Strength training is the only way to build and preserve muscle.

The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism and the more fat you’ll lose.

Lifting weights is also how you prevent yourself from becoming skinny fat and instead, achieve a more defined and fitter-looking physique.

Here’s the thing though..

Random swipe workouts from IG won’t get you the results you want. 

Neither will going to the gym without a plan and just randomly trying a few different machines or exercises.  

And switching up your workout routine every single day won’t get the job done either.

To maximize your results, you want to get on an actual strength training program, something you can follow for the next 4-8 weeks. 

THIS ARTICLE I wrote will walk you through how to create a customized strength training routine from scratch. 

While having muscle does speed up your metabolism, the bigger role muscle plays is a functional one.  

It allows you to continue moving and living an active lifestyle as you age. 

In that sense, you get to have your cake and eat it too. 

Because, what does moving more do for you again?

It burns calories and speeds up your metabolism. 

3. Increase your protein intake 

Protein.

Protein.

Protein.

If you want to optimize your fat loss diet, start eating more of it.

1. Foods high in protein like chicken breast, egg whites, fish, and non-fat Greek yogurt keep you fuller for longer. 

2. Protein is key to building/preserving muscle mass, and as we talked about, muscle = a higher metabolism.

3. Remember the thermic effect of food and how your body burns calories during digestion? That effect is highest when you eat protein, so you burn the most calories.  

Here are two other articles you’ll definitely want to check out:

5 UNIQUE WAYS TO EAT MORE PROTEIN

WEIGHT LOSS GROCERY LIST (including 15+ high-protein options for you to choose from)

4. Be more consistent and intentional about your weight loss

Your results simply mirror how consistent you are.

Read that again and let it sink in.

If you aren’t consistent with doing what you know you need to do, you won’t achieve the results I know you want for yourself.  

You’re NOT being consistent if you:

• Get super motivated to lose weight and put in a whole bunch of effort initially but fall off track a few weeks later
• Are super on point during the week but don’t count calories on the weekends and treat it like one massive free-for-all cheat meal
• Let things snowball after a binge-eating episode instead of getting back on track 
• Try to be perfect and give up when you can’t be

Start putting some effort into consistently applying the ways to increase your metabolism we’ve talked about and the results will come.

Speeding up your metabolism FAQs

How long does it take to fix your metabolism? 

There’s nothing for you to “fix.”

Your metabolism doesn’t break like a piece of glass.

If you aren’t losing weight, it’s because you’re not in a calorie deficit. 

Here are some questions I’d ask myself:

• Am I eating about 300-500 calories below maintenance?
• Am I strength training 3-4 times per week and applying progressive overload (gradually lifting heavier and heavier weights over time) during my workouts?
• Am I getting at least 7,500-10,000 steps every single day? 

How can I fix my metabolism in 3 days?

If you’re wondering how to lose a significant amount of weight in the next three days, what I’m about to say will disappoint you…

Because the second you embrace the fact that there are no quick fixes when it comes to weight loss, the better off you’ll be. 

You can’t fit months’ worth of work into a few days. 

That’s where a lot of people get stuck on their weight loss journey. 

They’re simply just not patient enough.

I don’t want you to be one of those people. 

Instead of focusing on how you can do something fast, focus on how you can do something right and sustainably, and be consistent with it. 

Sustainability over the long haul is what leads to results. 

 

What foods increase your metabolism?

One of the ways to increase your metabolism is to include more high-protein foods like chicken breast, turkey breast, egg whites, and shrimp in your diet. 

Protein-rich foods have a higher thermic effect than any other food, meaning your body burns the most calories just by digesting them. 

 

What is the best drink to speed up your metabolism?

If you’re thinking about trying that detox tea or juice cleanse you saw while scrolling through social media to “jumpstart” your metabolism, do me a favor.

Don’t.

Just don’t.

You’ll just be wasting your money if you do. 

Protein shakes are about the only drink that can help speed up your metabolism.

But it’s not like there’s something special or magical about the protein shakes themselves.

Your body just burns the most calories when it digests protein. 

 

What age does your metabolism start to slow down?

Your metabolism actually doesn’t start to slow down until around age 60.

But it’s not so much your physical age that causes a decline in your metabolism.

It has more to do with the lifestyle you take on as you get older.

We have a tendency to move less the older we get, which can make it seem like your metabolism is slowing down.

In reality though, you just become less physically active with age. 

 

What makes your metabolism faster?

• Staying within your calories and making sure to eat enough protein
• Strength training 3-4 times per week
• Walking more
• Getting enough sleep

Doing all of the above on a consistent basis will help speed up your metabolism. 

Consistent basis = over the next 3 months, 6 months, the next year.