How to Increase Your Metabolism

Using a Bodybuilding designed diet for maximum weight loss
 

There are a variety of tips and tricks that you can use to increase your metabolism and I will cover the ones that I have found the most effective below.  However before we begin I would like to point out that most peoples lifestyles and poor exercise habits really contribute to the slowing down of their metabolism. This is not just some wild theory that I am writing about, I'm actually speak from personal experience.  I have lived a lifestyle for years that took a skinny kid, who seamed like he couldn't gain any weight, to a fat adult.  Even though I consistently worked out with weights, I made bad dieting decisions over the years that added inches to my waistline. 

Using the basic principles that I learned from my bodybuilding background my wife and I have decided to reevaluate the way we eat and make adjustments so that we can live a happy and healthy lifestyle.  So how effective were our changes?  Well, as of the writing of this article I have successfully dropped almost 30 pounds and my wife has dropped over 35 pounds in a four month time frame (we both still have not reached our goals yet but we are definitely moving in the right direction).  The key point I would like to make before I continue is that we made these changes by diet and exercise alone. Although I believe there are some good fat burning supplements out there, I wanted to prove a point that diet, exercise, hard work and determination is all that you really need to accomplish great results. 

What are the tips and tricks that can help you increase your metabolism for maximum weight loss?

Tip #1:  Eat 6 small high quality meals a day

Do you know someone who is overweight and only eats once or twice a day?  You may even be in this predicament yourself.  Assuming that they are eating all the wrong foods it is hard to believe that the only reason that they are overweight is just because of an over consumption of calories. More than likely the metabolism has slowed down to a point where their body easily stores fat.

The problem with only eating once or twice a day is that your body is going to adapt to its environment to ensure its survival. This is a great example of how less equals less (less calories consumed equals less calories burned). By eating more often your body is not put into survival mode and doesn’t try to store everything you consume.  This is why the one to two meal a day crash diets in the long run do not work. You may make progress in the short run but eventually the progress stops and the dieting comes to and end.

Keep in mind that when I recommend eating six meals a day that this doesn’t mean you can just eat anything you want. Think of it as a “garbage in garbage out” model; if you eat garbage your going to look like garbage.


Tip #2:  Change the diet later in the day

Although I believe in keeping my protein consistent throughout my day I do change the types of carbohydrates I eat later in the day. My first four meals usually contain my complex carbohydrates with foods like yams, red potatoes, brown rice or cream of wheat. Later in the day I switch to a more fibrous carbohydrate like broccoli, green beans or salad. The only time I will deviate from this is if I workout in the evenings. Usually within 30 minutes of my workout I will drink a protein and carb shake.  The reason why you want to change the types of carbohydrates that you eat is that the more fibrous carbohydrates take longer to burn in your body.

Tip #3:  Add a cheat meal to your diet

If you mention the word cheat meal to some people they act as if you have either introduced some new controversial dieting scheme or have committed blasphemy against the dieting gods. Unfortunately they just don’t get it and the concept is really not that hard grasp. Most of the issues people have with dieting are mental and not physical. We crave things we are not suppose to eat and any trainer, dietician, friend or family member that thinks most people will give up fun foods like cake and ice-cream for the rest of their life is living in a dream world. I got news for you too, the longer you stay on a diet the more intense the craving becomes. I don't eat any junk food for a 14 to 16 week period during my bodybuilding precontest diets.  The closer I get to the shows the harder it is to stick to the diet. My craving for pizza and other fun foods never goes away no matter how long I diet.  That is why cheat meals have both a physical and psychological benefit that are a wonderful addition to a healthy diet.   I'll explain more below.

Physically cheat meals keep the body guessing. Just when your body starts to think it has things figured out you surprise it with a radical change in your diet. If you eat the same thing everyday within a few weeks your body will adapt to the caloric intake. You have to spice things up and keep the body confused.  Now if you are one of the rare few that does not like junk food does this mean you have to eat junk food to make good gains.  No, actually it does not.  If fattening foods is not your thing, which for me it isn't an option when I compete, then I recommend you set aside a day or two in the week where you double your carbohydrate intake.  The sudden spike in your calories will produce the same results.

Psychologically cheat meals give you little goals that help you stay on track with your diet. If your cheat meal is on Saturday and your having craving on Wednesday, you simply just remind yourself that in three more days you can eat anything that you want. By the time Saturday roles around you can without an ounce of guilt eat your pizza and ice-cream or whatever else you heart desires.

Now sometimes, depending on the person, or where they are at in the dieting process, I recommend a cheat day or cheat half day instead of a cheat meal. If you add a cheat day to your diet it takes a few days for your weight to balance out but as long as your still dropping around a pound to two pounds max a week it’s a great program to follow.

On a personal not my wife and I use a cheat day in our diet. Actually we don’t see this as a diet but a lifestyle change for us. We eat very strict Sunday through Friday and on Saturday the gloves come off! It is a wonderful treat that mentally keeps us on the diet and physically keeps the metabolism moving.
 

Tip # 4:  Exercise is part of the equation

You have to add a good workout routine to your diet if you want great results. Think of dieting and workout as a partnership where one does not succeed without the other. Yes you may see some results by only choosing half of the formula but you will never reach your full potential until you add both a diet and workout program to your daily routine. I personally spent years where I worked hard with weights but did not change my diet. Although I was able to put on muscle, I still carried around an excessive amount of body fat.

Last but not least you should always consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.  For those of you interested in learning more, I have a whole separate site that is dedicated to different tips and tricks that you can use to increase your metabolism. You can learn more about weight loss tips and tricks at http://www.increase-metabolism.power-of-knowledge.com.