{"id":63231,"date":"2017-11-08T07:15:54","date_gmt":"2017-11-08T12:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=63231"},"modified":"2021-05-19T04:28:31","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T08:28:31","slug":"surprising-things-slow-metabolism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/surprising-things-slow-metabolism\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Surprising Things That Slow Down Your Metabolism"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"7
Photo: Twenty20<\/a><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You might complain about the endless rush of daily life and meditate<\/a> for a few minutes during the day, but there’s one thing you typically don’t want to slow down \u2014 your metabolism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Think of it like an engine: Your metabolism is those series of chemical reactions that convert what you eat and drink into energy that your body can use. Your metabolism is influenced by your age, sex, body size and composition. That means men typically have faster metabolic rates since they tend to carry more muscle<\/a> and less body fat than women. Your metabolism also decreases with age<\/a> (more on that below).<\/p>\n

While you know that sitting around all day can cause your metabolism to plummet (and exercising regularly can boost it), there are other simple things you may be doing to clog your engine. Here are seven ways that you\u2019re slowing down your metabolism.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>How to Boost Metabolism in Your 20s, 30s and 40s<\/a><\/p>\n

7 Common Mistakes That Slow Down Your Metabolism<\/h3>\n

1. Fasting for too long.<\/h3>\n

While you probably have heard that skipping meals isn\u2019t great for your metabolism, leaving big gaps between your meals doesn\u2019t help either, says Lauren Antonucci, RDN, owner of Nutrition Energy<\/a> and certified sports dietitian. \u201cYou get a thermic boost every time you eat. Your metabolism revs up to process the food you\u2019re eating,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

But when you eat breakfast at 5 a.m., lunch at 4 p.m., and dinner at 9 p.m., you\u2019re not doing your metabolism any favors. Instead, Antonucci suggests eating every two to three hours to keep your metabolism humming. All about intermittent fasting<\/a>? While it can help decrease your calorie consumption, the drawback is that if it isn\u2019t done with correct guidance, it can lead to unhealthy eating choices and weight gain. Our recommendation: Call in the pros.<\/p>\n

2. Avoiding the weight room.<\/h3>\n

You\u2019ve heard over and over that muscles burn more calories \u2014 and it\u2019s true. Studies<\/a> have found that strength training<\/a> revs your resting metabolism rate. That also explains why your metabolic rate<\/a> declines, as you get older. \u201cYour muscle mass decreases over time because you\u2019re typically not doing as much resistance training,\u201d says Antonucci. Schedule regular strength training sessions as part of your workout schedule.<\/p>\n

3. Eating inconsistent daily meals.<\/h3>\n

If you eat breakfast<\/a> first thing in the morning some days and don\u2019t eat until lunch on other days, then you might be wrecking your metabolism. Whether you eat three meals a day or nine seems like it should be NBD, but a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/a><\/em> found that an irregular meal schedule might negatively affect your metabolic health. Instead, aim to eat a consistent number and schedule of meals each day.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>7 Ways to Naturally Boost Your Metabolism<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Not eating enough.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you want to lose weight, you should just eat less, right? It\u2019s not quite that simple. Antonucci says that chronically dieting or consistently eating just a little less than what your body needs, whether inadvertently or on purpose, can wreak havoc on your metabolism. She sees this often in her athletes, especially those training for endurance events like Ironman triathlons<\/a>. \u201cTheir caloric needs can be ridiculously high and they don\u2019t eat enough,\u201d she says, which can also lead to fatigue and injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuessing your metabolic rate is a shot in the dark,\u201d says Antonucci. That\u2019s why she recommends metabolic rate testing for anyone who\u2019s having trouble losing weight or athletes<\/a> who are constantly injured or fatigued. \u201cIt\u2019s like a VO2 max test<\/a> except you just sit and breathe into a mouthpiece for 15 minutes,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"7
Photo: Twenty20<\/a><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Skimping on your zzzz\u2019s.<\/h3>\n

Sure, dark circles and a long-standing caffeine habit are downsides of skipping sleep<\/a>, but they\u2019re not the only ones. Researchers<\/a> have found that sleep deprivation can significantly impact your metabolism \u2014 and not in a good way \u2014 by decreasing energy expenditure. Plus, when you\u2019re sleepy, you don\u2019t move around as much, says Antonucci. \u201cStudies have shown that people who sleep less move less during the day. You may not exercise or you may choose to take a cab rather than walk because you\u2019re tired,\u201d she says. So be sure to get a full night sleep regularly!<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Is Your Sleep Schedule Wrecking Your Metabolism?<\/a><\/p>\n

6. Neglecting protein.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A calorie<\/a> is a calorie, right? Not quite. Your body requires different amounts of energy to process the various macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. “The cost of processing protein<\/a> is higher than the cost of processing fat,\u201d says Antonucci. \u201cYou need protein to increase muscle mass and to fuel your metabolism.\u201d A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association<\/a><\/em> found that a higher protein diet increased resting energy expenditure.<\/p>\n

But Antonucci also advises that it\u2019s not a license to eat only protein. A balance of macronutrients is key. \u201cYou need enough carbs<\/a> to have enough energy to move through the day. And you need enough good fats to keep you satiated,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

7. Stressing out.<\/h3>\n

You know that stress<\/a> is bad for your health, but it turns out that it\u2019s also bad for your metabolic rate. Researchers from Ohio State University<\/a> found that stress affected how women metabolized food. Those who experience one or more stressful events the day before eating a high-fat meal burned 104 fewer calories in the hours following the meal compared to the non-stressed women. While that may not seem like a lot, researchers said that over the course of a year, that could mean an 11-pound weight gain. Just one more reason to chill out<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Read More
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\n<\/a>Is Weight Loss Really As Easy As Calories In, Calories Out?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You can\u2019t control your age and body type, but certain lifestyle choices, like getting enough sleep and eating right, can make or break your metabolism. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":63235,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,11,18],"tags":[41,192,71,280,341,352,285],"class_list":["post-63231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-health-hacks","category-weight-loss","tag-diets","tag-metabolism","tag-nutrition","tag-sleep","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2weight-loss","tag-weight-loss"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}