4 Habits That Slow Down Your Metabolism

A fast metabolism is essential for weight loss. Therefore, if you want to get rid of extra pounds, you need to keep your metabolism high. However, certain habits can slow down your metabolism and thus make your body unable to lose weight. Read this article and find out what you’re doing wrong. 

1. Eating Too Few Protein-Rich Foods 

To maintain normal body weight, you need to eat a lot of protein-rich foods. High protein intake will boost your metabolism through a thermal effect which occurs during digestion.  

The thermal effect of protein is much higher than the thermal effect of fats or carbohydrates. 

Although weight loss lowers the metabolic rate, scientists have proved that high protein intake can minimize this effect.

Study No. 1. Participants followed one of the three diets and tried to achieve a weight loss of 10-15 percent. With a diet high in protein, their total daily energy consumption decreased only by 97 cal. In participants who consumed less protein, the body burned 297–423 cal less per day.

Study No. 2. It turns out that in order to avoid a decrease in metabolism, you should eat at least 2.4 grams of protein for every pound of your weight.

2. Eating Too Few Calories 

To lose weight, you need to create a small calorie deficit. But if your body lacks nutrients, this may lead to a decrease in metabolism which will lead to a completely opposite result. Therefore, before cutting down your calories, consult a nutritionist and a gastroenterologist. 

Some studies have confirmed that if you consume less than 1,000 cal per day, your metabolic rate slows down.

Study No. 1. Obese women who consumed 420 cal per day for four to six months significantly decreased their resting metabolic rate. Moreover, when they returned to normal nutrition in the next 5 weeks, their basal metabolic rate became lower than before the diet.

Study No. 2. Overweight people consumed 890 cal per day. Three months later, scientists found that on average these people began to burn 630 cal per day less than before.

Study No. 3. It turns out that the metabolism slows down even with a slight restriction in nutrition. A small four-day study involved 32 people who were divided into two groups. In people who consumed 1,114 cal per day, the metabolic rate was almost halved compared to subjects who consumed 1,462 cal per day. At the same time, weight loss indicators were the same in both groups.

3. Not Getting Enough Sleep

Sleep is essential for your well-being. If you sleep less than your body needs, the risk of many diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and depression, increases by many times. In addition, lack of sleep reduces the metabolic rate and increases the risk of obesity. 

Study No. 1. Participants (healthy adults) slept four hours a day for 5 consecutive days. Their metabolic rate slowed down by an average of 2.6%. However, the metabolic rate returned to previous levels after 12 hours of continuous sleep. 

Study No. 2. During one experiment, scientists determined that prolonged lack of sleep, combined with circadian rhythm disturbances, reduced basal metabolism by an average of 8%.

4. Drinking Sweet Soda 

Sweet drinks have an extremely negative effect on overall health and lead to various diseases and disorders including insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity. In 2012, scientists found that sweet soda, packaged juices, and energy drinks affect the metabolic rate. For 12 weeks, participants in the experiment received 25% of the calories from high-sugar drinks. Their metabolic rate was significantly slowed down.