If you're struggling to gain weight, you might think a fast metabolism is to blame. How fast or slow your metabolism is mostly comes down to genetics, but you can slow it down (or speed it up) a little with diet and lifestyle changes. [1] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School's Educational Site for the Public Go to source Decreasing your body's metabolic rate helps you gain weight more efficiently by sparing macronutrients that would otherwise be consumed to generate energy in cellular metabolism. The main way to gain weight is to increase calorie intake and take in more calories each day than your body burns through metabolism and exercise, but this isn't always as simple as it sounds. Read on to learn how you can decrease your metabolism to help you gain a few needed pounds.
Things You Should Know
- Eat more calories than you burn if you want to gain weight. Aim to add a total of 300 to 500 calories per day above what you normally eat.
- Choose foods that are high in healthy fats and carbohydrates, such as rice, pasta, and red meat. Snack on nuts and seeds, as well.
- Use relaxation techniques such as meditation to cope with stress. More quality sleep can also bring your metabolism down and help you gain weight.
Steps
-
Gain weight by eating more calories than your body burns. Regardless of your metabolic rate, you're not going to gain weight unless you're consuming more calories than your body needs to function. This is one of the reasons why knowing your BMR is extremely important. Without that number, you have no way of knowing how many calories you should be eating on a daily basis to achieve a calorie surfeit. [2] X Research source
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2Choose foods with a low thermic effect of food (TEF). These contain nutrients such as complex carbohydrates (i.e., starch and fiber) and dietary fats, especially an essential fatty acid called linoleic acid. Starches and fibers have been shown to reduce diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) compared to simple sugars in many studies by reducing sympathetic and melanocortin activity. [3] X Research source [4] X Research source [5] X Research source [6] X Research source [7] X Research source [8] X Research source [9] X Research source [10] X Research source
- By contrast, eating foods that are hard to digest (e.g., hard cheeses or some high-gluten grains) may increase TEF by increasing digestion costs and/or may contribute to fecal energy losses. [11] X Research source Also, the complex carbohydrates in grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes break down slowly in the body's "metabolic furnace" because the starches contain hundreds or thousands of glucose units. Simple carbohydrates (i.e., sugars) in sweets contain only 1 or 2 sugar units as most, and the fructose present in the sucrose molecule increases TEF because it's difficult and inefficient to break down. [12] X Trustworthy Source Science Direct Online archive of peer-reviewed research on scientific, technical and medical topics Go to source In addition, eating simple carbohydrates produces a kind of "roller coaster" effect on postprandial glucose levels, and as glucose levels rise above a certain threshold, diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) is activated as a kind of defense mechanism to prevent glucotoxicity, stimulate glucose oxidation, and waste some of the calories as heat. [13] X Trustworthy Source Nature Respected Multidisciplinary Scientific Journal Go to source Soon after eating a sugary treat, glucose levels may potentially dip below baseline due to overproduction of insulin, thereby activating a stress response that increases sympathetic activity, raises free fatty acid (FFA) levels, and actually stimulates the catabolism of fat and muscle stores. [14] X Research source [15] X Research source [16] X Trustworthy Source Science Direct Online archive of peer-reviewed research on scientific, technical and medical topics Go to source [17] X Research source [18] X Research source [19] X Research source [20] X Trustworthy Source Science Direct Online archive of peer-reviewed research on scientific, technical and medical topics Go to source Diets high in simple carbohydrates can easily induce hepatic and peripheral insulin resistance, because of overexposure to chronically high insulin levels. [21] X Trustworthy Source Science Direct Online archive of peer-reviewed research on scientific, technical and medical topics Go to source Also, despite its well-known anabolic effects, the hormone insulin has been shown to produce some catabolic and thermogenic effects within the hypothalamus. [22] X Research source [23] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source [24] X Research source
- Certified nutritionist John Burson notes that "foods high in refined or processed sugar, saturated fat, and simple carbohydrates" tend to slow down your metabolism because they reduce diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) by requiring less energy to digest and process. [25]
X
Expert Source
John Burson
Certified Nutritionist Expert Interview [26] X Research source [27] X Research source By contrast, eating foods that are difficult to digest (e.g., hard cheeses) may increase DIT and/or fecal energy losses. [28] X Research source [29] X Research source - Focus on foods that are rich in high-quality, slowly metabolizable complex carbohydrates, such as rice, bread, and pasta, along with foods rich in high-quality fats and proteins, such as red meat, salmon or oily fish, and higher-fat dairy products. Pasta (especially in the whole-wheat varieties) is particularly good because it's a low GI complex carbohydrate and may reduce DIT. [30] X Research source [31] X Research source These kinds of foods promote better cardiometabolic health, maintain serum insulin levels over longer periods, and help you gain weight without potentially damaging your health.
- Prefer whole fruits (e.g., apples, bananas, grapes, and berries) to juices for their soluble fiber content. For some beverage variety, consider lower-sugar juices or fruit and vegetable juices with health benefits like beetroot, tomato, blueberry, grapefruit, pure cranberry, or prune juice. Nitrates, resveratrol, and soluble fibers (e.g., pectin) naturally present in some juices and whole fruits may naturally decrease resting metabolism. [32] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source [33] X Trustworthy Source Science Direct Online archive of peer-reviewed research on scientific, technical and medical topics Go to source [34] X Trustworthy Source Science Direct Online archive of peer-reviewed research on scientific, technical and medical topics Go to source [35] X Research source [36] X Research source
- Consider meats that are higher in fat, such as steak, pot roast, pork chops, and chicken or turkey thighs. [37] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source When you're looking to gain weight, increasing your fat intake a little may help decrease your metabolism by reducing DIT and sympathetic activity and by allowing for efficient deposition of the extra calories. [38] X Research source Increasing healthful fats in the diet can also increase the overall calorie density of the diet and make foods more palatable, making it easier to take in enough calories without feeling uncomfortably full.
Expert Q&A
Tips
Warnings
- Talk to your doctor before you make any drastic changes to your diet, lifestyle, or weight. They can help you ensure that your plan won't put your health at risk.Thanks
- For the most part, metabolism regulates itself and is only very rarely responsible for weight gain or loss. [85] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to sourceThanks
References
- ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-about-metabolism
- ↑ https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/metabolism
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- ↑ https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/2/365
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