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It is one of the hardest parts of losing weight.
Even after months of diet and exercise, falling back into bad habits for just a few days or weeks can cause the scale to start tipping in the wrong direction.
It’s largely because, despite more than half of people in the UK having tried dieting, almost two-thirds say they haven’t achieved as much weight loss as they expected.
Many people complain that it is as if, no matter how hard they try, their body wants to gain weight again.
Experts say they’re not imagining it. More and more research suggests that everyone has a predetermined weight, dictated by genes, that the body tries to return to.
This phenomenon, called set point theory, would explain why some people can stay thin regardless of what they eat.
In turn, experts maintain that this theory is the reason why overweight people find it so difficult to diet. Studies show that many obese people experience intense hunger pangs and fatigue while following a new diet, making it nearly impossible to continue.
“It’s like there’s a thermostat in our brain that’s set to a specific number,” says Dr. Alexander Miras, clinical professor of medicine at the University of Ulster.
‘You can lose weight, but eventually your body will sabotage it and gain weight when you stop dieting. And it also works the other way around: you will have difficulty gaining weight or maintaining it.”
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and unprocessed foods can help the body work more efficiently, experts say
So it’s no surprise that a new diet trend that promises to “reset” the body’s default weight to reduce it naturally has taken the Internet by storm.
Millions of people have watched videos promoting the diet, known as metabolism reset, on the social media app TikTok.
It refers to the metabolic system: the complex body system that decides how the body creates, stores and uses energy from the food we eat.
It is often said that thin people have a fast metabolism, meaning they burn off their excess energy quickly, while heavier people have a slow metabolism, meaning they are more likely to store this energy as fat. .
Influencers who promote metabolism reset diets often argue that eliminating artificially processed foods (like sugary cereals, sodas, and chips) is crucial to revving up the metabolic system.
This is because they are full of saturated fat, sugar and calories which, if consumed in excess, are more likely to turn into fat in the body.
Other oft-repeated advice includes eating more protein (found in meat, fish, eggs and fiber) because the body needs to use more energy to digest it.
Some influencers even claim that consuming spicy foods is crucial for speeding up your metabolism, because it apparently raises your body’s internal temperature, which in turn burns more calories.
But experts have poured cold water on the theory that simple dietary changes can “fix” metabolism.
“I’m suspicious of anyone who claims to have a diet that can change metabolism,” says Dr. Miras. ‘If I can see evidence that it works, I’m open to it. But I haven’t seen any.
‘They are generally healthy and based on the principles of the Mediterranean diet: olive oil, nuts and seeds and lots of fruit and vegetables.
‘It will lead to modest weight loss and protect your heart. But at a cellular level, can it affect your metabolism? That’s not very clear.
However, experts say there are other simple steps people can take that, while they can’t reset the metabolism, can help it work more effectively.
Continue reading to find out more…
FORGET INTERMITTENT FASTING – EAT SMALL MEALS FREQUENTLY
It has been the trendy way to lose weight and is claimed to speed up metabolism and reduce inflammation in the body. But intermittent fasting, championed by everyone from Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston to former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, can cause you to store energy rather than burn it, experts say.
The plan involves eating within an eight-hour window and consuming nothing but water for the remaining 16 hours of the day. This causes you to eat less overall, and once the body reaches a fasted state about six to eight hours after your last meal, it signals the body’s cells to switch from burning glucose for energy to burning reserves. of fat, resulting in weight loss. . It also helps regulate hormones associated with hunger and appetite, research suggests.
But David Strain, associate professor of cardiometabolic health at the University of Exeter, says it “doesn’t really help” your metabolism.
Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston has long been an advocate of a fasting regimen to stay healthy.
“There are a lot of conversations about whether or not you should have breakfast, and whether you should eat after 6pm as a natural alternative to Ozempic and Mounjaro,” says Professor Strain.
“Honestly, it doesn’t do much for your metabolism and is just simple biomechanics: if you eat after 6 p.m., your food is digested while you sleep and is therefore stored as fat.”
Instead, Dr. Strain warns that eating “little and often” may be more beneficial for the body’s metabolism.
Studies suggest that eating smaller meals more regularly encourages the body to immediately burn off the food it enters.
“At the cellular level, we don’t really understand what’s going on,” he says. “We believe that the regular rise and fall of hormones as you eat signals the mitochondria, the ‘batteries’ inside cells, to store or use energy from food.
“If you receive small amounts of nutrition regularly, your metabolic rate increases because your body is very happy to use the energy to carry out its basic functions, without thinking about whether it needs to store it in case it is needed later.”
TAKE THAT SUNDAY WALK AFTER YOUR BBQ, NOT BEFORE
It’s tempting not to eat before exercising to avoid feeling lethargic. But experts recommend eating at least 20-30 minutes before doing any activity to regulate metabolism.
“Most of us take a nice Sunday walk before coming home and eating a roast, or finishing up in the pub,” says Professor Strain.
‘It should be vice versa. If you start exercising about half an hour after eating, your body receives the nutrition it needs and uses it.
“If you exercise and then eat, your body craves nutrition and will think it has to store energy from what you consume to have enough for next time.”
BUILD MUSCLE TO BURN MORE FAT
It’s not a magic overnight solution, but the more muscle you have, the more efficient your metabolism will be because muscle burns more calories.
Any strengthening exercise will be helpful, from walking up hills to lifting weights, climbing stairs, or just digging in the garden.
Experts say this is because muscle tissue consumes more energy than fat, which is why it is often called “metabolically active tissue.”
Dr Duane Mellor, dietitian at Aston School of Medicine, explains: “Any resistance exercise will maintain and potentially increase muscle mass, which provides a greater amount of metabolically active tissue – ultimately increasing the size of your engine and burns more fuel.
With more muscle on board, you’ll burn more calories regardless of whether you’re asleep or physically active, says Dr. Charlotte Norton, medical director of online weight loss clinic, The Sliming Clinic.
“The number of calories you burn at rest depends largely on your body composition,” says Dr. Norton. “Someone who has more skeletal muscle mass burns more calories at rest because muscle cells do more at rest than fat cells, so they require more energy.”
LOWER THE THERMOSTAT
Most people set their room temperature between 21 and 22 degrees Celsius. But, unless you’re older, to have a more efficient metabolism, you need to be exposed to something a little cooler.
Studies have shown that people who were exposed to enough cold to make them shiver a little saw the white fat in their bodies, which stores energy from food, turn into brown fat, which burns that energy to produce heat.
Not only that, the more brown fat you have, the less chills you need to stay warm and the more you adapt to lower temperatures, so you’ll also save money on your heating bills.
“We keep our houses too warm,” says Professor Strain. “Reducing them by a few degrees (even 19 to 21 degrees Celsius can be enough) converts bad fat into good fat and helps the body burn more energy.”
…BUT HEALTHY FOOD AND SOME SUPPLEMENTS ARE STILL IMPORTANT
Dr. David Strain warns that eating “little and often” may be more beneficial for the body’s metabolism
While diet alone cannot boost your metabolism, there are still things you can do to make it as efficient as possible, and it comes down to eating a healthy, balanced diet and making sure you get enough essential vitamins and nutrients. minerals known to be beneficial.
“It seems like this is the same thing we tell people all the time, but that’s because it’s really important,” says Dr. Norton.
‘Eat a healthy, nutritious diet rich in lean proteins, beans, legumes, fruits and vegetables.
“Fish or olive oils are really important because they contain Omega 3, which is an anti-inflammatory: less inflammation helps cells function better.”
Dr. Mellor adds: “There is little or no evidence that supplements and herbal remedies can improve metabolism, but some contribute to maintaining a normal metabolism.”
«Calcium is important for maintaining the normal function of digestive enzymes, proteins that break down food into nutrients.
“While B vitamins help convert the food we eat into energy that the body can use.”