Rev Up Your Metabolism for Weight Loss Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search Weight Management Weight Loss Rev Up Your Metabolism By Paige Waehner Paige Waehner Paige Waehner is a certified personal trainer, author of the "Guide to Become a Personal Trainer"; and co-author of "The Buzz on Exercise & Fitness." Learn about our editorial process Updated on February 26, 2021 Fact checked Verywell Fit content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Emily Swaim Fact checked by Emily Swaim Emily is a fact checker, editor, and writer who has expertise in psychology, health and lifestyle content. Learn about our editorial process Print Irene Wissel/EyeEm/Getty Images When it comes to losing weight, metabolism is a key factor in our success. Our bodies need a certain amount of calories to function, but go too far above that and you gain weight. If you go too far below that, you can actually slow the metabolism further as the body goes into starvation mode. The question is, how much can you change your metabolism, and is there some way to speed it up? Metabolism Basics Metabolism is just one part of your total energy expenditure each day. Total energy expenditure is made up of different components, including: 60% - Resting metabolic rate (RMR), the measurement of how quickly your body burns through calories while at rest (it is often used interchangeably with basal metabolic rate) 30-40% - Exercise and physical activity 5-10% - The thermic effect of food, which refers to how your body burns calories to digest food Looking at these different areas, can you already see some places where you could increase your metabolism? Below are some ideas for how you can do just that. How to Speed Up Your Metabolism Eat breakfast - When you wake up in the morning, you haven't eaten in a long time. Skipping this meal means you start your day with a metabolism that's already sluggish. Eat according to your activities - If you do most of your physical activity during the day, make breakfast and lunch your larger meals so you have enough energy to get everything done. Avoid skipping meals - Remember, one part of the metabolism equation is the thermic effect of food. Eating more frequently throughout the day can keep that effect going while keeping your blood sugar at even levels. When you get too hungry, you may overeat out of sheer starvation. Avoid dieting without exercise - Changing your diet may be your first step in losing weight, but restricting your food intake without exercise can suppress your metabolism. As you lose weight, your body will burn fewer calories at rest because it has less mass to sustain. But restricting food can slow your metabolism down disproportionately, causing long-term metabolic damage. This is just one more reason to avoid fad diets and focus more on learning how to eat healthy. Do your cardio - Cardio is essential for revving up your metabolism. In one study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, a group of men and women exercised for 3-5 days a week for 20-45 minutes per session, working at a moderate intensity. At the end of the 16-month study, the women increased their RMR by an average of 132 calories, while the men went up by about 129 calories. Lift weights - We often rely on cardio for losing weight, but strength training is just as important. Remember, muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so the more you have, the higher your metabolism will be. In fact, one study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that older menand women increased their RMR by about 365 calories after 26 weeks of strength training How Do I Change My Metabolism? A Word From Verywell The great news in all of this is that you can change your metabolism. Even small changes—taking a walk every day, getting up from your desk more often, eating regularly, and introducing a simple strength program—can make a difference. In fact, it's clear that dieting, the most popular method for losing weight, may be the worst. That means you don't have to spend another day feeling deprived or restricting foods. Free yourself from the diet trap and you may just start losing weight for good. 6 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Redman LM, Smith SR, Burton JH, Martin CK, Il-yasova D, Ravussin E. Metabolic slowing and reduced oxidative damage with sustained caloric restriction support the rate of living and oxidative damage theories of aging. Cell Metab. 2018;27(4):805-815. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2018.02.019 Rosenbaum M, Leibel RL. Adaptive thermogenesis in humans. Int J Obes (Lond). 2010;34(0 1):S47-S55. doi:10.1038/ijo.2010.184 Maki KC, Phillips-Eakley AK, Smith KN. The effects of breakfast consumption and composition on metabolic wellness with a focus on carbohydrate metabolism. Adv Nutr. 2016;7(3):613S-621S. doi:10.3945/an.115.010314 Ekmekcioglu C, Touitou Y. Chronobiological aspects of food intake and metabolism and their relevance on energy balance and weight regulation. Obes Rev. 2011;12(1):14-25. doi:10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00716.x Potteiger, JA, Kirk EP, Jacobsen DJ, Donnelly JE. Changes in resting metabolic rate and substrate oxidation after 16 months of exercise training in overweight adults. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2008;18(1):79-95. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.18.1.79 Hunter GR, Wetzstein CJ, Fields DA, Brown A, Bamman MM. Resistance training increases total energy expenditure and free-living physical activity in older adults. J Appl Physiol. 2000;89(3):977-984. doi:10.1152/jappl.2000.89.3.977 By Paige Waehner Paige Waehner is a certified personal trainer, author of the "Guide to Become a Personal Trainer," and co-author of "The Buzz on Exercise & Fitness." See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit Related Articles How Do I Change My Metabolism? RMR: What Is Resting Metabolic Rate? Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): Calculations and How to Use Them How to Change Your Daily Energy Expenditure for Faster Weight Loss How Can You Lose Weight With Indoor Cycling? Calculating the Calories Burned During Exercise for Weight Loss What Is a Calorie Deficit? How to Boost Your Daily Energy Expenditure Why You May Want to Workout Less (and Move More) Women Can Add Strength Training to Cardio for Speeding up Weight Loss What Is Yo-Yo Dieting? How to Stop the Cycle Did Diet and Exercise Damage My Metabolism? How Many Calories Does Muscle Really Burn? Thermic Effect of Food and How Many Calories You Burn From Eating What Is the Metabolic Typing Diet? Why Losing Weight Fast Isn’t a Good Idea, and What to Do Instead When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept All