Boost Your Metabolism: Science-Driven Tips for Sustainable Weight Loss

If you’ve been struggling to lose weight despite your best efforts, your metabolism could be the missing link. More than just burning calories, metabolism is influenced by your diet, movement, and hormones. 

When we understand the science behind metabolic health and we are able to implement practical, sustainable strategies to revitalise the body’s ability to burn fat and maintain weight loss.

What’s Out:

• Yo-yo dieting and extreme calorie restriction: 

Research tells us that extreme calorie restriction triggers a stress response in the body, which can slow down metabolism and make it harder to lose weight long-term. 

When we restrict calories too much, our body adapts by lowering our metabolic rate, holding onto fat as a survival mechanism.

• Over-exercising without balance: 

Excessive exercise, particularly overdoing cardio training, can exacerbates metabolic stress, especially in women. 

When we overtrain, don’t provide our bodies with enough time for sufficient recovery, we can see a disruption in hormonal balance, elevated cortisol levels, and this combination of things ends up undermining our ability to lose weight. 

• Focusing solely on weight loss instead of being healthy: 

Too many people are solely focused on the number on the scale and overlook the importance of building a healthy metabolism. 

Metabolism isn’t just about burning calories—it’s about how efficiently your body uses energy, regulates hormones, and maintains muscle mass. When we maintain muscle mass and keep hormones regulated, we increase our healthspan and overall longevity. 

What’s In:

• Eating to support your hormones: 

The best way to support healthy metabolism and hormone balance is to eat a combination of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs daily. 

Protein and healthy fats at every meal is imperative for supporting hormonal health, which is crucial for a healthy metabolism. 

For example, including enough protein at every meal helps preserve muscle mass and supports metabolic function, while healthy fats stabilise blood sugar and support hormone production. 

Carbs are not to be demonised, they play an important role in providing our bodies with fuel and if you are exercising most days of the week, having legumes and whole grains in the daily diet provides excellent fuel. 

• Strength training for metabolic resilience: 

The research keeps coming in and the resounding advice is everyone needs to be doing strength training. Resistance training helps us maintain a healthy metabolism. 

Building lean muscle increases our basal metabolic rate (BMR), meaning our body burns more calories even at rest. Strength training also improves insulin sensitivity, which helps regulate blood sugar and prevent weight gain.

• Managing stress and cortisol levels: 

Chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels can slow down your metabolism, making it harder to lose weight. 

Each time your body releases cortisol in response to stress, glucose is also released into the bloodstream to provide immediate energy. If this glucose isn’t used through physical activity, it gets stored as fat to be used later. 

By focusing on stress management techniques such as yoga, meditation, and getting enough sleep, you can regulate cortisol more effectively and support a healthier metabolism.