Having an efficient metabolism is the key to stress-free weight loss. Your diet can have a major effect on the rate your body burns fat and calories. A starvation diet with little exercise slows the metabolism and causes your body to hold onto every bit of fat it can. It also causes the body to burn up muscle mass, which contributes to slowing the metabolism.

Metabolism

A high-metabolism diet is ideal for a woman in her late twenties and upward. This is because the metabolism slows as we age, causing weight gain even if we don't change our lifestyle. Hormones, stress, and even the loss of muscle mass cause the slowing of the metabolism. Metabolism is the rate at which we burn calories. This has a great impact on how quickly we can lose and gain weight. Someone with a higher metabolism burns more calories just sitting around watching television than someone who doesn’t.

How to Increase the Metabolism

The high-metabolism diet is meant to boost the metabolism, which helps you lose weight. A high metabolism is healthy because it requires adequate muscle mass and helps you feel stronger and more energetic. There are four keys to make the high-metabolism diet work for you: Eat enough food, never skip breakfast, use caffeine, and exercise.

Diet

You need to eat enough. If you consume less than 1,200 to 1,500 calories, your metabolism slows down. Your body goes into survival mode saying, “I am not getting very many calories. I should stop burning them so fast because I don’t know how long this famine will last.” Try to eat five to six small portions of healthy foods throughout the day to keep the metabolism efficient.

Never skip breakfast. Breakfast means breaking your overnight fast. It jump-starts the metabolism and brings it up to speed to burn the calories you eat during the day. The bonus is that if you eat breakfast, you feel more satisfied and less likely to overeat later in the day.

Fiber can boost your metabolism by 30 percent, according to Prevention.com. It is important to get at least 25 grams of fiber each day. Suitable food choices for the high-metabolism diet are oatmeal, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, and fruits. You can add Metamucil, or a fiber supplement, to your diet if you are not able to get enough fiber through your diet.

Caffeine

Many people avoid caffeine. It is a part of the high-metabolism diet because it speeds the metabolism. The benefits of caffeine in the morning include burning an additional 100 to 200 calories per day. Try black coffee or caffeinated tea for low-calorie options. It is important to drink ample water because caffeine is a diuretic. Drink two cups of water for every caffeinated beverage you drink.

Exercise

Exercise increases metabolism. Get in 45 to 60 minutes of cardio exercise three to four times a week. Add a muscle-building regiment to your week. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest.

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