I have a borderline thyroid condition. It’s underactive, (hypothyroidism), and not bad enough to require treatment. That doesn’t stop me from blaming my metabolism whenever I put on weight. The allure of being able to boost your metabolism gets me searching out advice online.
But not for long. As soon as those pounds start to creep on, a tough look at any lifestyle changes usually finds the culprits.

It’s almost always one of these three reasons: exercising less (or less intensely), eating more (or the wrong foods instead of healthy eating), or neglecting strength-building exercise.
How Do You Boost Your Metabolism?
I’d love to blame my metabolism. Who doesn’t want a quick fix? So I’ve pulled together 10 ways you can boost your metabolism that really helps with weight loss…
Ditch The Diets
Crash diets or significantly restricting your food intake will significantly slow down your metabolism. It’s a bit like animals hibernating. They get through the winter months by slowing their metabolism.
Start a diet and you’re signaling to your body to hang on to those fat stores. It’s handy if you’re trying to survive a long winter on not much food. Not so great when you’re trying to lose weight. It’s a major reason why your weight loss is slow.
Rather than dieting, make small changes to your diet and try to eat better with nutritious healthy food. Try filling up on healthy vegetables! If your diet is rich in nutrients, your body will send you fewer hunger signals.
Build Muscle
Muscle cells use up more energy than fat cells. This means people with more muscle mass tend to have a faster metabolism.
It’s one of the reasons men tend to have faster metabolisms than women. Men naturally have more muscles, heavier bones, and less body fat. (It’s tough for women but we just can’t eat as much).
Strength-building exercises that build muscle will help you increase your metabolism and shift the fat. Hit the gym, take up yoga, or climbing – all good activities to build your muscles.
You don’t need big bulky muscles, just increasing your muscle mass slightly will give your metabolism a boost!
Add High-Intensity
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), will significantly boost your metabolism for several hours after your workout.
Not only do you burn more calories per minute of exercise, (because you’re working harder) but your body will continue to burn extra calories after the workout is over.
HIIT involves short periods of intense exercise alternated with low-intensity recovery periods. It’s a development of circuit training and has the same type of effect as interval training for runners.
Basically, any high-intensity exercise that makes you work hard will boost your metabolism. As they say; “There’s no gain without pain”. Just check with your doctor that HIIT is suitable if you haven’t exercised for a while, or have any medical conditions.
Move More
Sitting all day has been dubbed as the “new smoking” in terms of being bad for your health. It’s bad for your back and not moving means you burn fewer calories.
A stand-up desk may not be possible but make sure you take regular breaks from sitting. Stand up, run up and down the stairs, just move more… Try walking for weight loss.
Sleep Well
There’s some evidence that failing to get a good night’s sleep will slow down your metabolism.
The evidence is inconclusive but lack of sleep does make you more hungry and less inclined to exercise.
Eat Protein With Every Meal
Your body uses calories to digest food and use the nutrients in foods. This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF) and it’s higher for protein than fat or carbohydrates.
Protein will also leave you feeling fuller for longer and may prevent you from overeating at mealtimes.
It’s possible eating more protein counters the negative effects of reduced food intake on your metabolism. It’s not going to be the only way to help you lose weight, but swapping some of those carbs for protein may help boost your metabolism.
Drink Cold Water
Drinking water has been linked to boosting your metabolism. The study is a little tenuous and the effect is temporary, but drinking water is so much better for you than sugary drinks.
Staying properly hydrated has many benefits and confusing thirst for hunger can be a factor in overeating. (Just be aware that drinking an extreme amount of water in a short amount of time is dangerous).
Drink Green Tea
There are some studies that suggest drinking green tea may boost your metabolism. Personally, I’m not convinced, but I do enjoy a nice cup of tea!
It seems to be the tea polyphenols that have the effect of boosting your metabolism. If you drink your tea without sugar, it’s a low-calorie way of staying hydrated.
Caffeine
It’s a little similar to the effect of drinking tea, but the caffeine in coffee has been shown to boost your metabolism.
Again the studies are a little unconvincing, with testing on very small groups. Before you drastically change your coffee habits, bear in mind the negative effects of caffeine: insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, an upset stomach, a fast heartbeat, and even muscle tremors.
Spicy Foods
This is one of the more wacky items on the list, but peppers contain capsaicin which can boost your metabolism.
The effect is tiny. One study talks about burning around 10 extra calories per meal. Capsaicin may help you feel fuller for longer but there are far better ways of boosting your metabolism.
When it comes to weight loss there’s a lot of hype and a lot of preying on vulnerable people with misinformation.
Healthy eating and increasing the intensity of your exercise are the most important ways to boost your metabolism. Eating yogurt is a good tip and cutting back on sugar. If you have any other tips I’d love to hear them…
If you’ve found this post helpful, you may enjoy my other weight loss-related articles:
- Is Diet More Important Than Exercise For Weight Loss?
- Fat vs. Muscle: How Does It Affect Your Weight?
- Can You Eat Raw Rolled Oats And Is It Healthy?
- How To Stop Thinking About Food: These Tips Will Help
- What’s Normal Weight For A Five Foot Seven Inch Tall Woman?
- Why Diets Don’t Work (7 Reasons To Ditch The Diets)
- 32 Healthy Eating Hacks To Eat Better
- Why Your Weight Loss Is Slow (And What To Do About It)

Frequently Asked Questions
Running or just moving more is always good for weight loss because you’re burning calories. When it comes to boosting your metabolism there’s increasing evidence that high-intensity workouts are best. Running short fast intervals or any High-Intensity Interval Training HIIT will challenge your body and boost your metabolism for several hours after you finish your workout.
There’s a lot of hype that drinking green tea can boost your metabolism. Personally, I’m not convinced. All tea contains polyphenols that can have some effect on your metabolism. Caffeine will also provide a similar metabolism boost. Regularly drinking tea and coffee will make no difference to weight loss unless you also improve your diet.
Your body uses calories to digest food. This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF) and it’s higher for protein than fat or carbohydrates. Peppers contain capsaicin which can boost your metabolism. These effects are tiny and the best way to boost your metabolism is healthy eating combined with an exercise plan. Restrictive diets have a lasting negative impact on your metabolism. Instead, eat nutritious food, try strength training and add High-Intensity Workouts (HIIT or running intervals) to your exercise regime.
Ditch the diets. Crash diets put your body into starvation mode and lower your metabolism. Instead, go for steady weight loss by following a healthy diet. Build muscle with strength-building exercises and incorporate high-intensity exercise into your fitness regime. Challenging your body will boost your weight loss. Move more, sleep well, and eat protein with every meal.
Becky Willoughby
Friday 14th of June 2019
Some great tips! I’m struggling to ditch the addictive carbs
Alison
Saturday 15th of June 2019
Just found your blog Becky! Looks like you get tonnes of exercise! Love your blog! It's a cruel twist that running makes you hungry. I often find it's easier to maintain my weight when I'm doing shorter faster runs and mixing it up with yoga and climbing. It's difficult when I like my food...
Alison
Saturday 15th of June 2019
Yes it is hard. I think you just have to be kind to yourself and remember small steps make a difference. I think it helps to focus on having fun exercising and find a buddy (or two or three to exercise with) - or join a local club.