If you want to lose weight, you’re probably interested in ways to boost your metabolism. Because one of the best ways to lose weight fast is to get your metabolism to burn calories more effectively. But how do you achieve this?

Today, we’re not only going to talk about food tips for your metabolism. We’ll talk about 7 ways to do it in a manner that’s realistic and achievable. That way you’ll reach your weight loss goal in no time!

Get More Sleep

You might not know how important sleep is for weight loss. But sleep has a strong effect on the hormones in your body responsible for weight loss and weight gain. In fact, research has shown that people who are sleep deprived tend to be hungrier all day.

And not only will this make you want to eat more. Your body will create more of the hormones that store fat. Meaning that you’ll convert more of what you eat to extra pounds. Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep nightly.

Build Up Muscle

The more muscle you have, the faster your Resting Metabolic Rate. This rate refers to the calories you burn while inactive. When your Resting Metabolic Rate is high, you’ll burn calories all day – not just when you’re working out.

It’s easy to rely too much on cardio when trying to boost your metabolism. But don’t overlook strength training. HIIT is a great form of exercise for your metabolism because it gives you both strength training and cardio.

Eat More Protein

If you want more muscle, you need to be getting enough protein. Because protein is essential for building strong muscles. You need about .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

Adequate protein also helps your body burn fat. Plus protein is good for proper blood sugar levels. So while you don’t need to be on a low-carb diet, you do need to make sure to get good amounts of protein daily.

Choose Three Meals a Day

Maybe you skip breakfast or lunch (or both!) in hopes of saving your calories for later in the day. Or maybe you’re just too busy to eat. But this is a mistake for your waistline.

When you don’t eat, you produce more of a hormone called ghrelin. Why does this matter? Ghrelin makes you hungrier and skipping meals can lead to ravenous night-time hunger and late night snacking. Increased ghrelin will eventually slow your metabolism too.

Enjoy Spicy Foods

Not only do spices like cayenne pepper give flavor to your favorite meals. They can also give a boost to your metabolism. So include some spicy foods in your diet daily. Think jalapenos, chili peppers, and hot salsa.

While the effects of spicy foods are temporary, you’ll burn extra calories right after eating them so when you combine this with other means of pumping up your metabolism, you can create a substantial boost.

Avoid Crash Diets

You might “go hard” when you start a diet, severely restricting calories so you can lose some initial weight fast. Maybe you plan to transition to a more moderate diet as the pounds drop. But this won’t work.

Once you go on a crash diet and severely restrict your calories, your body goes into starvation mode. And your Resting Metabolic Rate drops to almost nothing. So when you increase your calories at all, you’ll start to pack on the pounds even while dieting. Don’t crash diet!

Drink Water throughout the Day

Water isn’t just good for you. It can help increase your metabolism. In fact, a 2003 medical study found that metabolism can be increased by 30% by purely consuming 500ml of water.

Dehydration also causes inflammation. Which will contribute to a gradual slowing of the metabolism. So drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water every day.

Ready to turn yourself into a calorie burning machine? Then follow these 7 tips for boosting your metabolism. Then combine these with a sensible diet for a full body transformation!