6 daily habits that are killing your metabolism

An active metabolism aids weight loss by making you burn more calories.

Your metabolic rate determines the number of calories you burn and it also helps maintain a balance in the body by taking care of your blood sugar, cholesterol, triglyceride and blood pressure levels.

While we all know various ways to boost metabolism, what we don’t know is simple things/habits which can drain your metabolism.

Here are six bad habits that can slow down your metabolism

Many people have this misconception that eating fewer calories will help them lose weight. But you will be surprised to know that limiting calories intake to an excess can decrease metabolism. Though one needs to create a calorie deficit (eating fewer calories than what they can burn) to lose weight, eating too few calories can backfire. In this case, your body senses the food scarce and lowers the rate at which it burns calories.

Leading a sedentary lifestyle can lead to a significant decrease in the number of calories you burn every day. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, most of us are working from home and sitting all day, which is having a negative effect on metabolism and overall health.

Every physical activity like standing, cleaning, taking the stairs, cooking, everything can help you burn calories. This type of activity is called non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).

Eating enough protein is important to achieve a healthy weight loss. Protein keeps you fuller for a longer time and increases the rate at which your body burns calories. When you digest food, there is an increase in the metabolism, which is called the thermic effect of food (TEF).

So, the thermic effect of protein is much higher than that of fat or carbs. Just eating protein increases your metabolism by 20-30 per cent as compared to 5-10 per cent for carbs and 3 per cent or less for fat.

Getting enough sleep is important for maintaining overall health. Sleeping for fewer hours can increase your risk of illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and depression. Inadequate sleep can also lower your metabolic rate and increase your chances of gaining weight. Not sleeping on time can also disrupt your sleep cycle and disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm.

Refined carbohydrates are very different from complex carbohydrates. They get digested easily and lead to a spike in the blood sugar level and your body uses less energy to break them down. Thus, eating too many carbs slow down your metabolism as compared to whole grains that make your body work harder and help you burn calories.

Following strict diets, especially when you are exercising forces your body to conserve energy to carry out basic day-to-day work. This can backfire as your body clings to these calories and makes it harder to lose kilos.