These Daily Habits are Killing Your Metabolism

These Daily Habits are Killing Your Metabolism

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Metabolism

Perhaps you’re one of the many Americans who can’t seem to lose weight no matter what you try.

You’ve tried the fad diets, organic food, and cardio but can’t seem to get results.

And some of you may have even starved yourself counting every calorie in a fitness app.

So what’s missing?

Well as it turns out, some of the very things you are doing to lose weight might actually be harming your metabolism and making you gain weight!

If you can’t seem to drop the pounds, check out these metabolism killers.

  1. Poor Quality Food

If you eat a carb heavy diet full of white bread and pasta, you’re just asking for the weight to pile on.

Carbs are often seen as a “stress relief” food and many of us reach for them when we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired.

But the more we eat bread, the more we crave it, reports Web MD.

And bread is essentially sugar which causes inflammation and all kinds of havoc on the body.

Healthline reports once carbs break down into glucose it leads to an increase in blood sugar levels.

Not good.

But even if you think you are eating healthy by choosing fruits and vegetables, remember quality is key.

If you’re buying poor quality produce, you can actually be harming your metabolism by ingesting toxins.

Prevention reported:

“Canadian researchers report that dieters with the most organochlorines (pollutants from pesticides, which are stored in fat cells) experience a greater than normal dip in metabolism as they lose weight, perhaps because the toxins interfere with the energy-burning process. Other research hints that pesticides can trigger weight gain. Always choose organic when buying peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, and pears; non-organic versions tend to have the highest levels of pesticides. But going organic is just the first step.”

When you’re buying food that you can peel (think bananas and avocados) there’s no need to buy organic.

But with items such as lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, apples, etc. – always buy organic.

And before you eat your fresh food, even if it is organic, be sure to wash it off with filtered water.

  1. You’re Not Eating Enough

Maybe you’re trying to lose weight and you think the key is to starve yourself.  The truth is by not eating enough of the right kinds of food, you can actually gain weight!

According to Prevention, when you eat less than your body needs, it starts to break down muscle tissue for energy.

In simple words, your body thinks it’s starving, so it turns to muscle for fuel!

Skipping meals and fad diets won’t make you lose weight.

Most of the initial weight loss you see is all water weight.

No, we’re not saying binge out and eat all day, but consider adding in a few sensible snacks throughout the day with protein such as raw almonds or almond butter with either a banana or celery sticks.

And try not to eat after 8 pm if you can avoid it.

Many people have found success with fasting from 8pm-8am and giving the body a 12-hour break.

And during the time they are eating, they choose healthy foods full of good fats, protein, and fiber to keep their bodies energized.

And don’t forget to drink water! Many times we think we are hungry when we are really just dehydrated.

  1. You Live A Sedentary Lifestyle

If your exercise routine includes simply walking from your car into your office – you are in big trouble!

Our bodies were made to be active.

Working out doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll lose weight.  Many people make the mistake of simply doing cardio and wondering why the weight isn’t coming off.

Some movement is better than none, and cardio may be good for your heart, but if you want the pounds to drop it’s all about your metabolism.

Men’s Health reported:

“Intensity trumps all. You not only burn more calories while you’re working out but also help your metabolism stay in a higher gear for hours afterward, thanks to a mechanism called EPOC, or excess postexercise oxygen consumption.

In a recent study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, men who cycled hard for 45 minutes burned an average of 519 calories during the workout and another 193 calories in the next 14 hours. The tipping-point intensity level seems to be about 75 percent to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate (which is roughly 220 minus your age)”

The truth is, there are certain exercises you can do that can boost your metabolism – and that won’t force you to spend hours at the gym.

If you’re 3 for 3 and guilty of all these metabolism killers, don’t worry there is hope.  Start small, and pick one of these items and master it.  Then move on to the next.

Take it one day at a time, and as you start to make changes such as eating a healthy amount of food and adding strength-training into your daily routine, you will see improvements, and your body will feel better overall.

Stay away from gimmicks that promise “overnight” results.  It’s not possible.

But by slowly incorporating good habits and working on an overall lifestyle change, you’re bound to see results!

Which metabolism killer do you struggle with the most?

What habit do you find the hardest to work into your daily lifestyle?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to share this article with your friends and family to let them know how to stop killing their metabolism with these common mistakes!