Your metabolism defines how quickly you burn up calories and carbs each day. How can you raise your metabolism to burn more energy?

Drink Water
Probably the most important thing you can do to keep your metabolism working as quickly as it can is to drink ample water every day. Just about every part of your metabolism needs water to work properly. Drink at least eight glasses each day. I use 20oz glasses so I don’t need to refill as often.

Avoid soda and caffeine - both serve to flush water out of your system.


Eat Small, Regular Meals
If you go too long between meals, your body will think a famine has hit and will begin to conserve your remaining energy. It will reduce your metabolism to help you survive this problem. You need to keep the food coming in - healthy food of course!

Eat Complex / Fiber Filled Foods
Digestion takes energy. If you just ate pure sugar, your body could instantly turn that into fat with no problem. However, if you ate celery, it takes a substantial portion of the meager carbs provided by that celery for your body to process all that fiber. In addition, the celery fills you up, so you're not eating other calorie-laden food. This means you could lose weight simply by eating ample amounts of celery.

Protein is similar. It is a lot of work for your body to turn protein into fuel. It can take up to 30 calories of energy to process 100 calories of protein you eat!

Avoid Sugars
If you eat sugar or high carb food, it causes a temporary blood sugar spike, and then your blood sugar plummets once that 'wave' is done. This causes your metabolism to go into a funk and stop processing foods properly. It is why you get hungry again after eating American buffet-style Chinese food. You get the quick boost, then the deep trough that your body thinks is a sign of trouble. For ideal high metabolism, you want a smooth, constant flow of energy and an even blood sugar level.

Drink Cold Water
Every bit helps! If you drink a glass of cold water, your body has to spend about 17 calories to warm it up. If you're drinking your eight glasses of water a day, that's about 140 calories. In my case, I drink about eight 20oz glasses of water each day. That’s 168 calories each day which simply melts off of me. It's not an exercise program - but every bit helps!

Spices
A few small studies have shown the eating spicy foods boost your metabolism for about thirty minutes. The boost is fairly small (20% at most) but it might get you to go that extra lap where you might have normally called it quits. Use every tool in your arsenal to make progress toward your goals.


So, to summarize, there are no giant magic bullets that will solve all your problems. However, if you build a toolbox incorporating a variety of different strategies, they all help out. When you do the activities, they emphasize in your mind that you are taking care of your health. That builds the overall environment which leads you to a healthier lifestyle!


Lisa Shea's Library of Low Carb Books