You can temporarily speed up your metabolism for a few hours by eating. The term for this is the thermic effect of food (TEF). It results from the additional calories needed to process, absorb, and digest the nutrients in your food.

The largest increase in TEF comes from protein. Compared to 5 to 10% for carbohydrates and 0 to 3% for fats, 20 to 30% of the usable energy in dietary protein must be used for metabolism. It has also been demonstrated that eating protein increases your feeling of fullness and helps you avoid overeating. Consuming additional protein can also lessen the slowdown in metabolism that is frequently brought on by weight loss. This is due to protein's ability to halt muscle loss, a common side effect of dieting.

People who opt for water over sugary beverages frequently have better success with weight loss and weight maintenance. This is due to the fact that sugary drinks include calories, therefore switching to water automatically lowers your calorie consumption.

Water consumption, however, may potentially temporarily increase your metabolism. A 2013 research found that consuming 17 ounces (500 mL) of water for around an hour raises resting metabolism by 30%. However, more study is required to verify this. According to a 2015 study, consuming water may not always result in an increase in metabolism afterward. If you're trying to lose weight, water can also help you feel full. According to studies, drinking water 30 minutes before a meal can help you eat less. In an interesting small study, those who drank 17 ounces (500 mL) of water 30 minutes before meals for 12 weeks lost over 3 pounds (1.3 kg) more weight than those who didn't.

Quick and extremely intense bursts of activity are used in high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Even after your workout is over, if this type of exercise is safe for you, it can help you burn additional fat by raising your metabolic rate.

HIIT is thought to have this effect more than other types of exercise. Additionally, HIIT has been demonstrated to help fat loss. Start with a modality you are already familiar with, like biking or running. Although aerobic exercise may not result in bulky muscles, it can speed up your metabolism after a workout. To achieve this, you must put in more effort. In comparison to low- or moderate-intensity workouts, high-intensity exercise causes a greater and longer increase in resting metabolic rate. So it's a good idea to try a more challenging class at the gym or incorporate short jogging bursts into your daily walk to reap the benefits.

Fat has a lower metabolic activity than muscle. Adding muscle can help boost your metabolism and allow you to burn more calories throughout the day, even when at rest.

Even when you are not doing anything, your body is continuously burning calories. People with more muscle have substantially higher resting metabolic rates. While each pound of fat only burns 2 calories per day, every pound of muscle takes roughly 6 calories per day to maintain itself. Lifting weights can also help you keep your muscle and prevent the drop in metabolism that might happen when you lose weight. Over time, even a modest difference might build up. Your body's muscles become active after a strength training exercise, increasing your metabolic rate on a daily basis. In addition, resistance training was considerably more effective than a control group at reducing body fat percentage, total body fat mass, and belly fat, according to a study of 58 research.

A lot of sitting might be harmful to your health. This is partially due to the fact that prolonged durations of sitting might result in weight gain and reduced calorie burn.

In a 2018 review, it was found that standing or stepping while at work was linked to lower levels of weight, body fat, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting triglycerides, total/HDL cholesterol, insulin, and cardiometabolic risk (CMR) scores. Stepping, as opposed to standing, produced higher reductions in systolic blood pressure and insulin resistance. If you work at a desk, try standing up from time to time to break up the time you spend seated. You may also buy a standing desk or try taking daytime walks.

It has been demonstrated that oolong and green teas speed up metabolism and fat burning. When combined with exercise, these teas can turn some of the body's stored fat into free fatty acids, which may enhance fat burning.

The benefits of caffeine and catechins, which have been demonstrated to stimulate the metabolism for a couple of hours, can be obtained by drinking green or oolong tea. Consuming these teas may help with weight loss and weight maintenance because they are low in calories. It is believed that its metabolism-boosting properties may help those who are losing weight in avoiding a weight loss plateau brought on by a slowing of the metabolism. According to research, consuming 2 to 4 cups of tea may encourage the body to burn 17% more calories for a short time of moderately intense exercise.

Spicy foods contain natural compounds that might accelerate your metabolism. Your metabolic rate can be increased by cooking with a spoonful of chopped red or green chili pepper.

Capsaicin, a substance found in peppers, can speed up your metabolism. The amounts necessary for these spices to have a noticeable impact, nevertheless, are sometimes intolerable to many people. One study, for instance, assessed the effects of capsaicin at safe levels and was discussed in a 2016 review. It was estimated that consuming peppers will result in an extra 10 calories being burned off per meal. This could result in a male of average weight losing 1 pound (0.5 kg) over the course of 6.5 years. Spices may not have much of an impact on your diet on their own. However, when paired with other metabolism-boosting methods, it might result in a slight advantage.

If you’re trying to lose weight, the amount of sleep you get may be just as important as your diet and exercise. Unfortunately, many people aren’t getting enough sleep. Obesity risk is significantly increased when people don't get enough sleep. The negative effects of sleep loss on metabolism may contribute to this.

A higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes has been associated with both insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar levels, both of which have been connected to sleep deprivation. Leptin, a hormone that regulates fullness, and ghrelin, a hormone that regulates appetite, have both been proven to be affected (satiety). This may help to explain why many sleep-deprived persons frequently feel hungry and may struggle to lose weight when doing so is their goal.

If you drink coffee, you probably appreciate the benefits of your energy and focus. A temporary increase in your metabolic rate may be one of the advantages of coffee when used in moderation.

Caffeine in coffee can temporarily increase metabolism, according to studies. It might help in fat burning just like green tea does. Numerous studies have found that the effects of coffee on metabolism and fat burning may help in successful weight loss and maintenance. However, depending on a number of factors, caffeine effects may differ. When you work out, caffeine can make you feel less exhausted and possibly improve your endurance. For instance, a study indicated that people with a less active lifestyle (sedentary) used caffeine more effectively than trained athletes to increase fat burning during exercise.

Stress has an impact on hormone levels and can increase cortisol production. A hormone called cortisol helps in controlling appetite. This sends your body into fight-or-flight mode, temporarily pausing regular bodily functions and slowing your metabolism. Researchers discovered unusually high cortisol levels in persons with disordered eating in 2011.

Stress causes the body to release cortisol. The authors of a small study published in 2020, however, found no proof of a connection between anxiety and resting metabolic rate. Chronic stress lowers metabolism due to the loss of precious calorie-burning muscle and increases your appetite and desire for unhealthy foods, and it may also cause an increase in body fat and belly size. Stress may also have an indirect effect by changing sleeping and eating habits, both of which can change how quickly the metabolism functions.