A significant slowdown in metabolism can result from eating too few calories. Although a calorie deficit is necessary for weight loss, cutting your calorie intake too much can be harmful. When you drastically cut back on calories, your body senses that there is less food available and slows down how quickly it burns calories.

Consuming less than 1,000 calories per day might significantly affect your metabolic rate, according to controlled research on lean and overweight people. The majority of research calculates the number of calories burnt while at rest, or the resting metabolic rate. In one study, obese women who consumed 420 calories per day for 4-6 months saw a significant reduction in their resting metabolic rates. Furthermore, their resting metabolic rates continued to be significantly lower than before the diet, even after they doubled their calorie intake over the course of the following five weeks. Calorie restriction can still impede metabolism even when it is moderate. In a 4-day trial including 32 participants, those who consumed 1,114 calories per day saw a slower resting metabolic rate than those who consumed 1,462 calories.

It's crucial to consume enough protein to reach and keep a healthy weight. High protein consumption can considerably speed up the rate at which your body burns calories in addition to making you feel full.

The thermic effect of food (TEF) refers to the increase in metabolism that follows digestion. Protein has a considerably greater thermic effect than carbs or fat. Studies show that consuming protein temporarily boosts metabolism by roughly 20–30% compared to consuming carbs by 5–10% and fat by 3% or less. Although there is no way to avoid the inevitable slowing of the metabolic rate during weight loss and the following slowing during weight maintenance, research suggests that consuming more protein can lessen this effect. According to one study, people need to consume at least 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight (1.2 grams per kilogram) to keep their metabolism from slowing down while they are losing weight and afterward.

Leading a sedentary lifestyle is becoming a significant public health issue. Sedentary lifestyles appear to be increasingly widespread in many nations despite being linked to a range of chronic health conditions.

Your daily calorie expenditure may significantly decrease if you are sedentary. Notably, a lot of people lead a life that mostly involves sitting at work, which can harm metabolism and overall health. It is best to combine a variety of cardiovascular exercises, such as running or cycling, with strength-training exercises, which can include weight training or body-weight exercises. Or even simple physical activities like standing up, cleaning, and climbing stairs can help you burn calories. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the term for this type of activity. Your NEAT can be raised and your metabolism kept from slowing down by working at a standing desk or just getting up frequently to walk about

The importance of sleep for health cannot be overstated. A number of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and depression, may raise your risk of developing if you get less sleep than you need.

According to a number of studies, getting insufficient sleep may also slow your metabolism and make you more likely to gain weight. According to one study, healthy adults who slept for 4 hours every night for 5 nights saw an average 2.6% decrease in their resting metabolic rate. After a 12-hour period of uninterrupted sleep, their heart rate returned to normal. By choosing to sleep during the day rather than at night, sleep deprivation is exacerbated. The circadian rhythms, or internal clock of your body, are disturbed by this sleeping pattern. According to a five-week study, circadian rhythm disruption and chronic sleep restriction reduced resting metabolic rate by an average of 8%.

Drinks with added sugar are bad for your health. Obesity, diabetes, and insulin resistance are some of the conditions that are associated with excessive intake.

Fructose is responsible for a significant portion of the harmful consequences of beverages sweetened with sugar. High-fructose corn syrup has 55% fructose while table sugar only has 50%. Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages frequently may cause your metabolism to slow down. In a 12-week controlled research, a metabolic rate significantly decreased in overweight and obese participants who consumed 25% of their calories as fructose-sweetened beverages while following a weight-maintaining diet. However, not all studies concur with this notion. According to one study, eating too much high-fructose corn syrup had no effect on one's 24-hour metabolic rate compared to eating whole wheat. But the study shows that consuming too much fructose encourages greater fat storage in your belly and liver.