How to slow down your metabolism without harming yourself?

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This may sound strange to most, but for many there is such a problem as how to slow down the body’s metabolism without harm to health. Superficial knowledge about metabolism can sometimes be dangerous. Today, the Internet is filled with many articles written by incompetent authors who, using superficial knowledge, distort the basic concepts of metabolism, turning useful knowledge into potential harm for everyone who reads them. This list includes various mono-diets that are positioned as effective means for losing weight.

Naturally, such articles did not appear out of nowhere. Based on data in sports magazines, a myth has arisen that your metabolic rate affects your weight, and that lowering your metabolic rate can help you gain weight and gain muscle mass. This is a fundamentally wrong approach to business. Let's take a closer look at when, who and why you need to slow down your metabolism. And is it necessary at all?

Editor's note: The article about artificially slowing down metabolism was written for informational purposes only. We do not recommend that you slow down your metabolism on your own for any purpose. The principles of lowering your metabolic rate are presented solely for the purpose of making you aware of the dangers that await you on the path to an ideal and functional body!

Is it worth it?

It is much easier to slow down metabolic processes in the body than to restore them later. If your goal is weight gain (without priority), you should understand that artificially slowing down metabolic processes is always stressful.

• First, the body will strive to recover from a state of stress, which can lead to excessive metabolism later.
• Secondly, this is the optimization of resources, and if you reduce the speed of metabolic processes, then you automatically turn into a sedentary and slow-witted vegetable.

Let's consider the consequences of artificially slowing down metabolic processes.

Short term consequences

In the short term you can expect:

1. Decreased brain activity.
2. Enhanced production of growth hormone. This is a side effect. The body tries, through hyperplasia, to maintain a balance of strength even with reduced energy consumption, so that while maintaining overall strength, it can find sufficient sources for food in the future.
3. Decreased physical energy.
4. Constant sleepiness.
5. Gaining fat mass.
6. Constant irritability.
7. Changing daily cycles.
8. Decrease in strength indicators.
9. Decreased stamina.
10. Initial changes in internal organs, which later transform into numerous chronic diseases.

All this is due to the fact that in most cases, a slowdown in metabolism occurs with a change in the catabolic-anabolic background , the body itself is destroyed, believing that it needs to optimize resources before prolonged hunger or other stress (source - Textbook “Biological Chemistry”, Severin).

Long-term consequences

Long-term consequences associated with artificially slowing down metabolic processes can cause very unexpected consequences:

• Violation of hormone synthesis.
• Changes in hormonal levels with an emphasis on estrogen.
• Continuous increase in adipose tissue, leading to extreme obesity.
• Stomach ulcer.
• Changes in the ratio of enzymes in the stomach.
• Changes in insulin levels in the blood.
• Destruction of brain cells.
• Destruction of glycogen depot.
• Fatty degeneration of the liver.
• Atherosclerosis.
• Cardiac ischemia.
• Arterial hypertension.

And many other side effects. As a result, the body will still strive for balance, which will lead to jumps in metabolic rates and will ultimately undermine the athlete’s health.

Principles and reasons

Naturally, metabolism can be artificially accelerated. In this case, the principles of slowing it down lie in returning the body to a state of balance, i.e. a rollback to the previous way of life.

If you start playing sports and your body begins to become exhausted, then it is enough to reduce the intensity, which will again slow down the metabolism in the body and change the balance between catabolism and anabolism.

But still, there are painful signs of an overly accelerated metabolism that require medication and medical intervention. You can understand that your metabolism has gone beyond the norm in the direction of unintentional acceleration by the following factors:

• Constant hunger. Especially if you eat regularly and a lot.
• Excessive release of thermal energy (high temperature).
• Increased physical activity accompanied by insomnia.
• High blood pressure, tachycardia.
• Tremor of the limbs.
• Permanent weight loss.
• Rapid onset of fatigue due to skipping meals.
• A small amount of sleep during the day.
• Changed daily cycles (three sleeps per day, 1-2 hours each, instead of the first 8-hour sleep).
• Emotional instability, ultimately leading to nervous exhaustion and subsequent central nervous system diseases.

The presence of these signs indicates a metabolic disorder, for which it is best to consult a doctor.

In turn, with a slow metabolism, it is also not recommended to take measures on your own, since this may be an indicator of the following number of diseases and conditions (source - Textbook “Human Physiology”, Pokrovsky):

• Hypothyroidism;
• Lack of growth hormone.
• Pathology of the adrenal glands.
• Disturbance in the hypothalamic-pituitary system.
• Hypogonadism.

When trying to interfere with the speed of metabolic processes, you should remember that artificially slowing down metabolism is a direct path to obesity, diabetes and heart disease!

Additional Tips

In addition to special nutrition and medications, you can try other techniques to slow down your metabolism. Among them we can highlight:

1. Follow low-calorie or mono-diets. Due to insufficient calorie intake, the body begins to make reserves and slow down metabolism.
2. Reduce your sleep time by one to two hours. Lack of sleep leads to a decrease in the speed of metabolic processes. But it should be borne in mind that because of this, the levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, increase in the body. Its excess can destroy muscles and reduce their volume. Therefore, if you want to gain muscle mass, you should not get carried away with short sleeps.
3. Reduce water consumption. Many people know about the importance of sufficient fluid intake throughout the day, including for weight loss. Naturally, you need to adhere to reasonable limits and not lead yourself to dehydration.
4. Do not drink cold water or food. If the temperature of the liquid and food is low, then the body should spend a sufficient amount of energy on heating it and start metabolism.
5. Maintain optimal body temperature. If you're cold, dress warmer, and vice versa. Increasing the temperature indoors or outdoors above 28 degrees Celsius and dropping below 22 causes the metabolism to work at an accelerated pace.
6. Limit physical activity. Long-term scientific research confirms that metabolism increases during intense exercise and remains high for several hours, even in a state of rest.
7. Organize fasting days. Constant stressful situations for the body provoke a slowdown in metabolism.
8. Alcohol consumption. According to scientists, alcohol reduces the activity of metabolic processes by up to 70 percent. But this is a very questionable technique that can lead to much more serious problems in the future. The normal dose for men is considered to be 30 g of alcohol per day (this is approximately half a liter of beer, 200 g of wine or 75 g of vodka) and 20 g for women (330 g of beer, 130 g of wine or 50 g of vodka). You should abstain from drinking alcohol two days a week. This is data provided by WHO.

Slowing down metabolism is a very painstaking and serious process that requires a combination of many techniques and rules. The tips in this article will help you cope with the task much easier. See you again, friends, and good luck with your weight gain!

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Natural reduction in metabolic rate

Unfortunately, for many, a slow metabolism is not a blessing at all, but a punishment. So, after thirty, a natural decrease in metabolic rate begins, which does not stop until death. All this reduces energy and the amount of food consumed. And among athletes there are people with a very low metabolic rate. However, in order to keep themselves in shape, they need to follow the regime much more strictly. Usually they still speed up their own metabolism to create the necessary form, and then return it to balance.

The only advantage they have due to their low metabolic rate is the ability to maintain the acquired form without any special consequences. Those. With the right diet and daily routine, they can remain dry all year round.

For those who are especially persistent

For particularly persistent readers who came to find out what to do to slow down their metabolism and gain weight, and they are not particularly bothered by the consequences, let’s look at what and how you can slow down your basic metabolism.

To slow down your metabolism you need to:

1. Determine your current metabolic rate.
2. Get ahead of the main factors influencing speed.
3. Change your diet.
4. Reduce motor and mental activities.
5. Get rid of artificial adrenaline stimulants (caffeine, etc.)
6. To sleep more.
7. Eat less often.

Well, or a life hack from the studio. Beer and sour cream. Beer, in the form of yeast structures enriched with fast carbohydrates, stimulates the increase in insulin. And sour cream will allow it to penetrate directly into the fat depot, practically without being metabolized into intermediate types of glucose. Slow down your metabolism and undermine your health - everything that is necessary to gain weight in the shortest possible time by any means.

Calculation of metabolic rate

Note: the formulas given in this section are presented for informational purposes only and do not in any way affect the actual metabolic rate of a person.

Metabolic rate is determined by many factors, ranging from the natural need for movement, mental stress, natural daily routine, etc. In order to calculate calorie consumption and, based on this, calculate your real metabolic rate, you can read the article presented on our portal about creating a caloric deficit by increasing natural exercise.

Otherwise, many people use the formula for calculating basal metabolism. It is also not perfect; it does not take into account the presence of glycogen reserves and fat deposits. But for people who are not involved in sports, you can use it, albeit with great caution.

For men

Basic index (66)+ (13.7* body weight)+ (5* height) – (6.8* age). So, for example, based on these calculations, a man weighing 73 kilograms, under 25 years of age and up to 185 centimeters tall consumes about 1650 kilocalories for basic needs. This figure is greatly overestimated, since such a man has about 15-17% adipose tissue, which does not consume energy. Accordingly, its real consumption is 1142 (source - Wikipedia).

For women

The formula is similar, only the numbers and coefficients are different. Basic index (665) +(9.6*body weight)+(1.8*height) – (4.7*age). We look at a girl of similar build and age. The basic requirement is only 150 kcal lower than that of a man. And if you remove the fat factor, the results are almost identical. 1106 versus 1142 kcal.

And from this we can draw the following conclusion. The formula is not accurate, does not take into account many factors, and most importantly, it is meaningless, since, despite different coefficients and basic indices, the discrepancy in results for men and women is measured at 100-150 kcal. This means that the second formula, as well as the basic indices, were created exclusively as a marketing ploy.

You can check the results of the formula using the table. The table is calculated for net weight, excluding body fat.

Calculating metabolic rate

In order to understand what your metabolic rate is, you need to calculate it. This can be done using online calculators that can be found on the Internet.

Or you can calculate your basal metabolic rate yourself. To do this, use the formulas:

• Women: metabolic rate = 655.1+ (9.5 × weight in kg) + (1.85 × height) – (4.68 × age).
• Men: metabolic rate = 66.47 + (13.75 × weight in kg) + (5 × height) – (6.76 × age).

As mentioned above, this formula calculates your basal metabolic rate. That is, the one that occurs when a person lives a normal life without physical activity, stress, etc.

https://youtu.be/z3S7300hRM4

Knowing your metabolic rate, you can calculate the number of calories you need to consume. To calculate your daily calorie intake, you can use the following equations:

• Passive lifestyle. Metabolic rate × 1.2.
• Exercise 3-4 times a week. Metabolic rate × 1.55.
• Intense workouts. Metabolic rate × 1.9.

If you consume the recommended amount of calories, your weight will not change. And if you need to gain weight, you need to consume more calories. It's simple!

Products that regulate metabolism

What foods can really seriously slow down your metabolism? There are two main ways to do this.

The first is to use products that make the insulin factor jump. In this case, the decrease in metabolic rate will be more painful and accompanied by greater side effects.

To do this you need to use:

• Lots of fat and sweet at the same time.
• Ignore proteins.
• Eat food with a large gap in time.

As a result, a feeling of hunger within 15 minutes after eating, and then, due to the deficiency that has arisen, the body will independently begin to slow down its metabolism and accumulate everything received into the fat layer.

Option two is less painful. Here you will have to worry about both the calorie content and the nutrient composition. If your goal is to reduce metabolism as much as possible in order to reduce catabolic processes (for example, after a course of anabolic steroids), then you will have to change your nutrition plan as follows:

1. Create a sustainable 30% caloric deficit. From this threshold, the body begins to react and reduce metabolic processes in speed.
2. Eat the most complex carbohydrates. Only whole grain cereals with a high fiber content.
3. Consume large amounts of omega 3 and omega 9 saturated fatty acids at a separate time from carbohydrate intake. The breakdown of fatty acids is a labor-intensive process that will take your body for a long time.
4. Eliminate all fast and complex proteins from your diet. Only cottage cheese and casein-containing. Possibly soy.

As you can see, foods that slow down your metabolism have nothing to do with weight gain. And they are usually used both for drying and to accelerate metabolism. Only the serving combination and the number of meals changes.

Drugs

If you are used to leading a healthy lifestyle and do not want to change your usual, balanced diet, but the problem of fast metabolism is too acute, you can resort to the help of medications and dietary supplements.

Before starting use, it is better to consult a doctor and choose the most optimal option. To slow down metabolic processes, drugs belonging to the group of ANTIMETABOLITES are usually prescribed.

They may contain hormones, vitamins, as well as substances that are enzyme substrates. One of the most popular remedies is Apilak tablets, which help not only slow down metabolism, but also gain muscle mass.

Among dietary supplements, brewer's yeast is especially popular for weight gain. Preparations with a high content of silicon and iron are also effective. In bodybuilding, athletes use special sports nutrition - gainers.

They contain a specially balanced composition of protein and carbohydrate chains for fast and safe weight gain; they can help even an ectomorph overcome the problem of weight gain.

Drugs that have a side effect of slowing metabolism

The list of pills to slow down metabolism includes:

• Drugs that reduce stomach acidity. This is a category of antiulcer drugs, due to the decrease in acidity - metabolic processes, in particular breakdown, proceed more slowly.
• Preparations containing large amounts of estrogenic stimulants. Ordinary female hormones that can be purchased without a prescription at any pharmacy. An excess of estrogen will cause the body to begin storing energy in case of unexpected hunger strikes and pregnancy.

Fun fact: This will happen regardless of whether you are a man or a woman. An excess of estrogen will in any case lead to weight gain, since the body, with such a change in hormonal levels, will not understand its causes.

• Drugs that affect insulin secretion in the body.

Lose weight on tobacco?

Smoking in general causes your metabolism to speed up. The body spends energy more actively and burns reserves. Therefore, yes, of course, you can lose weight with cigarettes. But is the result worth it? “Weight loss from tobacco is of the same nature as weight loss from cancer
or from improper functioning of the thyroid gland,” says Galina Sakharova, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Pulmonology of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia. “A smoker loses weight because the body is trying to cope with the negative consequences of smoking.”

Why quit smoking?

You have given up smoking. What will happen tomorrow, in two weeks and in a few months? Only good.

Recommendations

The main recommendation is to never slow down your metabolism unless you have specific, severe diseases. In this case, consult a doctor who will prescribe a specific course of treatment. If you just want to gain weight quickly, but at the same time you think that your metabolism is too high, then you are in an advantageous position in relation to most athletes.

With a fast metabolism, you can create an increased positive calorie balance, which will be stored more quickly in glycogen. This means that to gain muscle mass and overall weight, you will have to:

• Increase the amount of proteins and carbohydrates in proportion to costs (by about 30-40% of the current calorie content).
• Use fast metabolism as your ally, replenishing your body with food 5-7 times a day (in large portions).
• Train intensely but briefly. So, you will increase protein synthesis in the body, and at the same time you will not consume much glycogen.

As practice shows, it is ectomorphs that make the biggest and strongest athletes of our time.

True, sometimes in order to gain weight you need to change your hormonal levels (for which AAS are most often used, but you can also get by with natural stimulants). For example, even Schwarzenegger was very thin and had a fast metabolism. This allowed him, at the peak of his career, to have a minimal reserve of adipose tissue in the off-season, and to have one of the most outstanding relief, with an extremely thin stomach.