You may know someone who seems to be able to eat just about anything, and never gains a pound.  And you have to count calories, or watch your carbs.  Watch that you don't eat any sweets, not even a little of your favorite ones.  And, still you have not lost an ounce! 

Surely, he must have a fast metabolism.  While you seem to be cursed with a slow metabolism.  What should you do?  Throw in the towel and just forget about dieting?  The answer is no.  Your metabolism may be slow, but it is not all the fault of your genetic make-up.  And, being fat is not your fate.  Everyone, no matter how old, overweight, or out of shape, has the power to increase his metabolism.  Read on!

What is the definition of metabolism?

Metabolism:  the process of breaking down proteins, carbohydrates and fats to yield the energy needed by your body to maintain itself.

Your metabolism rate depends on the interaction between the amount of calories you eat and the number of calories that you burn while eating and exercising (and resting. More on that in a minute).  And, the calories you burn based on your personal genetic makeup.

Each one of us that has a slow metabolic rate really wants to know how to raise it.  So, what must be done?  There is not much you can do about your genetics.  Besides, it only accounts for a measly 5% of the total daily calorie intake anyway.  That means, the best way to rev it up is to increase your body's need for energy.

Your body can burn calories from either fat, protein or carbohydrates.  Now, I know that you would rather it burn fat calories.  Your body is not wasteful.  It will burn fat only when it needs energy.

Like when you exercise.  There, I said it.  That word, many of us don't want to hear.  I know that sometimes it is difficult to exercise, especially if you are at a desk all day.  Fortunately, your body requires extra energy at other times too.  Such as during the first hour or two after an intense work out.  This is called the "afterburn" effect, and it can last for up to 24 hours.  Strength training with heavier than usual weights will use up energy as well.

And, just by being more muscular will boost your body's energy needs.  Each extra pound of muscle you carry can burn up to 50 additional calories just to maintain itself.  And, that is without any extra effort on your part.  You can even increase your metabolism by eating foods that require extra energy to digest and metabolize; like protein.  Your body will burn twice as many calories when digesting high protein foods as it does foods that are high in fat or carbohydrates.

 It is a fact that your metabolism does slow down with age.  Starting at about age 25, the average person's will have a decline of between 5% and 10% per decade.  That means that the typical person loses 20% to 40% of their metabolic power over their adult life span.

Now, for some good news.  It doesn't have to be inevitable.  The slowing down occurs because of the tendency to become far less active over the course of life.  Fact is that people who maintain their physical activity levels throughout their life can expect to see a very small drop in the metabolic rate per decade.  And, it makes a huge difference; only a 1% or 2% total drop over a person's lifetime.

What you want to do is increase your metabolism, and keep it working strong for you. You are going to have to cultivate some good habits. Build up some brawn (just some toning for the ladies). Putting on just 5 to 10 pounds of lean muscle mass will really rev up your resting metabolism by roughly 100 calories each and every day.

Here are some ideas for exercise. You can maximize the calories you burn after exercise by including some high intensity intervals into your workout. Alternate 3 minutes of moderate biking or running with 30 seconds of all out effort. That alone will burn an extra 100 or 200 calories, even while lying in bed.(after exercising)

Maybe you don't like to run or ride a bicycle. Face it: if you don't enjoy the exercise, you just won't stick with it. What you need to do is find exercises that you like to do. Then you will do your work-out without fail.

Now, here is something that will be of interest to you, if you value your sleep time. Do not skimp on sleep. Not getting enough sleep can alter your metabolism. The lack of sleep can decrease the number of calories that your body burns while resting. During sleep, your body is performing the basic necessities of life. Pumping blood, breathing and repairing damaged tissues. While sleeping, your body burns about 70% of your total daily calorie burning. So, it is a serious roadblock to your weight loss by losing sleep.

The next thing is the amount you eat. Ready? Eat often. That is not a typo. You must eat often to build up your metabolism. You should eat every 2 to 3 hours. Each time you eat, you are stimulating your metabolism for a short period of time. That means, the more often you eat the more you will increase your metabolic rate. By eating every 2 to 3 hours you feed the muscle and starve the fat. Eating frequently reassures your body that you are not going to starve. That food will always available.

If you skip breakfast, eat only a sandwich for lunch and then pig out at dinner, you will frighten your body into storing fat! It does it in case your next meal never comes. People who eat every 2 to 3 hours have less body fat and faster metabolisms than those people who just eat 2 or 3 meals each day.

It is very important to eat right. Eating frequently does not mean snacking. Don't just go eating mindlessly. Make each meal a "mini-meal" with a serving of vegetables and a healthy source of protein; like eggs, chicken or nuts. Increasing your intake of high fiber foods like vegetables is an excellent way to increase your metabolism. Because fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate, the body tries to break it down anyway. And, it uses up energy in the process. And, vegetables are low in calories but high in valuable nutrients.

So, make a plan for yourself. Select your exercises. Choose quality foods. Take action, the sooner the better. Think about how good you are going to feel and how good you are going to look. No more crash diets. No more starving yourself. Losing weight and keeping it off by having a high metabolism is far better than counting carbs or calories.