Weight gain – is your metabolism too slow?

How your metabolism relates to midsection weight gain.

The relationship between metabolism and weight gain is a topic that concerns many people. Metabolism is often seen as the culprit when it comes to unwanted weight gain or diet failure.

In this in-depth blog article, we take a closer look at metabolism to better understand how it actually relates to our body weight. In addition, we will show you how to influence it, thus effectively controlling your weight.

What is the metabolism?

Before we get into weight gain, it is important to understand what exactly metabolism is. Metabolism includes all biochemical processes in our body that serve to absorb, transport, transform and break down nutrients. It is a complex network that ensures that our cells receive energy while maintaining all vital functions.

Energy metabolism in particular plays a crucial role here, as it converts the calories we take in through our food into energy. This energy is needed for numerous other bodily functions. Therefore, effective function of energy metabolism is essential to provide the body’s organs and cells with sufficient energy while effectively burning fat.

Metabolic rate and weight gain in middle age

Contrary to popular belief, the metabolic rate cannot be significantly increased. The body is programmed to keep its daily energy expenditure within a certain range, whether you are active or not.

This is called the basal metabolic rate. However, it is also true that certain factors can affect metabolism, including the presence or deficiency of certain nutrients.

A deficiency of certain nutrients can lead to a slowdown in metabolism. Here are some examples:

1. Iodine Deficiency: Iodine is an important mineral needed for the production of thyroid hormones. A deficiency of iodine can lead to decreased production of these hormones, which can slow metabolism.
2. Iron deficiency: Iron is essential for the transport of oxygen in the blood. A deficiency of iron can lead to a decrease in oxygen supply to the cells, which in turn can affect metabolism.
3. Vitamin D Deficiency: Vitamin D plays a role in the regulation of metabolism and insulin sensitivity. A deficiency of vitamin D can lead to decreased metabolic activity.
4. B vitamin deficiency: B vitamins such as vitamin B12, B6 and folate play an important role in energy metabolism. Deficiencies in these vitamins can lead to decreased energy production, helping to slow metabolism.
5. Magnesium Deficiency: Magnesium is involved in over 600 enzymatic reactions in the body, including those important for energy metabolism. A deficiency of magnesium can affect the metabolism. If you want to learn more about the causes, symptoms and solutions related to magnesium deficiency, I recommend you to read our detailed article “Magnesium deficiency: causes, symptoms and solutions”.

If you suddenly gain weight, it is worthwhile to have a blood analysis to check whether you may have a deficiency, and then to compensate for this with nutritional supplements.

Also, you can increase your metabolic rate in the short term by drinking 500 ml of cold water.

Middle-age weight gain is primarily influenced by a combination of genetic factors, hormonal changes, stress, sleep, smoking and diet, according to science.

Of these factors, diet is probably the most important cause of weight gain, as we often take in too many calories or eat the wrong foods. Heavily processed foods with few nutrients and many additives can lead to overeating and weight gain. Stress and lack of sleep are also other important factors in weight gain because they increase appetite and reduce physical activity.

Tips to optimize your metabolism

Let’s get this straight: Despite the hype, dietary supplements that are touted as fat killers and metabolism boosters rarely have a significant effect on weight loss. If you want to stop weight gain and get rid of excess pounds, it’s probably best to optimize your diet, reduce stress, and optimize your sleep, according to science.

Improve nutrition

A healthy diet is critical for an efficient metabolism and healthy weight management. In doing so, it’s important for you to eat a nutrient-dense, fiber-rich diet with as few processed foods as possible.

You should eat around 650 grams of fruit and vegetables a day. To do this, you should cook one or two meals yourself and avoid convenience foods. By cooking for yourself, you know exactly what you’re eating, so you can avoid hidden sugars and unhealthy fats.

A good organic multivitamin can also ensure that you get enough nutrients every day, even if you ever miss the recommended 650 grams of fruits and vegetables.

One study also found that overweight adults who took a calcium and vitamin D supplement lost significantly more abdominal fat than people who did not take supplements. A calcium supplement such as Bone Nanza from Ogaenics in combination with a vitamin D product (e.g. Hello Sunshine plus K2) can therefore ensure that you consume enough of these substances.

Reduce stress

Stress can have a negative impact on your metabolism and hormonal system, contributing to weight gain. Stress reduction and hormone balance is therefore an important factor for a healthy weight. Yoga, meditation and breathing exercises are effective methods to lower stress levels and relax the body. Sports and exercise are important to relieve stress and get the body going. Find what works best for you and make it a regular part of your daily routine.

To learn how to lower your cortisol levels to reduce stress, check out the article “Lowering Cortisol: How to Beat Stress and Fatigue.”

Nutritional supplements can also help you with stress. Ogaenics’ Adapto Genie Balancing Complex helps promote a more stable psyche, better nerves, stress support, more energy and focus during challenging times.

Improve sleep

A lack of sleep can affect your metabolism. Various studies have shown that lack of sleep can slow metabolism and increase hunger. This is because lack of sleep can affect the hunger hormone ghrelin and the satiety hormone leptin.

When you don’t sleep enough, your ghrelin levels rise, which in turn causes you to eat more and therefore eat more calories. Leptin, on the other hand, is responsible for the feeling of satiety. If you don’t sleep enough, your leptin levels will drop, which can potentially cause you to not feel full. Therefore, it is important to get enough sleep to keep your body in balance.

For better sleep, you can also take a supplement to help. Especially ideal here is a capsule of magnesium in the evening (eg. B. Calm A Lama Plant-Based Magnesium) . This mineral pushes the “Calm down” button in the body and boosts the production of GABA. This is an amino acid and neurotransmitter that causes the body to “shift down a gear” and prepare you for sleep.

If you want to learn even more about the versatile benefits of magnesium, I recommend you read the article “The Magnesium Effect: 9 Reasons Why You Should Love the Mineral.” This article delves into the health aspects of magnesium and may provide you with further valuable insight.

Drink enough water

Drinking enough water is important for maintaining an efficient metabolism. Water helps your body transport nutrients and waste products, as well as regulate body temperature. If you don’t drink enough water, your metabolism can slow down, which in turn can cause you to gain weight. We recommend that you drink at least 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day.

Regular exercise

Regular physical activity can help speed up your metabolism and burn calories. In doing so, physical activity increases your body’s energy needs, which in turn speeds up your metabolism and stimulates fat metabolism. To get the most out of your workout, we recommend that you get at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.

If you’re having trouble losing weight, it could also be that your body is suffering from excess acidity, causing acid-alkaline balance to be out of whack. For more tips on proper nutrition for balance, check out this article: Acid-Base Balance – What Makes Us Acidic?

Conclusion

An efficient metabolism is critical for weight control and healthy living. Research shows that our metabolism does not necessarily slow down in middle age and that weight gain is not necessarily due to this.

First, you should always check to see if nutrient deficiencies are slowing down your metabolism. However, there are many factors that can cause us to gain weight in middle age, these include diet, stress, lack of sleep and lack of exercise.

By following our tips, you can optimize your metabolism and keep your weight under control. A healthy diet stress reduction and adequate sleep combined with regular exercise, and sufficient water as well as certain supplements support your body.