Kick starting metabolism

fridaysgirl

I'm looking for some advice on how to kickstart my metabolism. Apologies for the long post but I'm trying to pre-empt any queries about my diet or exercise routine.

I'm quite an active person, I walk quite regularly, cycle and hike. Over the last eight months I have been doing alot of exercising and I am currently training for the marathon so am walking approx 40 miles a week plus playing squash.

I am 5ft3 and currently weigh 9 stone but my ideal weight is 8st 7 - 8st 9 but for some reason nothing I do is having any effect on my weight.

I have quite a healthy diet and I am very aware of the calorific and fat content in food and try to achieve a balance. I don't eat chocolate, crisps etc very often. I might eat a bar of chocolate or some ice cream once a week and rarely eat crisps etc. I don't eat convenience foods and try to cook everything myself. I hate fried or fatty food. I might have a takeaway once a week but again would always go for the healthy option and just a main course.

I am completely against conventional slimming type dieting to lose weight and believe that a combination of a good diet and exercise is enough to keep trim. Usually if I want to shed a couple of pounds I would go on a vegetarian, good carb diet with no alcohol for a month and it works but not this time. The problem is in the last 8 months or so I've put on 1/4 stone (which is alot for someone of my height) and I just look flabby and none of the exercise or healthy eating has any effect on me. I'm not losing the pounds and I'm not toning up. It seems to me that my metabolism has ground to a halt and I can't get it moving again.

Can anyone give me some advice on how I can kick start it?

unreggd

eat 6/8 small meals a day

always have breakfast

work your whole body

drink Green tea



im sure the pros l be along soon to go into more detail, and you should prob post your diet

Creamy Goodness

where's the best place to buy green tea, had this at a japanese restaurant a while back and haven't been able to locate it since, it's even better tasting than a regular cuppa.

cavanmaniac

Most regular shops have green tea now. Spar, Dunnes, Tesco...

g'em

bit short for time so excuse the brevity:

more protein: it's thermogenic, it makes your body work harder just by having to digest it. Protein at every meal.

resistance training. Steady state cardio will make you fitter, but it won't help you shed fat. Weight training and interval training will do that, without interfering with your marathon training.

mack1

As g'em said some weights & some HIIT will work wonders.

On the diet - post up a typical day, you describe your diet in broad terms but when you look at it on a daily basis it can often be quite different. Posting a real day gives a much better view.

Also as g'em said, you should be getting protein with each meal - you mentioned that when losing a few lbs you turn to a vegetarian "good carb diet" - not 100% sure what you mean here, but I would say there is no need to cut out lean meat and fish when trying to lose a few lbs.

You sound like you take care to eat pretty good though, so concentrate on the higher intensity exercises to kick start the metabolism.