Increasing your Metabolism - How?

[Anonymous]

Have you successfully increased your BMR? If so, how did you do it?

I'm a 56yr old post-menopausal woman. I work out 6 days a week, usually either barre class or challenging 5 mile walks (lots of hills and stairs) - as I'm aging though I find that I have to continue to decrease my calorie intake just to remain at my desired weight. I'm seriously considering adding weight training to my regimen, which hopefully will help me with my BMR. Any ideas or thoughts other than weight training?

[Anonymous]

Eat regularly, every 2-3 hours, protein in 4 out 5 meals, 9 am-6 pm window.
Decreased calorie intake usually goes hand in hand with decreased protein consumption, which leads to muscle mass loss.
So, just eat, 3-4 oz of protein 4 times a day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you successfully increased your BMR? If so, how did you do it?

I'm a 56yr old post-menopausal woman. I work out 6 days a week, usually either barre class or challenging 5 mile walks (lots of hills and stairs) - as I'm aging though I find that I have to continue to decrease my calorie intake just to remain at my desired weight. I'm seriously considering adding weight training to my regimen, which hopefully will help me with my BMR. Any ideas or thoughts other than weight training?

Yes, this is what you should do. I genuinely do not understand why women resist this so stubbornly. You'll be leaner, stronger, more balanced, have a higher metabolism. . . you're not going to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger because you add in 3 workouts with heavy weights per week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you successfully increased your BMR? If so, how did you do it?

I'm a 56yr old post-menopausal woman. I work out 6 days a week, usually either barre class or challenging 5 mile walks (lots of hills and stairs) - as I'm aging though I find that I have to continue to decrease my calorie intake just to remain at my desired weight. I'm seriously considering adding weight training to my regimen, which hopefully will help me with my BMR. Any ideas or thoughts other than weight training?

Yes, this is what you should do. I genuinely do not understand why women resist this so stubbornly. You'll be leaner, stronger, more balanced, have a higher metabolism. . . you're not going to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger because you add in 3 workouts with heavy weights per week.

OP here - I appreciate your feedback, but I never said I was afraid of lifting weights or afraid I'd look like Arnold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eat regularly, every 2-3 hours, protein in 4 out 5 meals, 9 am-6 pm window.
Decreased calorie intake usually goes hand in hand with decreased protein consumption, which leads to muscle mass loss.
So, just eat, 3-4 oz of protein 4 times a day

Thanks PP. Your comment about protein made me mentally check the amount of protein I eat on a daily basis, and it's not nearly enough. For sure not 3-4 oz per meal. I also like the eating window idea. This seems pretty simple, and straight forward so I'll give it a try!

[Anonymous]

Food like broccoli, berries, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, and oatmeal; spices like ginger and cinnamon; drinks like green tea and water; enough sleep; exercise both cardio and strength; no alcohol. Basically healthy living.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Food like broccoli, berries, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, and oatmeal; spices like ginger and cinnamon; drinks like green tea and water; enough sleep; exercise both cardio and strength; no alcohol. Basically healthy living.

OP here - thank you. I don't drink so yay, points for me! I'm also a pretty healthy eater. I eat a lot of berries, between 1-2 eggs per day, but as the first PP noted I am definitely not eating enough protein on a daily basis. If I eat oatmeal I feel ravenous for the entire day, which I think is just how I'm made. I also don't get enough sleep, which is probably age related too.

I think the protein and weight training components are what's really lacking for me. I just looked at an online calculator for optimal protein intake and it says about 100 grams per day for me specifically. that seems like a lot, I doubt I eat 1/3 of that on a daily basis

[Anonymous]

Lift weights. Heavy.

[Anonymous]

Maybe consider a prolonged fast. Coincidentally I am now about 100 hours into a 5 day fast, my first. There are many articles touting benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe consider a prolonged fast. Coincidentally I am now about 100 hours into a 5 day fast, my first. There are many articles touting benefits.

This wrecks the metabolism. May be good short term weight loss, but bad long term for your metabolism.

OP, I would work on increasing protein. It will increase your metabolism and make you less hungry.

[Anonymous]

Muscle mass. Lift weights and heavy weights. The befits of lean muscle and cardio fitness are well proven as strong indicators of longevity. Who cares what you look like at this age.

Lift and ride a bike. Two-three zone 2 bike sessions a week at 45 minutes. One harder session. Lift weights two to three times a week.

Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

You lose muscle mass as you age. Muscle burns energy at a higher rate. You need to maintain/gain muscle mass. Weight lifting is your answer, heavy weights, not 3 lb weights from barre class

[Anonymous]

There has been a bit written lately about post-menopausal athletes. The book Next Level has been getting lots of press. I've read it and I'm in several groups that discuss it. Here are the takeabways;

1. Lift Heavy Stuff (LHS)
2. HIIT or tabata training
3. Plyometrics

Eat way more protein. So much that I find it difficult to eat the recommended grams.

It is hard because all of a sudden everything you used to do doesn't work anymore. I'm right there with you . I'm now trying to incorporate more of this into my routine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There has been a bit written lately about post-menopausal athletes. The book Next Level has been getting lots of press. I've read it and I'm in several groups that discuss it. Here are the takeabways;

1. Lift Heavy Stuff (LHS)
2. HIIT or tabata training
3. Plyometrics

Eat way more protein. So much that I find it difficult to eat the recommended grams.

It is hard because all of a sudden everything you used to do doesn't work anymore. I'm right there with you . I'm now trying to incorporate more of this into my routine.

This is OP. Yes! Everything that used to work for me, no longer works. I was cruising along with my routine for the last 6 years, suddenly I hit 56 and the decline has been pretty quick, or so it seems. Thanks for the Next Level book recommendation - going to check it out! for the groups, are these FB groups?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You lose muscle mass as you age. Muscle burns energy at a higher rate. You need to maintain/gain muscle mass. Weight lifting is your answer, heavy weights, not 3 lb weights from barre class

Thanks PP. Yep, those 5lb weights Im using in barre just aren't enough anymore. Makes me sad because I love my class and my group of friends there so much! I guess I need to do 2-3 days of barre instead of 4-5, and 2-3 days of lifting. Maybe cut back on the walking.