How to Tell if Your Metabolism Is Slowing

Recognizing the Signs of Slow Metabolism

Look at your feet. It may seem strange, but the condition of your feet is one way to determine whether you have a low metabolism. Dry feet and cracked heels indicate slow metabolism because dry skin is one of the symptoms that your thyroid hormones are out of balance. If you've eliminated other potential causes of cracking or peeling skin on your feet, such as athlete's foot or nail fungus, your slowing metabolism may be to blame. Dry or thinning hair may indicate a slowing metabolism. Cold feet may be an indication of a slowing metabolism. For example, you may only be comfortable if you are wearing socks, even in warm weather.

Evaluate your overall body temperature. One sure way to tell if your metabolism is slowing is to think about whether you are always cold. If you have difficulty maintaining your body temperature even in a warm environment, you may have a slow metabolism. If you're in a room with several people and they’re talking about how hot it is but you’re shivering in a sweater, you probably have a lower overall body temperature. Take your temperature first thing when you wake up in the morning. If it's below 98, this may indicate that your body has difficulty regulating its overall temperature.

Chronicle your sleep patterns. Slow metabolism can cause serious sleep disruptions, including insomnia. If you have severe sleep disturbances, you probably don't have to keep track of your sleep specifically to know you have a problem. However, if you've had sleep disturbances for a while, you may have adjusted your habits to accommodate those disturbances so that they have less of an effect on you. Generally, you need 7-9 of sleep a night. Keep a journal in which you record what time you go to bed and when you wake up. You also might want to measure how long it takes you to fall asleep.

Talk to people who are around you often. If you have frequent mood swings, memory problems, or difficulty concentrating, you may have a slow metabolism. These may not be things you notice about yourself, but people who spend a lot of time with you can tell you more about how you act. You also would have an idea if you have difficulty concentrating, although that could also be due to a number of other factors. Talk to coworkers, your spouse, or even older children to see if they've noticed any changes in your behavior or mood lately. This can be particularly helpful if you think your metabolism has slowed only recently, since others around you likely would notice changes before you do yourself.

Weigh yourself. While slow metabolism on its own isn't responsible for weight gain, if you've had a relatively sudden weight gain despite no changes in your lifestyle or habits, that may indicate that your metabolism is slowing. Essentially, you were consuming enough calories before to keep your weight steady or even lose weight – you were burning roughly the same amount of calories that you consumed. If your metabolic rate slows, you'll burn fewer calories relative to the amount you consume, which can cause you to gain weight. Control your activity and diet consistently for a few weeks. Weigh yourself every day. If you're gaining weight when you weren't before, this could indicate your metabolism has slowed.

Evaluating Your Metabolic Rate

Calculate your body mass index (BMI). Your BMI provides an estimate of your percentage of body fat based on the ratio of your weight to your height. To calculate your BMI, divide your weight in pounds by the result of your body weight multiplied by itself, then multiply that number by 703. Let’s say you are a 42-year-old woman who is 5'6 (66 inches) and 156 pounds. It’d be (156 / (66 x 66)) x 703, so your BMI is 25.17. A BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight. Anything from 18.5-24.9 is considered normal. You’re overweight at 25-29.9. A BMI over 30 indicates obesity. You also can find online calculators that will find an accurate BMI for you if you provide your age, gender, height, and weight. If your BMI indicates that you are overweight or obese, play around with the numbers to find the target weight where you need to be.

Keep a food diary. Writing down everything you eat each day is the easiest way to determine how many calories you're consuming on a daily basis. You'll need to know this information to determine whether you're consuming more calories than you're burning, which can lead to weight gain. You can look online to find out how many calories are in many different foods. If you're eating packaged food, just look at the nutrition label. You don't necessarily have to portion out what you eat in exact portion sizes while you're keeping your food diary, but try to estimate as close as possible. At the end of each day, take a few minutes to add up the calories you consumed that day.

Figure out your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Your BMR is the amount of calories your body consumes in a day simply by existing. This is the minimum number of calories you need each day for your body to function normally. While you can estimate your BMR, you’ll need to see a doctor to get an accurate assessment. To calculate your own BMR, use the Harris-Benedict equation. For women, this equation is 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years) = BMR. For men, the equation is 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years) = BMR. There also are calculators online that will find your BMR for you based on this equation, if you're not comfortable with your math skills.

Estimate the calories you burn through activity. In terms of the number of calories you're actually burning, your BMR only tells part of the story. In reality, you do many activities throughout the day that burn additional calories. Many online BMR calculators will estimate this for you based on an overall characterization of your average daily lifestyle (sedentary, lightly active, active, or very active). Figure in the calories you burn exercising as well as the calories you burn doing everyday activities, such as cleaning the house or walking the dog.

Find your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Your TDEE is a combination of your BMR as well as all the calories you burn through activity during the day. There are a number of online calculators that will find your TDEE for you. You may want to plug in different levels of activity to create a range. This can be particularly valuable if your rate of activity differs throughout the week. For example, you may have a sedentary job where you’re sitting all day, but go for walks in the morning and evening.

Compare your TDEE to the calories you consume. For this, you'll need to go back and look at your food diary. Generally, if you consume more calories than you burn in a day, you will gain weight. If you consume fewer calories than you burn in a day, you will lose weight. However, that's not the end of the story. Over time, if you consistently consume fewer calories than you burn, your metabolism will slow. Remember that your BMR basically represents the calories your body needs to burn to function. If you consume fewer calories than that, your metabolism will slow down.

Improving Your Metabolism

Rule out chronic medical conditions. Some serious medical conditions such as hypothyroidism or Cushing's syndrome can cause your metabolism to slow. If you have an unusually slow metabolic rate, or if your metabolism has slowed significantly in a short period of time, you should consult a doctor. Your doctor will have to take a blood test to measure your thyroid hormone levels to determine whether that’s a factor here. Keep in mind that hypothyroidism is fairly common – 1% to 2% of the population in iodine replete cultures. Cushing's is less common. Even if you don't have a medical condition that is causing your metabolism to slow, your doctor may be able to help you get back on track.

Use your BMR to diet effectively. Your metabolism often will slow when you diet because you're consuming too few calories. To combat this slow-down, make sure you're consuming at least as many calories per day as your body requires to function normally. The difference between your BMR and the total calories you burn each day represents the range in which you can cut calories to lose weight. If you dip below your BMR, your metabolism will slow and your weight loss will plateau. If you're dieting, be prepared to do the calculations regularly as your BMR will change when you lose weight. This change in BMR may be part of the reason you find it easy to lose weight in the beginning, but then plateau and find it harder over time.

Eat more fiber. While fiber may not necessarily boost your metabolism, if you eat more fiber, you'll gain less weight over time. Fiber also may increase how much fat your body burns. Cut out white bread and white rice, which lack the fiber your body needs. Switching to whole wheat bread and pasta and brown rice can up your fiber intake. You'll also increase your fiber by eating more fruits and vegetables. Try to consume around 25 grams of fiber each day. You can get this fairly easily in three regular servings of fruits and vegetables.

Drink cold water. You've probably heard that you should drink at least six glasses of water a day to keep your body optimally hydrated. Because the water you drink must be warmed to body temperature, drinking ice water burns more calories than drinking lukewarm water, boosting your metabolic rate. According to one study, drinking six glasses (or 48 ounces) of cold water each day increased the participants' metabolic rates by an average of 50 calories. Even if you change nothing else, this trick alone could allow you to lose up to five pounds in a year.

Include protein with every meal. Protein is essential to build and strengthen your muscles. If you don't eat enough of it, you'll lose muscle tissue and strength, especially as you get older. Eating protein also increases the number of calories you burn after every meal. Lean meats such as chicken and turkey are good sources of protein. If you're a vegetarian, consume soy products, nuts, and protein-rich vegetables such as spinach. Protein-rich foods such as lean meats and fish are also often rich in iron, which is an essential nutrient for raising your metabolism and burning fat.

Make cardio and strength-training a regular part of your daily routine. Maintaining an active lifestyle is one of the surest ways to boost your metabolism. If you consistently burn calories through exercise, your body's metabolic rate will adjust accordingly. Plan on getting at least 20-30 minutes of exercise every day. This can be as light as a brisk morning walk, or as intense as doing interval training. Make sure you include strength training as well as aerobic exercise. Stronger muscles burn more calories, which also will increase your metabolic rate. You don't need to strength train as often as you do cardio – 20 minutes two or three times a week is all you need.

Find ways to reduce stress. Stress can have a negative effect on your metabolism by elevating your cortisol levels. Your body may also end up holding on to more of the calories that you take in when you are stressed. If your stress is chronic, then this can lead to weight gain, especially around your midsection. Make sure that you make time in your daily routine to practice stress reduction activities, such as deep breathing, meditation, and yoga.