How to boost y

With a few changes we can help our bodies to burn more calories, which makes it easier to manage our weight, says LAURA DAY

ARE YOU one of those people who seem to eat very little yet find it hard to control your weight? Or maybe you’ve hit your 40s and are now struggling to keep your waistline in check (when in the past you could eat what you wanted without gaining a pound). Both are common problems and the natural response for many is to blame it on a slow metabolism.

“It’s common for people to think there must be something wrong with their metabolism if they’re struggling with their weight,” says dietitian Juliette Kellow. “But while everyone’s metabolic rate – the speed at which we burn calories – varies and does start to drop as we get older, it’s important not to fall into the trap of automatically thinking it’s the main reason for piling on the pounds or battling to stay slim.” Dr Thomas Barber, an White Increases blood flow to your feet and lower limbs 25 modes mimic various massage techniques 99 intensity settings Remote control from the comfort of your chair TENS and infra-red technology Simply sit back relax and revive obesity expert and associate professor in clinical endocrinology at the University of Warwick, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, agrees. “Only a small minority of obese patients have an underlying condition contributing to a slow metabolism,” he says. So the majority of us have no excuse to blame our excess weight on a slow metabolism – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we can do to give it a boost. Here’s how: In theory, every time we eat we enhance our metabolism. “Everyone’s metabolism goes up for two to three hours after any meal because of the extra metabolic processes required to digest food and absorb its nutrients,” explains Dr Barber. It’s one of the many reasons experts recommend eating regularly and not skipping meals. “Going for long amounts of time without eating means your body thinks it’s about to be faced with a famine, so your metabolism slows down in preparation for this,” adds Juliette. “The key to keeping your metabolism fired up is to space meals out regularly throughout the day, so you benefit from the calories burned through digesting and absorbing meals.

“That’s not to say you should constantly ‘graze’. Relentless munching and mindless eating can mean a stack of calories – far more than even a stoked metabolism can burn off, with the result that the weight piles on.” “Certain foods, such as chillies, are associated with a heightened thermogenic effect (the amount of calories needed to process the food we’ve eaten),” explains Dr Barber.

Other foods, including ginger, pepper, grapefruit, coffee and green tea, have also been linked to speeding up our metabolism. However it’s unlikely eating these foods alone will affect weight.

“Positive findings are usually too insignificant to conclude eating X or Y food will burn more calories,” Dr Barber confirms.

“So enjoy them as part of a healthy, balanced diet but remember