Why is my metabolism so slow? Have you ever asked yourself that question?Is losing weight something that has been a struggle for a long time? Or have you been following a strict diet but still can't shed the pound you put on during pregnancy?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, the culprit might be your slow metabolism.
I had come across many ladies that have this problem.
Here are some reasons that might slow down your metabolism and some suggestions to prevent them from happening:
Why Is My Metabolism So Slow?
You Are Not Eating Enough
One common mistake that people make while trying to lose weight is they eat too little that they make their body starve.
You might say, “What?!” But that's true.
Studies have shown that if you eat too few calories per day (lesser than 1000 to 1200 calories), your metabolism will slow down. The reason is that your body will try to conserve as much energy as possible by not using up what you eat.
So what can you do?
You can use a calorie calculator to keep track of your calorie intake. And be sure to eat a sufficient amount of food to avoid slowing down your metabolism.
Lack Of Protein In Your Food
Some people may think that protein is bad for health because they are scared of the fat content in foods like dairy products or high-fat meat. But avoiding protein is not good if you want a fast metabolism rate.
The protein found in meat, dairy products, seafood, eggs, bean & legumes, nuts and seeds will help you maintain muscle mass. And muscle mass boosts your body's metabolism rate.
Lean muscles make you look good too 🙂
See these related posts for more information:
You Don't Have An Active Lifestyle
Do you have a desk job and sit for hours at a time? And on the weekends you are too tired to do anything that required you to be physically active? You like to just sit on the couch, watch TV, and binge on unhealthy foods?
I know how it feels because I love to just sit back and watch TV too 🙂
But having a sedentary lifestyle will lead to weight gain, especially fat build-up around your belly area. NO! We don't want belly fats.
It is very difficult to burn these stored fats. The only way to get rid of the stubborn fats stored in your body is to be physically active.
Being physically active will not only make you healthier but also boost your metabolism rate.
Shop Lean Optimizer to Optimize Fat Burning Hormones & Increase Metabolism!
Why Is My Metabolism So Slow?
Not Able To Sleep Well
Studies have shown that lack of sleep can slow down your metabolism rate and also cause weight gain.
Also, people that like to sleep late or at irregular hours are not doing their health any good.
Not only will it slow down your metabolism but also disrupt your body's circadian rhythms, the internal clock. 
Lack of sleep also makes it harder for your body to metabolize carbohydrates. If you don't metabolize carbohydrates well your blood sugar level will rise. This in turn will spike your insulin level.
A rise in insulin level will result in your body storing unused energy as fat. Noooo, we don't want to store fats!
Having Too Much Soda In Your Diet
Drinking too much soda is obviously bad for your health as it can lead to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and many other health problems. The excess sugar in your body will be converted into fat and store in your tissues.
What, stored fats again? Also, it can slow down your metabolism.
Cut Down On Your Alcohol Intake
Drinking too much alcohol has the potential to bring down your body's fat-burning 
ability. Try to limit your alcohol intake to 1 drink a day for women and 2 drinks a day for men.
Alcohol might also cause weight gain by increasing your appetite.
Too Little Strength Training
Working out with weight is great for preventing your metabolism from slowing down. It can build muscles which is very important for keeping you strong and also muscle mass burn more calories when you are at rest.
As we get older we lose more muscle mass, and if you are not doing any weight training your metabolic rate will decline further.
Hormone May Be Slowing Down Your Metabolism
Many of us never thought of hormone being a culprit when it comes to slow metabolism.
For example, testosterone decreases in men and women as we age. And the testosterone in our body helps regulate muscle mass, the more muscle mass we have the more calories we burn even when at rest.
Stress Can Slow Down Your Metabolism
Stress in our life can increase the hormone cortisol level in our body. With higher cortisol level we have a tendency to overeat.
If you overeat you will tend to put on weight, and being overweight can slow down your metabolism.
Genes May Be The Reason To Why Your Metabolism Is So Slow
Genes may play a role to why our metabolism is so slow. You probably inherited the genes from your parent which affect your slow metabolism, but you can improve your metabolism by being more active physically.
Sea Salt Is Not Helping Your Slow Metabolism
Sea salt may have more nutrients than table salt such as magnesium, potassium and calcium but it is lacked of iodine. Your thyroid needs iodine to regulate your metabolism.
You can add a little table salt to you diet or eat iodine rich foods.
Not Enough Water Will Slow Down Your Metabolism
Water is essential for a healthy metabolism. So make sure you drink enough water throughout the day. I normally like to sip on water the whole day instead of drinking a lot at one time.
Make sure you don't drink too much water with your meal because water dilutes the enzymes in our stomach. And we need the enzymes to digest food well.
Caffeine Can Speed Up Your Metabolism
You may be drinking decaffeinated coffee to avoid caffeine in your diet. But that may
not help with your metabolism as studies have shown that caffeine can help speed up our metabolism.
Not Enough Calcium Can Slow Down Our Metabolism
Calcium is not only important for bone health but it is also essential for our metabolism.
So do include foods in your diet that are high in calcium or you can take a calcium supplement.
Some Medications Can Slow Down Metabolism
Your medicines may be slowing down your metabolism. For example, some antidepressants and certain antipsychotics doctors prescribe to treat schizophrenia can affect one's metabolism.
Being A Night Owl
Staying up late till the wee hours or working the night shift is going to mess up your body's sleep-wake cycle. Not having a good sleeping pattern not only leads to developing diseases like diabetes or obesity, but also a sluggish metabolism.
Shop Lean Optimizer to Optimize Fat Burning Hormones & Increase Metabolism!
Irregular Meal Times
Skipping meals or having irregular meal times can affect your metabolism. It can mess up metabolism and slowing it down. So try to have your meals at roughly the same time each day.
You Will Be Surprise What Foods Will Slow Down Your Metabolism
See these related posts for more information:
- Speed Up Metabolism For Losing Weight
- How To Increase Your Metabolism After 40?
- Do Natural Metabolism Boosters Burn Fat Passively?