Simply defined, your metabolism is the amount of energy your body uses to burn off the food you have consumed. Metabolism never stops; it is constant no matter what you are doing. The process itself is quite complex, various chemical reactions take place as food is processed, however, the speed and efficiency of this process can be adjusted through your actual diet.

An oft overlooked component to metabolism is that it thrives on foods rich in protein and carbohydrates. Many diet plans today are based on reduced level of carbohydrate intake and protein intake, however, this approach will only slow down your metabolism and make weight loss more difficult in the long run. Many people have struggled to build muscle while losing fat through these diets, and the main reason is the slow down in metabolic activity.

Most fad diets are actually anti- protein and anti- carb, thus your metabolism is robbed of the fuel it needs to speed up. Your body reads this as a signal of starvation, and your metabolic rate actually slows down. The result is increased fat storage as your body does wants to store as much fat as possible “in case of emergency.”

Foods rich in carbohydrates and protein actually increase metabolism by increasing the rate in which your body burns calories. However, it is important to understand the types of protein and carbohydrates that are best fit for consumption to increase your metabolism. While breads are a great source of carbs, avoid at all costs breads with processed flours and other refined ingredients. Those will be full of harmful sugars and other unnatural ingredients that wreck your metabolism.

Go for whole grain breads that are made with unprocessed ingredients, and also contain a good amount of fiber. Fiber helps along the processing of food and helps your metabolism become more efficient. For proteins, the best sources are not necessarily that ribeye steak or hamburger. Look to foods such as fish, nuts (especially almonds) and natural lean beef to get the protein your fat burning metabolism craves.

A diet plan change will certainly allow you to start to see results in your metabolic rate. However, an additional tool for even better results is building lean muscle at the same time. Your metabolism must work harder to burn fat through lean muscle, thus giving another increase in overall metabolic rate. These two changes combined (diet and muscle) will super-size your diet efforts.

The approach of simply cutting back on calories during your three meals a day is also not effective in long term weight loss. As you are only introducing calories a few times per day, at reduced levels, the body starts to read this as a possible crisis and will start storing fat more rigorously.

Alternatively, the most effective plan will be to eat several times per day, as many as 6 or seven, at smaller portions each time. Your caloric intake will reduce overall, but your metabolism starts to understand food is plentiful since it is coming at frequent intervals. Making the most of your diet routine, along with some lean muscle gain, will get your metabolic rate really going in the right direction.

A common misconception is that if you are overweight, your metabolism is slow to begin with – however, your metabolism is actually very fast as the body works to burn as many excess calories as possible. A change in diet alone will yield quick results early on, as your metabolism keeps processing calories as quickly as possible, but your intake is now lower than normal. Eventually, though, and adjustment will be made and your rate will slow down. This explains why it seems easy to lose weight early and not later in a diet program. Healthy proteins, carbohydrates, sensible exercise, and some lean muscle is the key to sustained weight loss.