How to boost your metabolism

It’s easy to blame a slow metabolism for those unwanted lbs. But is it scientific? We reveal the facts and how to burn fat faster

Are you one of those people who seem to eat very little, yet still find it difficult to control your weight? Or maybe you’ve hit your 40s and are suddenly struggling to keep your waistline in check (when in the past you could eat anything and everything without gaining even as much as 1lb). Both are common problems, and the natural response for many of us 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 and HFG expert 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 lbs or battling to stay slim.’

Dr Thomas Barber, an obesity expert and associate professor in clinical endocrinology at the University of Warwick, 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.

By making a few changes, we can help our bodies to burn a few more calories and and make it easier to control our weight. Here’s how….