How to Increase Your BMR: Why Metabolis…

Your body uses energy every moment—even while you are sleeping. Breathing, circulating blood, regulating temperature, producing hormones, and repairing cells all require calories. The energy used for these essential functions is commonly described as your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

If weight loss has slowed or your energy needs seem lower than before, it is easy to assume that your metabolism is “broken.” In reality, metabolism is influenced by body size, lean mass, age, sex, genetics, hormones, health, food intake, and movement. Some factors cannot be changed, but others can be supported through realistic nutrition and lifestyle habits.

Quick Answer: Can You Increase Your BMR?

You cannot safely or dramatically “boost” your BMR with one food, drink, supplement, or exercise. The most useful strategies are to preserve or build muscle through resistance training, eat enough protein and overall nutrition, avoid extreme calorie restriction, move more throughout the day, and support sleep and recovery.

The important distinction: Your BMR is only one part of your daily energy use. Physical activity and everyday movement are usually more adjustable than the calories your body burns at complete rest.

What Is BMR?

BMR is the amount of energy your body uses under very controlled resting conditions to maintain essential functions such as breathing, circulation, temperature regulation, and cell repair.

In everyday health and nutrition settings, resting metabolic rate (RMR) is often used instead. RMR is measured under less restrictive conditions and is usually slightly higher than BMR. Online calculators estimate these values; they do not directly measure your metabolism.

BMR, RMR, and TDEE: What Is the Difference?

Basal metabolic rate (BMR)

The energy required for essential body functions under strict resting conditions.

Resting metabolic rate (RMR)

The energy your body uses while resting under less controlled, more practical testing conditions.

Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE)

The total energy you use across the day. It includes resting metabolism, digestion, planned exercise, and everyday movement.

Thermic effect of food (TEF)

The energy used to digest, absorb, transport, and store nutrients.

Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT)

The energy used for movement outside planned exercise, including standing, walking, housework, taking stairs, and other daily activities.

For most people, increasing daily movement is more practical than trying to manipulate BMR directly.

What Affects Resting Metabolism and Daily Energy Use?

1. Body Size and Composition

Larger bodies generally require more energy at rest. Lean tissue, including muscle, is more metabolically active than body fat, so people with more lean mass often have a higher resting energy requirement.

2. Age

Energy needs may decline with age, partly because people often lose muscle and become less active over time. Ageing does not make healthy weight management impossible, but preserving strength and movement becomes increasingly important.

3. Sex and Genetics

Sex-related differences in body composition can affect average BMR. Genetics also contributes to individual variation, which is one reason two people of the same age and weight may not have identical energy needs.

4. Hormones and Health Conditions

Thyroid hormones help regulate metabolism. An underactive thyroid can contribute to tiredness, feeling cold, constipation, and weight gain, but these symptoms are not specific to thyroid disease and require proper assessment.

Other health conditions and some medicines can also affect body weight, appetite, activity, or energy use. Avoid self-diagnosing a “slow metabolism” based on symptoms alone.

5. Weight Loss and Energy Adaptation

As body weight decreases, a smaller body generally requires fewer calories. Weight loss may also involve some loss of lean tissue, and the body can adapt by becoming more energy-efficient. This helps explain why progress often slows over time and why the calorie intake that produced early weight loss may later maintain a lower weight.

6. Severe or Prolonged Calorie Restriction

Very restrictive diets can increase hunger, reduce spontaneous movement, make exercise harder, and contribute to loss of lean mass. These changes may lower total daily energy expenditure and make a plan difficult to sustain.

7. Daily Activity and NEAT

People often move less without noticing when they are dieting, tired, stressed, or working long hours. This reduction in everyday movement can meaningfully affect daily energy expenditure even if formal workouts remain unchanged.

Why Does Metabolism Seem to Slow During Weight Loss?

Several changes may occur together:

Your smaller body requires less energy.
You may lose some muscle as well as body fat.
Hunger may rise while fullness signals become less helpful.
You may move less during the day without noticing.
Your body may become more efficient at using energy.

This does not mean your metabolism is permanently damaged. It means your nutrition, activity, recovery, and expectations may need to be adjusted as your body changes.

Related reading: Explore The New Era of Weight Loss Management for a broader view of sustainable, personalised care.

8 Evidence-Based Ways to Support Metabolism and Daily Energy Use

1. Prioritise Resistance Training

Strength training helps preserve or build muscle. This is particularly valuable during weight loss and as you age.

A balanced programme may include exercises for the major muscle groups using weights, resistance bands, machines, or body weight. The appropriate frequency and intensity depend on your health, ability, and experience.

2. Eat Enough Protein

Protein supports muscle maintenance and repair and generally requires more energy to digest than carbohydrate or fat. However, eating excessive protein does not create an unlimited metabolic advantage.

Useful sources include fish, poultry, eggs, Greek yogurt, lean meat, tofu, beans, lentils, and other foods suited to your preferences and medical needs.

3. Avoid Extreme Dieting

A very large calorie deficit may be difficult to sustain and can increase the risk of hunger, fatigue, reduced training performance, and loss of lean mass.

A personalised plan should aim for progress while still supporting adequate nutrition, daily function, and muscle preservation.

Explore next: Read The New Food Pyramid: A Modern Guide to Healthy Eating and Better Nutrition.

4. Increase Everyday Movement

Planned exercise matters, but so does what happens during the rest of your day.

Practical ways to increase NEAT include:

Taking short walking breaks
Using stairs when appropriate
Standing periodically during desk work
Walking while making suitable phone calls
Doing household tasks or gardening
Parking slightly farther from your destination when safe

Small amounts of movement can accumulate across the day.

5. Include Aerobic Activity

Walking, swimming, cycling, dancing, and other aerobic activities increase energy expenditure while you are doing them and support cardiovascular health.

Current physical activity guidance recommends that most adults work towards 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, together with muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days. Start gradually if you are inactive or have a medical condition.

6. Support Sleep and Recovery

Sleep is not a metabolism “hack,” but inadequate sleep can affect appetite, food choices, recovery, motivation, and physical activity. A consistent sleep routine supports the behaviours that make healthy weight management more sustainable.

7. Stay Hydrated

Water does not dramatically increase BMR. Good hydration does, however, support exercise performance, concentration, and everyday function. Fluid needs may be higher during exercise and in the UAE’s hot climate.

8. Manage Stress Realistically

Chronic stress can affect sleep, appetite, food choices, and motivation. It may also make consistent eating and movement routines harder to maintain.

Useful strategies may include walking, breathing exercises, mindfulness, enjoyable activities, realistic scheduling, and professional support when needed.

Related reading: Learn how life coaching and dietetics can support sustainable health behaviour.

Do “Metabolism-Boosting” Foods Work?

Caffeine, green tea, chilli, and high-protein foods may temporarily influence energy expenditure or the thermic effect of food. The effect is generally modest and should not be treated as a weight-management strategy on its own.

No single food can compensate for an unsuitable overall eating pattern, low activity, inadequate sleep, or a medical condition.

Do Metabolism Supplements Work?

Products marketed as fat burners or metabolism boosters often make claims that are stronger than the evidence. Some contain stimulants or multiple ingredients that may cause side effects or interact with medication.

Supplement safety: Do not assume a product is safe because it is labelled “natural.” Discuss weight-loss or metabolism supplements with a qualified healthcare professional, especially if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, or take medication.

Does Eating More Frequently Increase BMR?

Eating six small meals does not automatically produce a faster metabolism than eating fewer meals when total food intake is similar. Meal timing and frequency should be chosen based on hunger, routine, medical needs, preferences, and the ability to maintain a balanced pattern.

How Can You Estimate Your BMR?

BMR calculators use details such as age, sex, height, and weight to produce an estimate. They can be useful for planning, but they cannot account perfectly for body composition, genetics, medical conditions, or individual variation.

Indirect calorimetry can provide a more personalised measurement of resting energy expenditure when clinically appropriate. Even then, energy needs may change with weight, activity, health, and other factors.

The NIH Body Weight Planner can help illustrate how calorie needs and physical activity may change during weight loss and maintenance, but it remains an educational estimate rather than a diagnosis.

When Should You Consider a Medical Assessment?

Speak with a healthcare professional if a suspected “slow metabolism” occurs with symptoms such as:

Persistent or severe fatigue
Unexplained weight change
Feeling unusually cold
Constipation
Hair or skin changes
Menstrual changes
Muscle weakness
Palpitations or major changes in heart rate

These symptoms can have many causes. A clinician may review your health history, medications, sleep, eating pattern, activity, and whether blood tests or other assessment are appropriate.

A Practical Metabolism-Support Checklist

Include resistance training suited to your ability.
Eat adequate protein across a balanced diet.
Avoid extreme or unsupervised calorie restriction.
Move regularly throughout the day.
Include aerobic activity appropriate for your health.
Protect sleep and recovery.
Stay hydrated, especially during exercise and hot weather.
Do not rely on metabolism supplements or “fat burners.”
Seek assessment if symptoms suggest an underlying condition.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I increase my BMR naturally?

You cannot dramatically change BMR, but building or preserving muscle, avoiding extreme dieting, eating adequate protein, and staying physically active can support resting metabolism and total daily energy expenditure.

Does strength training increase BMR?

Strength training can help build or preserve muscle, and lean mass contributes to resting energy needs. The effect is usually gradual rather than a dramatic overnight increase.

Does metabolism slow with age?

Energy needs may decline with age, partly because of changes in muscle mass, body composition, and activity. Regular resistance training and daily movement can help preserve function and lean mass.

Can eating too little slow metabolism?

Severe or prolonged restriction can reduce body weight, lean mass, spontaneous movement, and total energy expenditure. This is one reason extreme diets may become difficult to sustain.

Does eating protein boost metabolism?

Protein has a higher thermic effect than carbohydrate or fat and helps maintain muscle, but more is not always better. Your needs depend on body size, activity, age, goals, health, and overall diet.

Does drinking water increase BMR?

Water is essential for health and performance, but drinking extra water is not a meaningful stand-alone method for increasing BMR.

Are metabolism-boosting supplements safe?

Not necessarily. Evidence for many products is limited, and some ingredients may cause side effects or interact with medicines. Discuss them with a qualified healthcare professional.

Is a slow metabolism usually responsible for weight gain?

Usually not by itself. Weight is influenced by food intake, physical activity, sleep, stress, genetics, health, medication, and the environment as well as resting metabolism.

How accurate are BMR calculators?

They provide estimates based on population formulas. They are useful starting points but may differ from an individual’s measured resting energy expenditure.

Can thyroid problems slow metabolism?

An underactive thyroid can affect metabolism and contribute to symptoms such as tiredness, feeling cold, constipation, and weight gain. Diagnosis requires clinical assessment and blood tests.

The Bottom Line

Your metabolism is not controlled by one food, supplement, or workout. BMR is influenced by factors including body size, lean mass, age, sex, genetics, hormones, and health.

The most effective approach is to focus on what you can influence: preserve muscle, avoid extreme dieting, eat a balanced diet with adequate protein, move throughout the day, exercise appropriately, sleep well, and seek medical assessment when symptoms warrant it.

Want a Personalised Plan for Your Metabolism and Weight Goals?

Your calorie needs, eating pattern, activity, health history, and goals are individual. A personalised consultation can help you move beyond generic BMR calculators and build a realistic nutrition and lifestyle plan.

Book a personalised nutrition consultation

Explore Wellness by Zeina’s weight-management and personalised wellness services.

References

This article provides general educational information and does not replace personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.