Metabolism enhancing foods

So I've been in a weight rut.  For the past four plus weeks I've been around the same weight but its not moving-AAAHHHHHH!

I work out 5 times a week and eat my allotted calories (1600+/-) and my weight will change by 4lbs in two days but always end up going back to the same number by the end of the week.  I have hit a plateau that i can't seem to get out of(changed my routine, upped my cals, downed my cals, etc)

So...question...are there any foods that can help jump start your metabolism or what has anyone done when this happened to you?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

The only safe way to "Rev up" your metabolism is exercising. Exercising can rev up your metabolism both during and, depending on the intensity, even for hours afterwards.

My suggestion is... if you haven't included exercise in your plan yet, include a little. Start small and work your way up to at least half an hour a day.
If you ARE exercising, try exercising a little harder for about a week.

I read somewhere that spicy foods, extra sleep, and green tea can rev. your metabolism.

Other than that it sounds like your hit your body's 'ideal' weight, and the only way to actually change this is set weight is to exercise. But you have to exercise a lot harder because this is currently where your body wants to be.

Increasing your protein and decreasing your carbs to a better ratio will help with your metabolism. And yes, hot peppers also help jump start your metabolism

dairy and cinnamon too.. they help with boosting metabolism some.. but don't forget that working out and getting your ratios right is more important for your metabolism

Try eating less for 2 days like 1500 and then more for 2 days.. 1700 atleast and then going back to 1600..

I jump my cal. intake here and there.  I find that if I eat exactly the same amount of cal. each day that no matter what I do nothing will change.  If I find I am REALLY not moving. I will eat almost 300 cal more for 2 days!  I might gaine a bit of weight but then I find it will come off.

Make sure to keep drinking LOTS of water and take in your breakfast.  Eating breakfast helps your meta.

Also, you can try low fat yogourt!  I wont go a day without one!

Let us know how it goes!

All good suggestions.  Thank you!

I do have yogurt daily and being mexican- eat a lot of espicy foods (the hotter the better). I eat about 6 times a day otherwise I'll be very irrational and confused (food is very important)

I think i'll try eating more protein, alternating calorie intake, and working out more with more intensity.  I work out about 6 hours a week right now, both cardio and weight lifting- so i'll break through- i know it!

I refuse to believe I'm at my "ideal" weight just because for most of my life i was at least 10-15lbs less than i am now (betw 120-125).  I already lost about 13lbs already  (i'm at 134) so i just have to lose 9 more to be at my personal ideal weight, 14 if i want to go crazy (I don't)

So i guess it's meat and beans for lunch today!!  Yay!  I diggit.

Thanks, kids-  I'll tell you how it goes!

umm, let me think, i know tomatoes and musterd as well as spicy foods.  I live in mexico (your mexican) i am american, but i down the chilies like nothin. They do help, but the fresh help allot more then the canned, and the canned have lots of sodiom which would make you retain water.  i saw a website, 30 ways to speed up your metabolism, these dont invlove pills or anything, just natural things.. let me see if i can find it..

31 steps to bost metabolism

stef

my silly link didnt work. let me try this again...

SPEED METABOLISM

grr, hope that worked

hi there~ I have also been looking into that since I had the same situation a week ago. and I think it's a good sign that you hit your plateau - now it's time to rethink your stradegy! here is what I found:

you can also help your metabolism by having better workouts. when you do cardio, make sure to bring your heart rate up so you sweat. interval training is the best for that. weight training will speed up your metabolism as well. when you do work out, make sure you are not stuck with the same one. bring up the intensity regularly and vary from time to time.

as about eating, WHEN you eat is very important as well. try to have your biggest meal as soon as you can after a workout - that's when your body works like a burning machine.

just yesterday I read that carb restricted (CR) diet (with less than 40 gm cafbohydrates) dramatically boosts your metabolism, even when you eat more. The ratio you should be trying to reach is 40-30-30 (carbs-fats-proteins). there is a lot of research done on this and it proves to have the best short and long term results.

hope this helps and good luck with your loss!! just take your time and analyze the situatiion. I know we always look for wonder pills, foods etc. I think things are a little more complicated but also a lot more simple at the same time. there are no magic numbers or foods or drugs. it's all you. and YOU can definitely do it. *****hugs******

Hey Stephernandez,
I went to that site. There are some great suggestions there. I am going to post them for the group, here in our chat room. Hope that's ok with you.

(edit by united2gether, reduced copy of article to an excerpt.  please check the link for the rest of the article :)

31 DAILY HABITS TO SPEED WEIGHT LOSS AND BOOST YOUR METABOLISM SAFELY
By (c) Anna ?Overweight? NO MORE!!?

These 31 simple daily habits will boost your metabolism, jump start your weight loss while promoting better health and a happy mood. Although you have your weight loss plan, there are some useful daily habits that can help you speed up your weight loss...

1. Start with a positive attitude visualizing your realistic weight loss goal.
   
2. Once your meals are planned, try not to change them for highly calories choice. Plan to eat healthy foods (smaller portions) 
   
3. Do not skip breakfast. This is your main meal to start your day and avoid cravings during the day. Oatmels are ideal for breakfast. If running out of time, at least have a "full meal replacement"
   
4. For coffee drinkers, it is suggested to have coffee before your morning meal because it boosts fat burn, as it is said that xanthines, which are thermogenic substances, increase energy.
   
5. Consume daily calcium to speed up fat loss.  You can have a yogurt in the morning. A cup of yougurt gives you 50% of calcium of the daily recommended value.  Plus, it has live bacteria to improve your digestive enzyme and eliminate bloated feeling.
   
6. Drink a cup of milk daily.  Oops ... allergic to milk?  Then, have daily KEFIR, it tastes like liquid yogurt and produces less than half the gassy symptoms associated with regular milk because it contains healthy bacteria that release lactase during digestion.  Plus it is a good source of calcium and CLA.
   
7. Have a cup of green tea in the morning to speed up your metabolism naturally.
   
8. A cup of black tea, preferrable at lunch or midday, Studies indicate that the combination of caffeine and flavonoids reduces appetite by 45% and increases  your metaolic rate.
   
9. Make sure to dress nice daily, no matter if we are overweight, the point it's about feeling sexy, comfortable. It will keep your motivation high!  Avoid extra large t-shirts.
   
10. Set a goal of drinking at least 3 glasses of water before noon.   Remember that water helps you to eliminate wasted toxins and sets your body's metabolic thermostat. Drink another 3 glasses before dinner.
    
11. Have a cranberry juice before noon.  Cranberries are a rich source of phytochemicals, which stimulate the release of trapped fats and toxins, plus it tastes so good. 
    
12. Rose hips and cranberry tea, this blend not only debloats and energizes, but also hydrates!  The polyphenols in cranberry FLUSH FAT, while Vitamin C in rose hips BOOSTS immunity. awesomeee. (excellent to flush fat daily!)
    
13. Have a protein drink right after waking up and before bedtime.
    
14. Garnish your salad with lemon juice, or balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.  (blood sugar is stable)
    
15. Add cayenne, ginger, chili or hot sauce to your meals.  Some studies indicate that increases body's fat burning, the metabolic boost last for about three hours.
    
16. Have at least 3-5 vegetables servings (preferable fresh)
    
17. Have at least 2-4 fruit servings (preferable fresh)
    
18. 
    Pineapple snack to reduce gas and bloat by speding the digestion of food proteins, plus it is low in calorie and naturally sweet.
    
19. Do a minimum of 30 minutes cardio exercises (preferable in the morning).
    
20. Have 1/4 cup of almonds
    
21. If feeling down, don't get depressed, find a motivational partner or join a motivational weight loss group. 
    
22. Belly bulge, kangaroo pouch?  Some recommend Peppermint tea after meals to help food digestion avoiding building excess gas.  Others indicate Ginger tea for the same purpose, so far fresh ginger tea has worked for me. Try both and see which one works better for you.
    
23. Consume daily fiber (fruits/vegetables) . For example, psyllium seed husk helps transport fats out of the body, assist in weight loss because it makes the stomach feels full, thus, suppressing the feeling of hunger that makes us eat more than we really need to.  It also regulates the digestive system, and lowers cholesterol.  Usually, it has been used to improve constipation and stomach upset.
    
24. Eating emotionally?  Seek comfort by calling a friend, walking outrside, reading a book, listening your favorite music, but do not seek comfort in food.  You may have a fruit for snack or a cup of tea.
    
25. check the article for more!

I have a list of herbs and spices to add to your cooking in the back of my food journal note-book but I can't remember where I copied it from.  These are all to help you burn fat.

Cayenne, Dried Mustard, Cinamon, Ginger, Dill, Garlic, Cloves, Bay Leaves, Coriander, Parsley, Cumin, Apple Cider Vinegar.

The next list in the back of my note-book doesn't have a title.  The list goes Green Tea, Cranberry juice (not the sort mixed with other juices), fish oil, cod liver oil, de-caff drinks (NO Artificial sweeteners, almonds, avocados.

I have a feeling I may have written the list after reading the Fat Flush book but I'm afraid I can't remember the author.  I did feel good following the program last year until I went on holiday to Europe and fell off the wagon.

Good Luck

looks like you are exercising too much... and getting enough calories to burn through your daily diet.. have you tried cutting down your exercise routine? sometimes plateaus are hit for the opposite reasons...

sometimes.. when i cheat a little bit on my diet.. i actually end up losing weight the next day... after a plateau for a week or so... i have no idea why that happens... but i'm guessing thats because i'm not eating enough... so my metabolism isn't kicking in.. and my body goes into survival mode.. thats probably whats happening to you too.. if you work out 5 days a week.. you probably burn 3000 calories a day... you should only be cutting your intake by 500 to 800 calories less than your expenditure.. which is around 2200... i'm not kidding.. think about it ... and reduce your exercise routine.. or eat some more healthy foods.. and see if it works.. !!! and you have to be patient with the results... atleast 2 weeks.. before you feel somethings wrong again...

I just had a comment for the post by jeannie12. The suggestions are great, and I might try a couple of them out. However, I had an issue with the milk allergy topic. A milk allergy is a reaction to a milk protein, and lactose intolerance is the inability or decreased ability to digest lactose (a sugar!) since the degrading enzyme, lactase, is not present or in very small quantity. I always hear these two phrases mentioned interchangeably, and it's irritating since they are completely different. If someone has an allergy to milk, it can seriously hurt them to drink a product with similar proteins, despite if lactase is present. So they might have less gas, but could undergo anaphylactic shock.