You’ve probably been told, “Increase your metabolism” too often in your quest to reduce weight. You may have also heard that the fastest way to increase your metabolism is to use metabolism booster supplements that help you burn fat. However, do metabolism boosters help you lose weight?

The lowdown on metabolism boosters for weight loss is they target fat for energy, but only to a limited degree. At rest, the body first utilizes the glucose in your blood and muscles, not fat. Ingredients in metabolism boosters, like caffeine and capsaicin, burn fat to increase energy utilization.

I’ll discuss metabolism in detail, how metabolism boosters alter your metabolism and why they sometimes fail. 

Body Metabolism

Before using metabolism boosters, you need to understand metabolism and how your body works. Body metabolism is a process where the body converts the food and drinks you consume into energy. 

If you have a slow metabolism, your body takes too long to metabolize the food into energy. So, some will be stored as fat, resulting in weight gain. Meanwhile, people with a fast metabolism convert food into energy quickly. 

Although marketers of metabolism boosters claim you only have to pop a pill to make your metabolism run faster, it is not entirely true. Several factors influence metabolic rate, and some are beyond your control. 

The following factors influence metabolism rates.

• Climate. People who live in places with higher temperatures tend to have slower body metabolism than people who live in colder areas.
• Age. The older you get, the slower your metabolism. 
• Genetics. Unfortunately, some people inherit slow metabolism, while others get fast metabolism.
• Gender. Men have a faster metabolism because they have more muscle mass. 

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the energy your body utilizes at rest. This is the most significant component used to measure metabolic rate because you do not exercise all day to utilize energy. Additionally, your body continues to function when at rest.

For example, all your body organs need energy to function. Fat storage is one of the activities that your body undertakes when  at rest. 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much energy to store fat. Muscles, on the other hand, have a higher caloric need. 

People with a higher proportion of muscle mass have a higher BMR than those with more fat mass. This explains why metabolism boosters target fat.

Metabolism Boosters And Weight Loss

Now that you understand how metabolism works, do you think metabolism boosters help with weight loss? The answer is yes and no. Body metabolism is a large concept that is influenced by several factors besides fat and muscle composition. 

Metabolism boosters only target a small area of metabolism, fat. They contain scientifically tested ingredients that increase your resting energy utilization. The common ingredients in metabolism boosters include;

• Capsaicin. Although it suppresses appetite, capsaicin also starts a chain of events stimulating the sympathetic nervous system. This system is responsible for basic body functions like BMR and heart rate.
• Caffeine. It is one of the ingredients that burns fat when the body is at rest. It raises energy levels and activates lipase, an enzyme that promotes fat breakdown. 
• Green tea extract. Compounds found in green tea extracts include caffeine and catechins. Catechins increase resting energy expenditures and fat metabolism. 

Even though they are effective, metabolism boosters have limitations. 

• Dosage variations of ingredients in metabolism boosters. For example, what dosage of capsaicin or caffeine is enough to boost metabolism? 
• Caffeine works, but it also results in sleep deprivation. Poor sleep quality is linked to slow metabolism and increased hunger pangs. This explains why you eat more than usual when you pull an all-nighter. The result will be more fat storage and a slower BMR.
• Experimental conditions are different from that of an average metabolism booster user. For example, the subjects used when experimenting the effectiveness of a metabolism booster may have had a strict diet and exercise routine. This is sometimes why the results vary from person to person. 

You can increase BMR, even as you use metabolism boosters, by doing the following. 

• Eat more proteins.
• Focus on resistance training. You will increase your muscle mass and ultimately raise your BMR. 
• Drink more water.
• Reduce stress because stress will affect your sleep and eating patterns. 
• Get enough sleep.
• Eat spicy foods. 
• Check if you have hypothyroidism and seek treatment. 

On its own, a metabolism booster will not help you lose weight quickly because several factors influence body metabolism. However, you will achieve your weight loss goals faster when you combine metabolism boosters with exercise and a healthy diet.