Basically, anything that lowers stress hormones and restores balance to your neuroendocrine system will aid your recovery. Expect to be back on track within 1-3 months.
Hormones
A shift in your hormones can put the brakes on your body's energy use. That can make you tired. Some conditions, like an underactive or overactive thyroid and diabetes, are hormonal diseases that affect your metabolism. Stress also releases hormones that can trigger a slow-down.
But another 120-pound person may have a lot less lean mass and more body fat and therefore a “slow” metabolism. In fact, it is possible to have “normal-weight obesity” – a term used when referring to a person who appears thin but who is not very active and therefore has very little muscle mass, Majumdar explained.
Metabolic rate remains stable all through adult life, from age 20 to 60 years old.
While it's not possible to “reset” your metabolism, there are plenty of ways you can increase your metabolic rate naturally, including making changes to your eating plan, workout routine, and sleeping routine.
However, some older studies have shown that fasting for short periods can actually increase your metabolism, not slow it down ( 30 , 31 ). One older study in 11 healthy men found that a 3-day fast actually increased their metabolism by an impressive 14% ( 32 ).
Your metabolic rate does change during your early life, but it plateaus between the ages of 20 and 60, and only decreases by around 1% per year after that. Your total daily energy expenditure also depends on your weight.
Behaviour and obesity hormones
Various studies have shown that a person's blood leptin level drops after a low-kilojoule diet. Lower leptin levels may increase a person's appetite and slow down their metabolism. This may help to explain why crash dieters usually regain their lost weight.
Your Metabolism Will Slow Down to Store Fat
The more you work out or manage your calorie intake to lose weight, the more your metabolism wants to compensate by slowing down to maintain your current weight, this is called metabolic compensation. It kicks in to preserve and store fat for future energy.
Timing. It is good to be aware of timing. We burn most calories in the late afternoon and early evening and the least in the very early morning. Most people burn about 10 per cent more calories between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Our body torches maximum calories at this time frame, regardless of what we do.
Aerobic activity can help control weight and can lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and many other conditions. Muscle-strengthening exercises are important for the same reasons but will also boost your metabolism.
People with an endomorph body type tend to have a slow metabolism, making it easier for them to gain weight and harder for them to lose it. This also stunts muscle growth. However, following a specific diet and exercise plan can often help people with endomorphic bodies meet and maintain their health goals.
At the most basic level, not reaching your weight loss goal can occur when calorie intake is equal to or higher than calorie use. Try strategies such as mindful eating, keeping a food diary, eating more protein, and doing strength exercises.
Mostly, losing weight is an internal process. You will first lose hard fat that surrounds your organs like liver, kidneys and then you will start to lose soft fat like waistline and thigh fat. The fat loss from around the organs makes you leaner and stronger.
There are many natural changes that happen with age that can slow down a woman's metabolism: Less muscle, more fat: Women naturally lose lean body mass – or muscle – as they get older. Men do too, but women have less to begin with, so hanging on to it takes more effort. Having less muscle decreases your metabolic rate.
Be patient
It may take you some time to increase your metabolism — three months is a reasonable timeframe to expect to see changes. If you are having a hard time losing weight, you might consider having your metabolism tested by a professional nutritionist.
But in fact, even though your metabolism is slower at night when you are stationary than when you are active, your metabolism never stops working, even when you are sleeping. Calories consumed at night won't change your metabolism or count more than calories consumed during the day.