by Tommy Fassbender

Created on: April 28, 2009

If you are trying to lose eight but are having little to no success you may just be suffering from a slow metabolism. A slow metabolic rate can really crush your weight loss plans if left unchecked because the rate at which you burn calories determines the rate at which you lose weight. So if you are dieting and exercising and you are still having trouble losing weight you need to give your metabolic rate a little boost.

One way to give your metabolic rate the boost it needs to help you lose weight is to eat foods that boost the metabolism. Another way to speed up your metabolic rate is to follow these five trusted ways to speed up your metabolism and lose weight.

When it comes to foods that speed up your metabolism and help you lose weight, protein reigns supreme. That's because protein is the hardest of all nutrients to burn. So the more proteins you eat while you are on a diet, the more your metabolic rate will have to work. This is a great thing as the more your metabolic rate has to work the more it is able to burn calories and increase your weight loss results.

Therefore, protein shakes, fish, chicken, turkey and other lean meats are the ideal foods to eat to speed up your metabolic rate and lose weight. For the best weight loss results try to substitute protein shakes made with low-fat or soy milk with sodas and high-calorie drinks. Also, you can also try to eat the leanest part of the chicken and turkey to get maximum weight loss results.

Everyone knows that fresh fruits and veggies are vital for good health. But did you also now that fruits and vegetables are good for boosting the metabolic rate and helping you lose weight? Indeed, fruits and vegetables are low in fat and calories and take very little time to burn. When the body does not have to work too hard to burn the foods we eat the metabolic rate increases over time and help us to lose weight even while we are doing nothing.

Another food you can eat to help you lose weight is green tea. Green tea is one of the beloved foods of weight loss diets and its weight loss benefits are touted for good reason. Green tea contains compounds that boost the metabolism of glucose and lipids, which is good for weight loss. So you can brew your way to a skinnier you and lose weight fast and effectively.

Also to boost your metabolism and lose weight you should eat low-fat, low-carb foods. This doesn't just help you lose weight by cutting calories; it actually helps you lose weight by cutting out foods that slow the metabolism.

Fats and bad carbohydrates release a lot of sugar in the blood stream too fast and when this happens the stomach does not recognize when it is full. You will keep eating even when you should be full and in the end fats and bad carbohydrates take a long time to burn. So try to limit foods high on the glycemic index to boost your metabolism and help you lose weight.

Trying to lose weight? Why not spice up your weight loss plans with peppers. Chile peppers and spicy foods contain capsaicin that can boost your metabolism and help you lose weight. For best results eat spicy lean meats with whole grain rice. The pounds will just melt away!

No weight loss or diet plan is complete without water, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that water can help speed up your metabolism and help you lose weight. Experts say that you should drink eight glasses of water a day for optimal health, but you can also drink water as a substitute for sodas and drinks to lose weight.

Speeding up your metabolism and losing weight is easy when you eat the right foods. You don't have to let your genetics slow you down; you can achieve weight loss success by eating the fat away.

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