(KSDK) -- No matter which diet plan you try, the facts are simple: to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. Revving up your metabolism can help.
Patty Johnson may be more dedicated than some people when it comes to staying active. But she''s operating under the same diet myths that most people do.
"Having just turned 40 this year, I have always heard that your metabolism starts to slow down as you ge t older," says Johnson.
Natalie Allen is a registered dietician with Barnes Jewish Hospital.
"We''d like to say, yeah you''re older and that''s just why you are burning fewer calories, but that''s not really the case," says Allen. "If you''re active and you work out you can maintain a high metabolism well into your fifties and sixties."
Out of curiosity, Patty''s decided to have her metabolism tested at the BJC WellAware Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Leann Harris is the gym''s manager.
"If you do this test it tells you a baseline, this is what I burn, this is what I need to burn," says Harris. "How much exercise and how many calories does it take in their diet."
The Medgem test is easily administered at the gym and takes about ten minutes. Patty''s basal metabolic rate is 1640.
"That''s her basic needs to function, to sit in her office chair, you know, walk around her house that''s how many calories she needs in a day." says Allen.
Any additional activity works in your favor, and that''s exactly what Patty Johnson is counting on.
"When I''m eating right and exercising I just feel a lot more energetic and just feel better," says Johnson.
"There is definitely hope for everybody to raise your metabolism, it''s just a matter of making that a goal and dedicating yourself to working out and making better food choices," says Allen.
One proven way to increase your resting metabolic rate is with weight training. Muscles require more energy and ultimately burn more calories. <
10 TIPS FOR SPEEDING UP YOUR METABOLISM
1. QUIT STARVING YOURSELF
When you deprive yourself of food, your body reacts protectively against an ancient threat: famine. Your resting metabolic rate--the calories your burn just to keep your body going--drops to a lower level to conserve energy. Your body works harder to preserve the food it gets by storing it as fat. That''s why people who regularly diet have higher percentages of body fat than non-dieters do. Instead of counting calories, focus on cutting back on the fat and sugar in your diet.
2. GET EXERCISE
Exercise helps you lose weight in several ways. It raises your resting metabolic rate, thus offsetting the lowering effects of dieting and helping you burn more calories even when at rest. Strength training is especially important here, because it increases the amount of muscle you have. And your body burns more fat to meet the metabolic needs of all that high-energy muscle.
3. EXERCISE LONGER
After 30 minutes of intensity exercise--walking, bowling, and gardening--your body begins to burn stored fat to energy. It also takes at least 30 minutes to burn more calories than your body can replace by eating.
4. EXERCISE LARGE MUSCLE GROUPS
Choose high-energy exercise--such as walking, bicycling, cross country skiing, swimming, step aerobics--that gives your arms and legs a good workout.
5. VARY YOUR WORKOUT
Your body gets efficient at doing the same exercise day after day, and you burn fewer calories. Try alternating gym workouts with outside activities. Or change your routine every six weeks. You''ll burn more energy--and you won''t get as bored.
6. EAT A GOOD BREAKFAST
People who skip breakfast burn 5 percent fewer calories than those who eat a healthy morning meal.
7. AVOID ALCOHOL AND SMOKING
Both inhibit the burning of abdominal fat. That''s why drinkers and smokers tend to be bigger around the waist than abstainers.
8. RESIST PMS CRAVINGS
The evidence is that women''s bodies burn more calories between ovulation and menstruation. That''s why sugary snacks look so good then. Don''t starve yourself, but if you can resist the cravings for high-energy foods, your body will burn fat stored for energy.
9. EAT LESS FAT
Your body is very efficient at turning the fat you eat into body fat. It takes a lot more energy to turn carbohydrates into fat. That''s why cutting back to less than 30 percent of your calories from fat can help you reduce your body fat more than just cutting total calories.
10. EAT THREE MEALS
Studies show that both frequent small snacks and one or two large meals tend to lower your resting metabolic rate.