Building in a snowman in a desert sounds as insane as losing weight with disrupted metabolism. If you think that avoiding exercising and not eating the right food are the only culprits of those extra pounds you’re gaining, then you’re wrong. Your metabolism-wrecking habits are among the top contributors to your ill-being.

Metabolism may be your body’s most important asset, but it can also be the most challenging obstacle to getting fit. It allows your body to burn calories in order to function well. However, many of our daily habits can slow down our metabolism, which will undoubtedly lead to weight gain, fatigue, and overall poor physical health.

Habits That Slow Down Your Metabolism

Here are 11 things you don’t even know about that slow down your metabolism.

You Are Not Eating Enough Food

If you don’t get enough calories on a regular basis, your body receives a signal and goes into starvation mode. This slows down your metabolism to a great extent. Make sure you consume at least 1400 calories a day. Try to eat small meals several times a day to maintain good metabolism.

This does not also imply that you should start over-eating; that too would be unhealthy. You need to make the right choice and count the total amount of calories consumed. Don’t skip meals and eat little but frequently to have a healthy metabolism.

You Don’t Get Enough Sleep

Not getting enough sleep on a consistent basis also slows down your metabolism. In this way you have less energy left and therefore move less and get tired faster. You need to keep in mind that exercising and eating right won’t be effective if you are not getting enough sleep.

Remember that a person burns a certain amount of calories while sleeping. The less you sleep, the lesser calories will be burnt. Make sure you get 6-8 hours of sleep per night to have better metabolism.

You Are Not Getting Enough Iron

During the menstrual cycle, a woman’s body loses iron with the ejected blood; namely, it carries oxygen to the muscles and tissues. This means that the muscles are not getting enough iron, which makes your muscles more elastic. This also significantly affects your metabolism. During this period, try to eat foods high in iron to cope with this problem.

Your Food Contains Pesticides

Pesticides are often found in fruits and vegetables, which can also decrease metabolism, leading to weight gain. Rely on organic fruits and vegetables to prevent this threat. You can get such fruits directly from the farm.

Drink Too Much Alcohol

Two or more alcoholic drinks a day can slow your metabolism because your body uses alcohol for fuel instead of burning fat. Try to drink only occasionally. But don’t overdo it with alcohol if you want to maintain a healthy weight.

Those who are at higher risk of falling for addiction should definitely stay away from it. But if they can‘t, there are many rehabs available for them. If you are worried about how to pay for rehab, consider getting financial support for your treatment.

You Are Eating The Wrong Types Of Food

Eating a lot of “fast” carbs can stop your body from burning fat efficiently. Eat whole-grain bread and pasta with plenty of fiber. Having enough fiber in these foods can increase your metabolism by up to 30 percent.

Also, make sure that you are consuming enough protein foods, which also help metabolism and speed up metabolism. Eat yogurt or nuts with every meal.

You Don’t Move Enough

Research shows that sitting for 20 minutes straight can slow down your metabolism. If you work at a desk or study, make sure you have the opportunity to walk every 20-30 minutes for at least two minutes to break this static period and increase your metabolism.

You Eat Food At The Wrong Time

If you do not eat at the same time on a consistent basis, you will be deceiving your body, which greatly affects your metabolism. Eat at a specific time every day so that your metabolism can work continuously. Also, note that metabolism is much faster in the morning and early afternoon. Avoid eating late at night or even more so at night.

You Lack In Vitamin D

Vitamin D protects muscle tissue and increases metabolism. Try to eat foods rich in vitamin D every day, such as tuna, salmon, milk, shrimp, and eggs. As deficiency of vitamin D directly hits the metabolism. Apart from vitamin D-containing foods, you can also get this vitamin from the sun.

You Have A Calcium Deficiency

Calcium helps in the breakdown of fats in the body. If you are deficient in calcium, your body will process fat more slowly, and this will slowly but surely increase your weight. To replenish calcium, you should drink milk or consume dairy products fortified with calcium and low in fat.

You Eat Sweet After Every Meal

It is not important to give yourself a treat of sweet after every meal; it is unhealthy and affects your metabolism directly. Besides, excess consumption of sugary foods adds extra pounds to your waist so, if you are trying to lose weight and get an ideal figure to abandon eating foods high in sugar content.

If you are craving sugar, then it is better to give munch on sweet berries. These are healthy snacks and will also give you a feeling of satiety, keeping you from overeating. Remember, ice-creams, sweet candies, and brownies all have high sugar content, which you should not eat in any case.

Take Away

With a slower metabolism, the calories you eat get burned at a slower pace, and the rest of them is stored as fats. Thus, it is extremely important to give up habits that can hinder the metabolism process. It will not only help you in losing weight but also keep you healthy.