Having a hard time boosting metabolism...any ideas?

[TiffD]

I am having a hard time remembering to eat every few hours. I try really hard, but I am so focused on my tasks that I forget sometimes....

[Mary]

Most studies now say timing of calorie intake is irrelevent to weight loss.  Spreading them out doesn't really boost anything.  Though some people do feel less likely to overeat if they keep their hunger at very low levels by eating often.  

[whome]

Set an alarm on your phone, maybe?

[Maryruth]

I've been told that Weight training and strength training will both raise metabolism. I really like Sworkit for a quick, 20 minute workout first thing in the morning to get my juices flowing--you might try it, no equipment required, nothing to pay for!

[FrannieMa]

I still just eat 3 meals a day...count calories.  I may have a light jello before I head to bed (1 hour before) but eating so many times during the day is just not something I want to do.  I have lost 60 plus pounds since March 5th.  I walk a lot (retired).  Always at least 10,000 steps and as many as 20,000...I do not push this.  Turn on music or tv and just walk.  I have a tread mill, but I have arthritis in my knees and the tread mill does not work for me

[Daves_Not_Here]

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@TiffD wrote:

I am having a hard time remembering to eat every few hours. I try really hard, but I am so focused on my tasks that I forget sometimes....

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You didn't mention why you want to eat every few hours.  Your thread title "Having a hard time boosting metabolism ... any ideas?"  implies to me that your goal is to raise your metabolism,  and that perhaps you think eating every few hours will do that?

Using Fitbit or other tools, you can setup recurring alarms.  You can get your Fitbit to vibrate at certain intervals.

On the other hand, if your goal is to lose weight, you may find the "5 small meals a day" to be counterproductive (although, there is the idea that doing so forestalls hunger).  You could experiment with letting your hunger signal when to eat.  I'm not an expert, but I don't think there is a significant metabolic advantage to eating a given amount of calories in 5 versus 3 meals. 

[FrannieMa]

I eat 3 meals a day and a snack about an hour before bed time.  I am retired, but try to eat early.  You have to watch your calories especially if you don’t exercise...I make my walking a priority and get earlier in the morning while I have "alone time" and get at least 10,000 steps in each day...a must.  It is a life style change.  You got over weight by living a life that was not healthy for you as I did.  It must change if you want to shed the pounds.  I have lost over 60 pounds watching calories and exercising...walking.  I am a 69 year old female...males burn calories much faster.  I eat more than I did before I started losing weight...I just eat the right things.  Get on your computer and find foods that fill you up not out.  All the berries, coleslaw (with ICBINB instead of mayonnaise) and sweet potatoes are great metabolism boosters.  If you get hungry, try an apple, not a banana.

[Dominique]

This is an old topic! Actually, how often you eat during the day doesn’t have much impact on your metabolism. Metabolism is typically increased by several weeks of consistent overeating, and conversely reduced by several weeks of consistent undereating. Your body wants you to stay at the same weight (homeostatis). If it notices you’re eating more (over a longer period, a single day or a few days isn’t long enough), it will increase the rate at which you expend energy to match the higher eating. If you really try hard, you will "win", and that’s how you end up overweight or obese. If your body notices you’re eating less (= dieting to lose weight), it will decrease the rate at which you expend energy, again to match the lower eating. It will also decrease your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis, the fancy term for non-formal activity), again to preserve energy, since it sense less is being available. So by definition, dieting down to a lower weight is going to slow down your metabolism.  How much so depends on the size of your deficit and the duration of your diet. Your Fitbit is a great weapon to fight against lower NEAT during weight loss: by making sure you’re getting your steps everyday, you can keep your activity at a higher level than it would be if you just listened to your body.

Meal frequency during weight loss (or otherwise) is largely a question of personal preferences: some people prefer eating smaller meals more frequently, others prefer larger meals less frequently. If calories at the daily (or weekly) level are the same, the impact on weight will also be the same.