Four factors that may be hindering your metabolism

1. Missed meals

Severe calorie restrictions create a billboard that says ‘we’re starving here!” Your body responds by slowing down your metabolism in order to hold on to existing energy stores. What’s more, if the food shortage continues, you’ll begin burning fat and muscle tissues, which will further lower your metabolic rate. If you must look leaner in no time, temporarily reduce your daily carbohydrate intake to below 50 grams, but without eating less that 2,000 calories total.

2. Drug Therapy

It’s of the ironies of antidepressants: They can boost a person’s spirits while depressing their metabolism. According to a study review by a German study group, the drugs Aventyl, Remeron, and Paxil were most likely to do this. If you gain weight on one, ask your doctor about a possible switch, such as to Wellbutrin, which can actually raise metabolism.

3. Smoking Cessation

Smoking is horrible for every part of your body, except for you metabolism, which it rends to rev. The likely reason is that your body is forced to expend extra energy to detoxify itself from the chemicals. This is a reason people seem to put on weight after quitting. Research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that men who chewed nicotine gum spiked with 100 mg of caffeine experienced a 10 percent increase in metabolism.

4. Hormone Shortage

When your thyroid gland doesn’t product out enough of its namesake hormone, your body is forced to downshift. This is called hypothyroidism, and it slows down almost every metabolic process, including calorie burning. Lethargy and weight gain are two of the most common symptoms, but a definitive diagnosis requires a blood test of your thyroid-stimulating hormone. Anything more than 4 milli-international units per liter is trouble and may mean you need a prescription for a synthetic thyroid hormone.