How to ‘reset’ your metabolism with new diet trend

It’s one of the most difficult parts of losing weight.

Even after months of dieting and exercise, slipping back into bad habits for just a few days or weeks can see the scales start to tip back in the wrong direction.

It’s in large part why, despite the fact that more than half of people in the UK have tried dieting, nearly two-thirds say they didn’t achieve as much weight loss as they had hoped.

Many people complain that it’s as though, no matter how hard they try, their body wants to put the weight back on.

Experts say they aren’t imagining this. Growing research suggests that everyone has a default weight, dictated by genes, that the body is trying to return to.

This phenomenon, labelled the set point theory, would explain why some people can remain thin regardless of what they eat.

In turn, experts argue the theory is the reason why overweight people find dieting so difficult. Studies show that many obese people experience intense hunger pains and fatigue while on a new diet, which make it almost impossible to keep going.

‘It’s like there’s a thermostat in our brains which is set to a specific number,’ says Dr Alexander Miras, clinical professor of medicine at Ulster University.

‘You can lose weight, but ultimately your body will sabotage it and put on weight when you stop dieting. And it works the other way, too – you’ll struggle to put on weight, or keep it on.’

Eating lots of fruit and veg and unprocessed foods can help your body to work more efficiently, say experts

So it’s no surprise then that a new diet trend which promises to ‘reset’ the body’s default weight to make it naturally lower has taken the internet by storm.

Videos promoting the diet, known as a metabolism reset, have been viewed by millions on the social media app TikTok.

It refers to the metabolic system: the complex bodily system which decides how the body creates, stores and uses energy from the food we eat.

It’s often said that skinny people have a fast metabolism, meaning they burn off their excess energy quickly, while heavier people have a slow metabolism, meaning they are more likely to store up this energy as fat.

Influencers promoting metabolism reset diets often argue that cutting out artificially processed foods – such as sugary cereals, soft drinks and crisps – is crucial for speeding up the metabolic system.

This is because they’re filled with saturated fat and sugar and calories which, if consumed in excess, are more likely to be turned into fat in the body.

Other much-repeated tips include eating more protein – found in meat, fish and eggs and fibre – because the body needs to use up more energy to digest it.

Some influencers even claim that consuming spicy foods is crucial for speeding up metabolism, because it apparently raises the internal temperature of the body, which in turns burns more calories.

But experts have poured cold water on the theory that simple diet changes can ‘fix’ the metabolism.

‘I’m suspicious of anyone who claims to have a diet that can change metabolism,’ says Dr Miras. ‘If I can see evidence that it works, I’m open to it. But I haven’t seen any.

‘They’re usually healthy, and based on principles of the Mediterranean diet – olive oil, nuts and seeds and lots of fruit and veg.

‘It will lead to modest weight loss and protect your heart. But at a cellular level, can it affect your metabolism? That’s very unclear.’

However, experts say there are other simple steps people can take which – while they can’t reset your metabolism – may help it to function more effectively.

Read on to find out more…

FORGET INTERMITTENT FASTING – EAT SMALL MEALS OFTEN

It’s been the trendy way to lose weight and, it is claimed, boosts metabolism and dampens down inflammation in the body. But intermittent fasting – championed by everyone from Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston to former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – may cause you to store energy, rather than burn it, experts say.

The plan involves eating within an eight-hour window, and consuming nothing except water for the remaining 16 hours a day. This causes you to eat less overall and, once the body reaches a state of fasting around six to eight hours after its last meal, it signals to the body’s cells to switch from burning glucose for energy, to burning fat reserves, resulting in weight loss. It also helps regulate hormones associated with hunger and appetite, research suggests.

But David Strain, associate professor of cardiometabolic health at the University of Exeter, says it’s ‘not actually helping’ your metabolism.

Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston has long been an advocate of a fasting regime to keep healthy

‘There are all these conversations around whether you should or shouldn’t have breakfast, and whether you should eat after 6pm as a natural alternative to Ozempic and Mounjaro,’ Prof Strain says.

‘In all honesty, it isn’t doing much for your metabolism and is just simple biomechanics – if you eat after 6pm then your food is being digested while you’re asleep and is therefore being stored as fat.’

Instead, Dr Strain advises that eating ‘little and often’ may be more beneficial to the body’s metabolism.

Studies suggest that eating smaller meals more regularly encourages the body to immediately burn through the food that’s coming in.

‘At a cellular level, we don’t really understand what’s going on,’ he says. ‘We think the regular increase and decrease in hormones as you eat instructs the mitochondria, the ‘battery packs’ within cells, to store or use energy from food.

‘If you’re getting small amounts of nutrition regularly, your metabolic rate goes up because your body is quite happy to use the energy to fulfil its background functions – not thinking about whether it needs to store it in case it needs it later.’

HAVE THAT SUNDAY STROLL AFTER YOUR ROAST, NOT BEFORE

It’s tempting not to eat before exercising to avoid feeling sluggish. But experts recommend eating at least 20-30 minutes before engaging in activity to regulate the metabolism.

‘Most of us go for a nice Sunday walk before coming home and having a roast, or ending up in the pub,’ says Prof Strain.

‘It should be visa-versa. If you start to exercise around half an hour after you’ve eaten, your body is provided with the nutrition it needs and it uses it.

‘If you exercise and then eat, your body craves nutrition and it’ll think it has to store the energy from what you consume so it has enough for next time.’

BUILD MUSCLE TO BURN MORE FAT

It isn’t a magic overnight solution, but the more muscle you have, the more efficient your metabolism because muscle burns more calories.

Any strength-building exercise will help – from hillwalking to weightlifting, stair-climbing to just digging in the garden.

Experts say this is because muscle tissue uses up more energy than fat – which is why it is often referred to as ‘metabolically-active tissue’.

Dr Duane Mellor, dietitian at Aston Medical School, explains: ‘Any resistance exercise will maintain and potentially increase muscle mass, which gives you a larger amount of metabolically-active tissue – ultimately, you increase your engine size and burn more fuel.’

With extra muscle on board, you’ll burn more calories regardless of whether you’re asleep or being physically active, says Dr Charlotte Norton, chief medical officer at online weight loss clinic, The Slimming Clinic.

‘The number of calories you burn at rest is heavily influenced by the composition of your body,’ Dr Norton says. ‘Someone who has more skeletal muscle mass burns more calories at rest because muscle cells do more at rest than a fat cell does, so it requires more energy.’

TURN DOWN THE THERMOSTAT

Most people set their room temperatures at around 21 or 22 degrees Celsius. But – unless you’re elderly – for a more efficient metabolism, you need to be exposed to some to something a little cooler.

Studies have shown that people who exposed to enough cold to make them shiver a little saw the white fat in their bodies – which stores energy from food – turn to brown fat, which burns that energy to produce heat.

Not only that: the more brown fat you have, the less shivering you need to do to keep warm and the more you adapt to the lower temperatures, so you’ll save money on your heating bills, too.

‘We keep our houses too warm,’ says Prof Strain. ‘Turning them down by a few degrees – even 19 to 21 degrees Celsius may be enough – turns bad fat into good fat and helps the body burn off more energy.’

…BUT HEALTHY EATING AND SOME SUPPLEMENTS ARE STILL IMPORTANT

Dr David Strain advises that eating ‘little and often’ may be more beneficial to the body’s metabolism

While diet by itself can’t boost metabolism, there are still things you can do to make it as efficient as it can be – and it’s all about eating a healthy, balanced diet and making sure you’re getting enough of the key vitamins and minerals known to be beneficial.

‘It does feel like this is the same thing we say to people all the time, but that’s because it really is important,’ says Dr Norton.

‘Eat a healthy and nutritious diet which is high in lean proteins, beans, legumes, fruit and vegetables.

‘Fish or olive oils are really important because they contain Omega 3, which is an anti-inflammatory – less inflammation helps cells to function better.’

Dr Mellor adds: ‘There’s little to no proof that supplements and herbal remedies can enhance metabolism, but some do contribute to maintaining a normal metabolism.’

‘Calcium is important for maintaining a normal digestive enzyme function, proteins which break down food into nutrients.

‘While B vitamins help convert the food we eat into energy which the body can use.’