Six Signs That You Have a Slow Metabolism

Are you one of the many who, after meticulously counting calories, spending long hours at the gym, and ensuring adequate sleep, still have not seen any favorable result yet?

Don't blame yourself. Or, before doing so, you might want to assess yourself where the "stubborn pounds" are coming from. You may not know it, but you probably have a slow metabolism.

If you have not known it, your metabolism is the process by which your body is burning energy for basic physical functions like breathing, heartbeat, and brain function.

Since a person's metabolism is burning food for fuel, individuals with a fast metabolism can apparently eat anything they want and still not gain weight. 

Meanwhile, people who have the so-called "sluggish metabolism" need to work quite much harder to lose weight or maintain it.

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6 Warning Signs to Watch

If you don't know much about metabolism, worry not. Here, you'll find 5 of the significant warning signs to watch and determine if you have a slow metabolism.

Say you experience one of these, be sure to discuss it with your doctor as you might need to have your thyroid tested. You could possibly suffer from hypothyroidism, or you have an "underactive thyroid," which is likely to be the culprit for your slow metabolism.

1. Must Have Gained Weight

Experts say that this is the most visible "sign of a slow metabolism." If you have been watching your diet and not guilty about the food you eat, and you've also been exercising regularly and yet you're still gaining weight, your metabolism is likely to be blamed. 

According to Icliniq MBBS general practitioner, Mashfika Alam, weight gain very often "goes unnoticed," not to mention blamed on an assumed sense of augmented appetite, specifically among women.

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2. Your Skin is Turning Dry

When your metabolism is low, your cells, you'll find your cells not as active as they should be. Meaning, they are not receiving an adequate supply of blood.

As your skin fails to get the essential nutrients, Dr. Alam explained, "It loses its luster." More so, your body may be trying to conserve heat that you're not perspiring or sweating as much.

This can affect your skin, resulting in a feeling of dryness and the appearance of cracks. Certainly, one solution for this is moisturizer. 

3. You're Experiencing Hair Loss

The processes affecting your nails and skin also impact your hair. If you have a slow metabolism, it is likely to affect your hair's ability to "grow and regenerate." Specifically, Dr. Alam emphasizes some points to the absence of adequate micronutrients from a "slow metabolic rate" that can lead to hair loss and, eventually, hair loss.

4. You're becoming More Forgetful Lately

If you have too little thyroid hormone, the one that regulates your metabolism, it can result in poor memory and, eventually, turn you into a forgetful person.

5. You're Depressed

Since hypothyroidism slows down processes in your body, it's no longer a surprise that your mood is affected. Depression has been associated with slow thyroid and, thus, the slowing of metabolism.

6. You Have a Huge Craving for Sweets and Carbs

According to a practicing bariatric physician and MD Factor Diet author Caroline Cederquist, MD, "slow metabolism is frequently associated with resistance to insulin."

Insulin resistance, she said, is a typical metabolic condition, which means that human cells are "resistant to insulin actions." Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates how the cells are metabolizing energy.

Therefore, Dr. Cederquist added that if your body resists insulin, it leads to "chronically slow metabolism.

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