Do you find yourself struggling to lose weight? If you're trying to lose weight, increasing your metabolic rate can enable you to lose more weight without cutting more calories. Here's how you can fire up your metabolism and lose those extra pounds without working too hard at the gym.

(Also read - Habits that mess up your metabolism)

Protein

[caption id="attachment_4541" align="alignnone" width="300"] Protein rich foods help to boost your metabolism[/caption]

Protein is the building block of muscle. The more lean muscle you pack on, the more calories you are going to expend. Pairing increased protein intake with regular exercise will help you burn calories at a supremely accelerated rate. So gobble on that yogurt and protein rich nuts!

(Try reading - Main causes of belly fat)

Eating

[caption id="attachment_4538" align="alignnone" width="300"] Eat small meals but frequently[/caption]

Try to inculcate the habit of eating small but frequent meals. Extending the time between meals makes your body go into ‘starvation mode', which decreases your metabolism as a means to conserve energy and prevent starvation.

Interval cardio training

[caption id="attachment_4540" align="alignnone" width="300"] Interval cardio training helps to boost your metabolism[/caption]

Interval cardio training raises your metabolism for several hours after your workout. . To do an interval workout, do a 5 minute warm up, alternate 2 minutes of moderate intensity cardio with 30 seconds of all-out effort for 10-20 minutes then cool down.

(You may find this interesting - Kick-start your weight loss plan)

Water

[caption id="attachment_4542" align="alignnone" width="300"] Rehydrate your body with water[/caption]

You need water to process your calories better. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water or other unsweetened beverage before every meal and snack. Also, snack on fresh fruits and vegetables, which naturally contain water instead of unhealthy salty foods like chips.

Green tea

[caption id="attachment_4539" align="alignnone" width="300"] Green tea is a great for your metabolism[/caption]

Drinking green tea offers the combined benefits of caffeine and catechins, substances which rev up the metabolism for a couple of hours.

(Also read - ‘Not so famous' tips to lose weight)

Avoid crash diets

[caption id="attachment_4536" align="alignnone" width="300"] Crash diets are going to crash your metabolism rate as well[/caption]

Crash diets are bad for anyone trying to boost their metabolism. Although these diets may help you drop pounds which comes at the expense of good nutrition which makes you can muscle, which in turn slows your metabolism.