Previously, we talked about calories and what's actually considered too low, along with how to navigate a deficit without compromising your health. We also covered how we all have different intake needs, and why the comparison game isn't one worth playing.
But what if you're someone who feels like you can barely eat without gaining weight? And I'm not just talking about a feeling - you have data to back it up. You're tracking accurately and your intake just looks low. Or maybe you want to be able to eat more, not 3,000 calories worth, but somewhere in the 2,000s, without the fear of gaining weight.
Well, let's talk about the lesser known ways to actually increase your BMR. Your basal metabolic rate - not your NEAT, not your steps, but how many calories your body burns at complete rest. That number accounts for roughly 60 to 70% of everything you burn in a day, and most people have no idea it's moveable.
Build Muscle AND Weigh More Because Of It Building muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does - about 6 calories per pound versus 2 - but it's not the metabolic furnace most people expect. The bigger BMR lever is actually total body weight. A heavier body requires more energy to maintain at rest, and muscle is the best way to add weight while shifting your body composition in the right direction.
But that requires a mindset shift most people resist: if you want to eat more and stay lean long term, you can't be chasing the lowest number on the scale.
Increase Bone Density
Bone is living tissue that's constantly remodeling, and that process burns energy. Denser bones also mean more body weight, and a heavier body burns more at rest. The best ways to build bone density are the ones most people are already doing in a good training program - heavy compound lifting like squats, deadlifts, and pressing movements, and impact-based training like plyometrics, jumping, and sprinting. Impact loading is actually one of the primary drivers of bone remodeling - your bones respond to the stress of landing and absorbing force by rebuilding denser. One training approach, multiple metabolic payoffs. Fix Your Gut
The composition of your gut microbiome has a real relationship with resting metabolic rate. Research shows that people with healthier, more diverse gut bacteria consistently show higher BMRs, independent of body weight. The good news is that improving gut health is pretty actionable.
Eat a wide variety of plant foods - diversity in your diet drives diversity in your microbiome. Prioritise fibre, specifically resistant starch from foods like cooked and cooled rice, oats, legumes, and green bananas, which feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
Include fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, or sauerkraut for a direct probiotic boost, and pair them with prebiotic foods like garlic, onions, leeks, and asparagus that feed those bacteria once they're there. Better gut health isn't just about digestion; it's a metabolic lever most people aren't thinking about.
Protect Your Sleep Poor sleep suppresses BMR. It elevates cortisol, lowers insulin sensitivity, and signals your body to store rather than burn. Research suggests even a few nights of poor sleep can measurably reduce resting metabolic rate while increasing hunger hormones at the same time - a frustrating combination when you're trying to manage body composition. Prioritise a consistent sleep and wake time, keep your room cool and dark, and treat sleep with the same intention you bring to your training. Support Your Thyroid Your thyroid is the master regulator of your metabolic rate. Chronic undereating, especially long-term caloric restriction, downregulates T3, your active thyroid hormone. When T3 drops, your BMR drops with it. If you've spent years eating very little and wonder why your metabolism feels sluggish, this is likely a big part of the answer. Your body isn't broken. It adapted to scarcity. The fix is eating enough, consistently, over time - which circles back to the last post in a pretty direct way. Cold Exposure Cold exposure activates brown adipose tissue, a specialised fat that generates heat by burning calories. People with more active brown fat tend to have higher baseline metabolic rates, even at rest. Cold showers, a cooler sleep environment, deliberate cold exposure - the research is still developing, but the mechanism is real. Think long-game adaptation, not overnight fix.
But Honestly? Just Move More. With all that said, most people don't actually need to focus on increasing their BMR. You may wonder - why share all of this then? A few reasons. One, it's genuinely interesting! Two, some of us really could benefit from focusing on one or two of these things, especially the thyroid piece if you've had a long history of undereating. But for most people, the bigger opportunity isn't increasing what you burn at rest - it's just moving more throughout the day. We live in a sedentary world. We drive everywhere, work at computers, get groceries delivered. You have to actively seek out movement now just to avoid being sedentary. That's not a willpower problem, it's just the reality of modern life. And the fix isn't necessarily more workouts; it's more movement (there's a BIG difference). P.S. Your BMR isn't fixed, but moving it takes patience, not a complete overhaul. Start with the basics - lift heavy, eat enough, sleep well - and the rest tends to follow.