Anyone that puts some serious effort into losing weight, quickly learns the importance of genetics in their rate of progress, and overall eventual results. However, it's important to realize that genetics are not the sole factor in increasing one's basal (resting) metabolism.  The food and supplements we take can be responsible for raising the basal metabolism right throughout the day and night, thus triggering fat burning even after your exercise session has finished.

Introduce these 6 factors into your diet and you will see a real augmentation of your results, especially if you've only been relying on burning calories through exercise! There is more to it that:

1/  Meal sizes and numbers -- Swapping out the traditional three meals a day in favor of six, smaller protein-rich meals encourages stable blood sugar, and a regular fueling of the metabolism fire.  It also has the benefit of reduces hunger and, along with it, the chance of a sugar or fat binge.

2/  Eat breakfast after exercising – Training in the morning on an empty stomach increases the metabolism for the rest of the day. This is especially the case if a sensible breakfast is taken afterwards, porridge for example.

3/   Caffeine --  Caffeine increases the break down of bodyfat for fuel during exercise. Bear in mind though, caffeine is a drug -- too much is obviously addictive, and counterproductive but used in moderation before exercise it can be a powerful strategy to boost your metabolism. As far as sources go, it is not just found in the ubiquitous cup of coffee, but also in Tea, Kola, Cocoa, and Guarana.

4/   Pepper – Peppers, especially cayenne, increase thermogenesis. Cayenne is also thought to be good for the heart, and venous system in general. As always, moderation is key as this herb is powerful and overuse may cause side effects. But in general, regular use of this herb will have a positive effect on your basal rate, and overall health in general.

5/    Green tea – This is probably the best way to safely increase your metabolism.  Unlike thermogenics, green tea (which can be taken in extract form too) is not thought to increase blood pressure or heart rate.  And although there are numerous studies citing the health benefits of green tea, it remains one of the most used ingredients in ‘fat-burning' supplements for this reason.  Additionally, green tea helps to reduce the amount of fat absorbed from food itself. It is false, however, to consider green tea as an appetite suppressor.

6/   Hydration levels – Fashion models are well known for their ‘trick' of drinking chilled water throughout the day. This isn't just for the skin benefits though: water raises the metabolism. One caveat though: some people have taken this idea to an extreme and drunk excessive amounts of water over a 24 hour period and suffered from brain swelling resulting in death.  Keep your water intake up, but do it sensibly.

Hopefully, the above tips will provide a foundation for your safe and stable fat loss over a prolonged period, rather than trying for an unhealthy, and unsustainable rapid loss of fat!