'It takes a lot of energy to push fiber all the way through,' says Dian Griesel, Ph.D., author of TurboCharged: Accelerate your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust. They're low in calories and the fiber is a natural colon-cleanser - which helps keep the digestive system moving smoothly. To help stop the vicious cycle, add high-fiber foods, such as fruits and vegetables, to your diet. and it makes you over-release insulin and store fat.' The more fat, the lower your metabolism. Then you go into that next meal not craving chicken or tuna you crave carbohydrates. 'That's why dieting fails people long-term: because it creates a core deficit that makes you burn muscle. 'Every single time you miss a meal, your blood sugar drops your body over-releases a hormone that makes you burn muscle, not fat,' says MacDonald. To avoid this, MacDonald recommends eating five times a day. A growling belly signals falling blood sugar, and that's bad for metabolism. The good news is, anyone can improve his or her metabolic rate by choosing the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones. The Verdict: Avoiding foods that slow metabolism is as important as incorporating ones that improve it If you have a fast metabolism, that's going to allow you to burn more energy.'

So if your metabolism is slower, then you're not going to burn fuel as fast, and that's going to cause you to store body fat. It's going to determine our appetites, and it really determines our body fat levels as well. 'We should care about it because it determines our weight. 'Your metabolism is how your body burns fuel and burns energy,' says certified personal trainer Mark MacDonald, author of Body Confidence. The higher your metabolism, the more calories you can consume without gaining weight. She was likely blessed with a high metabolism: Part of our individual metabolic rates - the rates at which our bodies burn food for energy - is preprogrammed in our genes. You know that friend of yours who can eat whatever she wants and still looks great in a bikini? The same one who apologetically says, 'I guess I have a high metabolism' - while stuffing a cupcake in her mouth and sipping on a milkshake? The Rumor: Certain foods affect your metabolic rate and how quickly you burn through calories

Slow burn through highs