How to Make Your Metabolism Work for You

horse power metabolism

“No matter what I do I can’t lose weight.”

Understanding How Metabolism Works

I hear the desperation in people who have seemingly “tried anything and everything”. I also hear this very same phrase from people who, not so diligently, are looking for a “quick fix”. The truth is there is no such thing. Weight loss and weight maintenance are not easy to achieve if you don’t have a baseline understanding of how metabolism works.

I am not going to get into a detailed biochemistry lesson here. In simplest terms, metabolism is the rate at which our bodies use energy, both burning and storing calories. One common misconception is to think of metabolism as simply burning the calories that we ingest day to day. If it were as easy as this, everyone would be able to lose weight by not eating. Our bodies are a much more complicated machine, converting a subset of these calories into fuel stores for the future. This is nature’s way to protect us during times of food deprivation and/or starvation.

Our bodies require a certain number of calories every day to survive, i.e., our lungs need energy to breathe, our heart to beat, our brains to think. The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate at which our bodies burn calories when we are at rest. This can be quickly estimated by taking your weight (measured in lb) and multiplying by 10 kcal/lb. The number calculated is the number of (kilo)calories your body requires every day for these baseline functions. If you take in more calories than this, you will gain weight. If you take in fewer calories than this, you will break into your energy stores. Of course, this is only if you remain at rest.

Are You Stuck With a Bad Metabolism?

Hopefully, we are not at rest all the time! There are other factors that come into play. Some of these, we have control over and others not so much. Ultimately, your physical activity and body condition (amount of muscle mass vs. fat mass) will be the true determinate in how you effectively boost your metabolism and manage your weight.

Age

Metabolism decreases by 5% for every decade of life after age 40. Gasp! While there are various possible causes for this (i.e. decreasing muscle mass, decreasing the production of human growth hormone), these numbers have been consistent in the literature.

Gender

So much for gender equality. At rest, men tend to have a higher metabolic rate than women. This is because men, in general, have more muscle mass, heavier bones, and less body fat than women. A key tenant to weight loss is this: muscle burns calories more effectively than fat.

Genes

The rate at which the body metabolizes nutrients is unique to every individual. Some families may have a genetic propensity for obesity; others favor a thin frame. However, be careful in putting genetic labels on weight. Some seeming trends may be related more to lifestyle choices passed down from generation to generation rather than a true genetic inheritance.

Medical Disorders

Underlying hormonal disorders (i.e. thyroid disease, Cushing syndrome) may contribute to weight issues. If you are having difficulty with weight loss, you should consult with your primary care doctor. Screening is inexpensive and easily performed with a blood test. However, keep in mind that even if an underlying medical condition is discovered, you will still need to maintain healthy lifestyle choices to keep your weight in check.

How To Boost Your Metabolism

Don’t starve yourself or skip frequent meals.

At first glance, restricting calories sounds like an easy way to lose weight. If you don’t put calories into your body in the first place, you won’t gain weight, right? Your body will resort to burning off its excess fat, right? Not necessarily. Restricting calories to a severe degree signals the body that there is no food available, and your body does what evolution has trained it to do. To protect itself against starvation, your metabolism actually slows down to conserve stores of carbohydrate and fat. Shorter periods of fasting (say, 16 hours), a la intermittent fasting, may not cause your metabolism to slow down because you are never truly “starving”. With that in mind, take care to avoid fasting for too long or your body will go into starvation mode.

Eat more frequently.

Eating itself sets off the cascade of hormones and enzymatic reactions that constitute your metabolism. When you wait too long between meals or snacks, you allow these metabolic processes to slow down. The trick is not to eat less but to eat more frequently. Spread your food intake throughout the day. If you keep your metabolism pumping at a high rate, you will burn more calories overall.

Avoid heavy meals at the end of the day.

Eating at the end of the day is the American way of life, but then again obesity is on the rise in this country. When you eat a heavy meal and then follow this with a large period of sedentary activity, i.e. sleeping, you are not giving yourself an opportunity to burn off the heavy load of calories you just ingested. You initially rev up your metabolism with the food intake but your body eventually hoards the bulk of those calories overnight when your metabolism slows after 2-3 hours. For this reason, light evening meals are always preferable to heavier meals.

Increase muscle mass.

The more muscle you have in relation to your body fat, the higher your metabolic rate. Again, muscle burns calories more effectively than fat. While aerobic exercise burns off more calories in the short-term (while you are actually exercising), building muscle mass with mild weight training can increase your basal metabolic rate in the long-term and improve your overall weight loss success. Your body requires a combination of aerobic exercise and weight training.

Drink more water.

The body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. To stay hydrated, try to drink a glass of water or other unsweetened beverage before every meal and snack.

Incorporate metabolic food boosters.

If there were an obvious food item that would boost your metabolism, don’t you think you would have heard about it by now? There is data to show that certain foods and can increase the metabolic rate but in the short-term only – perhaps up to 30 minutes after ingestion. Some of these items include green tea, oolong tea, red pepper, chili pepper, and spicy foods. Their contribution to overall weight loss would be minimal to modest at best.

Make room for protein.

The body burns many more calories digesting protein than fat or carbohydrate. In fact, protein may require almost 25% more energy to digest compared to fat. Although it is recommended you eat a balanced diet, replacing some carbohydrates and fatty foods with lean, protein-rich foods can jump-start the metabolism at mealtime.

Steer clear of weight loss medication.

Most weight loss medications are associated with serious cardiovascular risks. Over-the-counter medications are not regulated by the FDA, and prescription medications require close monitoring. While these options may seem to be a “quick fix”, they pose more risk than benefit and ultimately do not encourage their users to establish the lifestyles needed to maintain a healthy weight.

Armed with this information, you now have the foundation to make an action plan for managing your weight. With a little proactive lifestyle change, you can boost your metabolism and add horsepower.

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