Very few people know how their body works, and even less know what their metabolism actually does. The best way to increase your metabolism is by first understanding your body. Here are some great myths and facts to get you educated in an instant!
FALLACY: The amount of bodyfat you carry affects your metabolism
FACT: The amount of muscle you carry in your overall body composition determines your metabolic rate
In general, when someone refers to her metabolism, she’s talking about her resting metabolic rate (RMR) — the amount of calories needed to sustain all the body’s operations (maintain temperature, transport nutrients in and out of cells, pump blood, breathe, etc.) at rest. And the strongest predictor of metabolism is your fatfree mass, says David C. Nieman, PhD, FACSM, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University (Boone, North Carolina). “Fat-free mass is everything but the fat tissue,” he explains. “It’s predominantly made up of muscle but also includes bone tissue and water contained in the body.”
It’s the muscle that makes all the difference. For instance, if you were to compare your metabolic rate to that of a sedentary woman weighing the same, you’ll likely burn more calories at rest than she will because you have more muscle and she probably has more fat due to her inactivity. “Muscle tends to be very metabolic, in terms of burning calories, compared to fat; fat is not an inert tissue, but it doesn’t expend nearly the amount of calories as muscle,” says Robert Keith, PhD, RD, FACSM, professor of nutrition and food science at Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama). “When you think about fat’s job, it’s actually to store energy. It isn’t going to be a tissue that burns a lot of calories because that would be counterproductive. So metabolism is very much tied up into body composition, and the more muscle you have, the more likely you are to have a higher resting metabolism.”
FALLACY: Most people who are overweight have slow metabolisms
FACT: Overweight people actually have faster metabolisms than average
“A lot of people like to blame their metabolism for their weight gain. But it’s interesting: Once you know a person’s fat-free mass, there’s hardly any variance from person to person,” Niemen explains. “In other words, humans are very similar when it comes to the energy it takes to keep a kilo or a pound of fat-free mass alive.”
The Human Performance Lab at Appalachian State has tested hundreds of people and, according to Niemen, the correlation between fat-free mass and resting metabolic rate is so high that “it is a myth that people, especially larger people, can blame their obesity on a slow metabolism.” In fact, it may be just the opposite.
“As you get bigger and bigger, your metabolism increases; it actually works in favor of those people trying to lose weight. Because they’re burning more calories, they keep eating and eating too much, and that’s why they gain the weight. The metabolism isn’t the issue, it’s their eating habits,” says Niemen.
When it comes to gaining weight, you actually gain some fat-free mass. For every 20 pounds that the average person gains in weight — that’s without training — one-fourth is fat-free mass and three-fourths is fat. That one-fourth of fatfree mass is supporting tissue to help the body carry the extra weight. “People who have a lot of bodyfat and are still (mobile) have a fair amount of lean mass because they have to; it’s almost like a self-imposed weightliftingregimen,” Keith points out. “Because if they’re up moving around, climbing stairs, they haul a lot of bodyweight around so they actually do compensate for that with some hypertrophy.” Therefore, if you’re overweight and active, you’re getting some increases in metabolic rate — just not as much as your less-fat counterparts.
FALLACY: Many people who struggle with their weight are likely Suffering from a thyroid disorder
FACT: Thyroid disorders are fairly rare among the general population
Just like everything else in our bodies, hormones have an impact on metabolism, too. Thyroid hormones are the principle ones when it comes to influencing your metabolic rate. “People who have high thyroid function have very high metabolic rates, and those who have hypothyroid or underfunctioning thyroids have slow metabolic rates,” Keith remarks. But before you can pinpoint your weight problem on hypothyroidism, you should know that it isn’t a common ailment. Only about 4% of Americans have some sort of thyroid disorder or disease. The only way to be diagnosed is by your physician, who will probably test you only if you elicit symptoms.
FALLACY: When you hit a sticking point during weight loss, it’s due to a stalled metabolism
FACT: Plateaus are a sign that your metabolism is doing its job
When trying to lose weight, most of us have hit the dreaded sticking point — when the scale won’t budge, your clothes aren’t getting looser and frustrations begin to rise. It’s the perfect time to re-evaluate your eating and exercise plan, and consider: How much weight have you lost so far?
“As most people find out, they can lose 10% of their bodyweight before it becomes more difficult to lose another 10%,” Keith says. “At about that point, the weight won’t come off as fast as it once did.”
There are two reasons why: First, you’re smaller, so your metabolism is matching the “new” you; second, your body thinks it’s starving, and as a result, thyroid hormone levels drop and your resting metabolic rate may drop 10%—25%, so you aren’t burning as many calories in a day as you were. And here’s what most of us forget: When we lose weight, we become lighter, meaning the amount of calories we burn in everyday activities drops as well. Eventually your metabolism adjusts to your new, smaller body.
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Staying educated is the best way to stay in good shape. Believe it or not, there is a true science behind that “perfect” body.
Adria Ali
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