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Article Dated: 7/17/2009 |
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Dieters often lament that a slow metabolism keeps them from losing weight. Marketers of weight-loss products capitalize on this belief by offering ways to boost metabolism and "melt away" unwanted pounds. Is a faster metabolism really the key to weight loss? And can you really speed up your metabolism?
Metabolism Made Easy.
Metabolism refers to the way the body uses energy (measured in calories). The body uses calories in three ways: (1) to sustain vital body functions like breathing, heart rate, waste removal, cell growth and cell repair, even when at rest. (2) for physical activity and (3) for digestion and absorption of food, which uses about 10% of a day's calories.
The speed at which the body burns calories when at rest is called your resting metabolic rate (RMR). Everyone's RMR differs and may in part be genetically determined. Cutting calories below your RMR is not smart, because your body then shifts into starvation mode, lowering your metabolic rate even more. So even is you are eating less, it can actually be harder to lose weight, because your body is fighting to conserve the energy it has stored in body fat.
Here's what you need to know about metabolism and its effect on weight loss:
"A" is for Activity.
People who exercise regularly burn more calories and have more muscle mass than those who are less active. Aerobic exercise, like brisk walking or swimming, burns calories, while strength training slows the inevitable muscle loss associated with aging, which helps boost metabolism. It's often reported that aerobic and resistance exercise increase metabolism not only while you're exercising, but for several hours afterwards as well. This increase in metabolism is not sustained long term, however.
Get Your ZZZ's.
How long you sleep may affect hormones that regulate appetite and body weight. Sleeping only four or five hours a night instead of the recommended seven to eight alters levels of the appetite regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin, leading to increased appetite. These hormonal changes combine with having more awake time to eat and feeling too tired to exercise all contribute to weight gain.
Carbs vs. Protein.
A recent review of studies authored found some evidence of a very slight metabolic advantage for high protein diets. Protein increases satiety, helping dieters stick to low calorie diets. And protein may slightly blunt the fall in resting metabolism that occurs with weight loss. Still, what matters most is calories. "The vast majority of weight loss is explained by how much people cut calories and how much they exercise," says Dale Schoeller, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin at Madison, "not by changing the percentage of carbohydrates, protein or fat in their diets."
Safe Ways to Raise Your Metabolism.
(from the authors Lyseei Lakatos, R.D. and Tammy Lakatos Shames, R.D.)
*Do 30 minutes or more of aerobic activity at least four to five times a
week - get your heart pumping
*Strength train three times a week - increase your lean muscle and the
rate at which your body burns calories.
*Don't wait more than five hours between meals - skipping meals can
slow your metabolism and deprive you of needed energy.
*Eat breakfast - wake up your metabolism. Having breakfast gives you
energy and helps prevent overeating at your next meal.
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