Metabolism

Oh thank you so much holidays, turkey and pie, bread, rolls, cookies and candies, ham, potatoes, more cookies.  Dear God in Heaven!  Uncle!  I cry Uncle!  Its funny, being in shape is a lifestyle, slide downhill headfirst on eating well, and all of a sudden I don't have enough energy for my workout and I feel like garbage.  I explored this a little bit months ago when I realized bread and pasta hated me, You can get a little reminder here.

So the on the downhill slide I found myself sliding into week 10 of my training and not anywhere close to where I should be, and skipping almost as many workouts as I finished.  Oh boy, we're in trouble now!  So, back to good habits I go.  A lifestyle is just that!  You can do and have anything but it all needs to be in balance.  Have that dinner/dessert, but know that the next morning getting out of bed won't be as easy- but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it!

A good friend was good enough to start a running group (something I am convinced we all need from time to time for motivation).  I was lucky enough to be able to make a run with the lovely ladies!  Goodness knows we chattered away, about one thing in particular that triggered all of our brains, and most women's: that crafty elusive pain in the ass thing- METABOLISM.

So I have spent my day doing a little bit of research.  Here's what I have:

Metabolism is the process of converting calories into energy.  Most people when they think of metabolism, they are actually talking about basal metabolic rate (BMR).  This is the number of calories that your body needs just to run (sitting still, doing nothing, just breathing, moving blood around, repairing cells that we have broken down).  This accounts for the greatest amount of calorie usage.  Lots of things play a part in the BMR.  The bigger you are or the more muscle you have, the faster this process is.  Sex also plays a part, going back to the first factor- men tend to have more muscle mass, and therefore BMR goes up.  Age!  This also goes back to the first factor- as age increases, muscle mass decreases and fat stores increase.

Other things that play a role, food digestion- this is the smallest piece, and it can be changed in small little ways, but not really enough to notice a big difference.  This is in contrast to physical activity- the more you do, the more you burn!  Cardio is great, a few hundred extra steps a day makes a huge difference.  Weight lifting builds muscle mass which increases your BMR.  Makes sense right?  Now, the curveball, want to starve yourself skinny?  Nope try again, your Metabolism actually protects you when you try to do this.  It slows down the processes of the body, and your BMR actually goes down, so when you fall off the wagon and eat like a normal person, it is actually now too many calories according to your BMR.

Now, how does this work in real life?  The best example I can think of is that first week on the Biggest Loser.  I know you have all seen the show.  These people who are morbidly obese, and are used to eating lets say 4500 calories per day (I imagine it is probably higher, but don't have data to back that up).  Their BMR's are very high already because of the fact that they are obese and it takes more energy to make their body run.  Now, you cut the calories down to an appropriate amount and bam!  Weight loss!  Even small changes in caloric intake can make a big difference when you are overweight- take advantage of that high BMR!  On top of this, Jillian and Bob lock them in the gym for hours a day- something that they never did before.  More calories!

Does this apply to everyone?  Absolutely.  Now there are some studies that have shown that for women who weigh the same amount, eat the same types of food, and have the same level of activity, they have varying metabolisms- but all right around the same range. 

So, summary, weight loss happens in the kitchen- calories in, calories out.  Feed your body what it needs, don't starve, but back off a bit on the indulgences and the huge portions.  Build your muscle mass, it will help you burn.  And tuck in as many extra steps as you can during the course of the day.

So ladies, I guess we can't blame it on the metabolism any more :)