When discussing obesity and weight loss, the subject of metabolism always comes up. We will explain what metabolism is and how your basal metabolic rate (BMR) impacts your weight loss journey. Many people believe they can control their metabolism, but in reality, it’s our body’s metabolism that ultimately controls us! There are some strategies that can preserve and improve metabolism in order to make weight management more efficient and less frustrating.
“What is Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)?”
The BMR is the speed at which your body is burning energy (calories) while at rest. Most everyone thinks about calories and metabolism as it relates to activity, exercise and movement. But most of our calories are actually burned when we are at rest, when our body is still performing important functions like circulation, oxygen exchange, regulating body temperature, digestion, and others. In fact, your body is burning about two-thirds of its daily calories while you are doing nothing active at all.
“What affects my metabolism?”
Each individual human has a basal metabolic rate when they are born, and as we progress throughout our growth and development stages, there are different factors that have an effect on metabolism:
- Getting older – beginning around the age of 30, a person’s BMR will drop by about 1-2% per decade.
- Gender – Males generally have a higher BMR than women simply because men naturally have more muscle than women. Muscle on the body burns calories at a much higher rate than fatty tissue on the body. Each pound of muscle on the body burns between 7-13 calories at rest in a day. A pound of fat only requires about 2-5 calories of energy per day. Having more muscle on your body makes metabolism more efficient. This is why it’s so important to try to retain as much muscle during the weight loss process as possible.
- Body Composition – As previously mentioned, muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, even when at rest. Therefore, individuals with a higher muscle mass will have a higher BMR.
At New You, we invite our patients to utilize our InBody scale, an advanced assessment that provides more detailed information and guidance about your body composition, metabolic rate, and weight management than just the number on the scale.
While the body composition scale can provide a fairly accurate assessment of BMR through analysis of body composition, the most accurate method of measurement is with a Resting Metabolic Assessment (RMA) which measures expelled breath in a controlled setting or laboratory environment. This is not a readily available test, but there are certain facilities and universities that provide community testing. Click here for more information about Lindenwood University’s facility in the St. Louis area.
- Genetics – Your metabolism is greatly affected by your DNA makeup. This is why an important part of our assessment at New You includes a thorough review of family health history. It’s important to know this information if available, as it can help guide certain decisions about treatments and screening for certain diseases.
- Hormones – There are many hormones in the body that play a significant role in rate of metabolism, for instance, thyroid hormones. A person with an underactive thyroid gland may have a slower metabolic rate, whereas a hyperactive thyroid gland would tend to increase metabolism. Also, insulin is another important hormone that impacts the efficiency of glucose metabolism, which also has high importance in weight management.
Although New You does not offer hormone replacement therapy, our providers are highly knowledgeable about the overall impact of estrogen and testosterone deficiencies and how the levels can affect weight.
Stress hormones like cortisol can affect metabolism as well, and this is why managing the physical and psychological stressors on the body can make weight loss more efficient.
- Nutrition – The structure and pattern of eating as well as the types of foods can affect your metabolism. For example, eating high protein foods can boost your metabolism through a process called the thermic effect of food (TEF). This means that while the food you eat feeds the body with energy, the body actually burns energy while processing the food. Protein also helps build muscle mass, making dietary protein intake doubly impactful on weight and metabolism.
- Physical Activity – Regular exercise, especially strength training, can increase muscle mass and thus elevate your BMR. Doing regular sessions of cardiovascular exercise like walking or biking will also contribute to overall calorie expenditure.
- Sleep – Poor sleep quality or insufficient sleep can negatively impact metabolic function and hormone balance, making it harder to manage your weight.
Many people believe that staying awake and active for more hours of the day will help you burn more calories, but the opposite is actually true. If you have a chronic sleep deficit (consistently less than about 6 hours per night and/or restless sleep), this can cause cortisol and insulin hormone imbalances, and the body doesn’t get restored adequately. This can not only make weight loss more difficult, but it can also contribute to increased fat storage. Additionally, low energy levels due to lack of sleep can make exercise way more challenging.
Many patients who consult New You regarding their obesity will have their sleep patterns assessed, may require a sleep study, and/or treatment for sleep disorders as part of our weight management protocol. Additionally, patients with sleep apnea must be treated before bariatric surgery for patient safety and adequate recovery and healing.
“What can I do to improve my metabolism?”
- Pump some iron! Build more muscle with strength training exercises. Prioritizing the largest muscle groups (chest, back, core, legs, butt) will have the greatest impact on metabolism. Don’t have access to a gym? Then, consider getting an inexpensive set of resistance bands to challenge your muscles even more.
- Stay Active – Focus on increasing your overall activity by getting up and moving around as much as possible throughout your day. Try standing or pacing instead of sitting during a conference call, or bring your resistance bands to your desk! Get up and walk around to talk with people rather than texting or emailing at work and home to get in extra steps and activity and to reduce sitting time. You can even get into the habit of getting up during commercial breaks so you can even be more active while watching TV! Try turning on some lively music at home to get your body moving more during household chores. Even small, consistent movements throughout the day can add up.
- Protein! Protein! Protein – This cannot be emphasized too much because it’s so important! Not only does protein help build muscle and increase metabolism, but eating more protein can help you feel more full and energized during a calorie deficit.
- Stay Hydrated – Your body cannot properly break down fat without adequate fluid to process and flush it out of the body. Hydration is extremely important for weight management, appetite, and overall health. Dehydration can make a person feel more hungry, so it could lead to unnecessary snacking. Also, as you increase your protein intake, it’s important to also increase your water intake right along with it to reduce constipation.
- Sleep Routine – As you are working on establishing other healthy habits like eating more vegetables and walking more, give the same focus on the quality and duration of sleep. Establish a regular sleep routine that you follow each night of the week. Even if you don’t go to bed or wake up at the same time, it’s important to have a consistent evening routine that prepares your mind and body for sleep.
- Eat at regular intervals – Occasionally missing a meal won’t necessarily have a long-term impact on your metabolism. However, if you’re consistently skipping meals, then your body’s metabolic rate will slow down in response to the change in nutrition. Eating with a consistent structure does not mean you have to eat the same thing every day, but you should try to eat the same WAY each day. Aim for similar meal structure and similar amount each day so that your body will have a consistent source of fuel for a more consistent metabolic rate.
A lot of our patients struggle with this habit, because they may not be very hungry at mealtimes. If your metabolic rate has slowed enough, this can actually have the impact of shutting down your appetite. So, even though it may seem counterintuitive, there will be times that we ask patients to eat food when they’re not hungry for the purpose of re-establishing a regular metabolic rate. Sometimes people get upset when they start eating breakfast regularly after years of skipping that they will start feeling hungry in the mornings again. Having hunger is not a bad thing! It means that your body has burned off its energy and it’s asking for more! Try to honor your body’s hunger and fullness cues, but also keep in mind that food is necessary for the healthy functioning of our body.
- Appropriate stress coping – Chronic stress can lead to hormonal imbalances that negatively affect your metabolism. There will also be stressors present in our life, like work stress, family pressures, traumatic events, etc. Since we can’t get rid of the stressors, having a way to get manage your stress levels without using food for comfort is an extremely important part of creating a healthy lifestyle. Try to focus on practicing regular rituals that bring peace and calm to your busy life. This can be relaxation or leisure activities, meditation, prayer, reading, journaling, music, movies, socializing, regular physical exercise, adequate sleep, mental health counseling, and social support.
- Just say “no” to diet culture! – Cycling through a lot of restrictive diets (“yo-yo” dieting) creates stress on the body and can negatively impact long-term metabolism with each dieting attempt. The most important aspect of weight management is consistency. Focus on creating a long-term strategy that you can stick with, even during stressful times when you’re less focused. When a restrictive diet does not work for you, it’s not your fault!! You are a unique human being with unique needs, so creating a sustainable program is essential for successful long-term weight management.
We hope we have provided some information here that will help educate you about overall metabolism. Understanding your metabolism means that you will need to learn to listen to your body. If you make a lifestyle change and your body doesn’t respond as expected, rather than criticizing yourself or your body, focus on making small adjustments or “tweaks” to your habits rather than big, drastic changes. The human body is designed to adapt, so you should also adapt your habits in return. You can incorporate just a few small changes into your daily routine that can mean a healthier metabolism and a smoother, less frustrating weight loss process.
Do you still have questions? New You’s providers are here to answer your questions, address your unique needs and provide the guidance and support you AND YOUR METABOLISM need!