Metabolism not why you’re too heavy
Your metabolism is probably not the reason you’re overweight
We’ve all heard people say, “I can’t lose weight because I have a slow metabolism,” and maybe we have even used the same explanation for our spare tire. But experts say that simply isn’t the case.
We’ve all heard people say, “I can’t lose weight because I have a slow metabolism,” and maybe we have even used that same explanation for the extra 20 pounds that have crept onto our hips over time.
So what is metabolism anyway? Basically, it is a scientific term for the way our body uses and stores energy. Is there really such a thing as a slow or fast metabolism?
“The biggest thing that impacts the metabolism in the body is the balance between intake and utilization —what you need and what you are using up,” said Kenneth Iuzoura, board-certified internist in endocrinology and University of Nevada School of Medicine associate professor, during a recent interview at the school’s Diabetes Center at 1707 W. Charleston Blvd.
That kind of bursts our bubble, doesn’t it?
Most people perceive the
bigger the person —the slower their metabolism. But a 300-pound person walking slowly may have a higher metabolism rate than a thinner person walking at the same pace because of the amount of energy required to move the larger amount of body mass. Think, bigger rocket burns up more fuel to get into orbit than smaller rocket.
So what determines your metabolism rate?
Remember when you were young and could eat anything and not gain an ounce of fat? It takes a lot of energy to grow, run and play. On the other end of the age continuum, people usually become less active as they reach their middle years and beyond.
As women have always suspected, gender plays a role in metabolism, too. Men usually have a higher muscle-to-fat ratio than women and muscle uses more energy than fat, even at rest. And women have those pesky hormone changes that mess with their metabolism throughout their lifetimes.
Certain medications and diseases can impact metabolism rates, too.
Some hormone problems such as thyroid disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome and Cushing syndrome can affect a person by causing “too slow or too fast a metabolism,” Iuzoura explained.
The hormone-producing thyroid gland regulates the body’s metabolism. According to the American Thyroid Association, more than 12 percent of the U.S. population will develop a thyroid condition during their lifetime; women are five to eight times more likely than men to have thyroid problems; and one woman in eight will develop a thyroid disorder during her lifetime.
“Diseases can affect metabolism, but those are the exceptions not the rule,” Iuzoura said.
Is there a way you can check to see if you really do have a slow metabolism?
“One of the greatest ways to actually determine what your metabolism rate is (is) to have it calculated,” said Aimee Brock, clinical dietitian and health educator at the University of Nevada School of Medicine’s Wellness and Weight Management Clinic in Reno. The clinic uses an indirect calorimeter that accurately measures oxygen consumption to determine resting metabolic rate.
“It’s a great way to be able to say, ‘OK, how many calories does my body need at rest,’ and it’s a great way
“(Having your metabolism calculated is) a great way to be able to say, ‘OK, how many calories does my body need at rest,’ and it’s a great way to debunk whether you have a slow metabolism or not.” — Aimee Brock, a clinical dietitian and health educator at the University of Nevada School of Medicine’s Wellness and Weight Management Clinic in Reno
to debunk whether you have a slow metabolism or not,” Brock added.
And then there is the family connection. If you come from a heavy-set family, are you doomed?
Researchers Albert Stunkard and others concluded in their 1990 paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine “that 70 percent of the variation in people’s weights may be accounted for by inheritance, which means that a tendency toward a certain weight is more strongly inherited than nearly any other tendency, including those that favor the development of mental illness, breast cancer, or heart disease,” science writer Gina Kolata wrote in her book, “Rethinking Thin, The new Science of Weight Loss —and the Myths and Realities of Dieting.”
Apparently, we can blame or thank our relatives for about 70 percent of our genetically inherited metabolism, but according to experts, the majority of Americans fall within the normal range of metabolism rates. So what about the other 30 percent of our metabolism, the part we actually have control over?
“Genetics can’t guide you as for the amount of food your body needs and if you eat much more than this —you will probably start to accumulate extra fat to store the food,” Iuzoura said.
Maybe a more accurate picture of our exercise and food intake would help. Fitness trackers such as Fitbit, Jawbone, Moov Now and Garmin all keep track of things such as exercise and “steps.” When paired with online food diary apps such as Spark People or MyFitnessPal, they also give a more accurate account of calories in and calories out.
Dietitian Brock noted that “studies have shown that we actually estimate our food intake to be 20 percent lower than we are actually taking in and estimate our physical activity to be 20 percent higher than we are actually doing.” Brock said that part of the problem is that “our culture has started to thrive on high-fat, highcalorie foods and they are in larger portions than they have ever been before.”
Every time we turn on the computer or watch TV we are told about new foods or products that will increase our metabolism and lead to weight loss. Can we really increase our metabolism rate by the things constantly touted in the media and Internet?
“There is no true way to speed up (the metabolism) with supplement use or things like green tea extract, spices or coffee,” Brock said. “That might increase it for just a slight period of time but it’s very negligible. The studies have shown that it’s not enough to actually influence your overall metabolism.”
Experts agree that balancing food intake with energy output is the way to fire up your metabolism.
Len Kravitz, program coordinator of exercise science at the University of New Mexico,contends that “some people spend 90 percent or more of their waking day, sitting.”
“The greatest way to ‘rev’ up your metabolism is to ‘stay in motion’ throughout the day,” Kravitz said. He suggests moving every 30 minutes for at least 5 minutes; walking around the store; walking from the back of the parking lot to the back of the building; walking with the kids or in the park.
“There is no pill or food that can come close to people moving more during the day — it is not exercise — it is just moving,” Kravitz said.