Metabolism: This is the Part No One Explains
"Someone out there would love to live your worst day."
Lots of people talk about metabolism, but many do not even know what it means. "My metabolism is slow." "I think my metabolism is broken." These are some of the most played out excuses in the book. When people make these claims, they do not even really understand what they are saying.
Simple definition: Metabolism is how your body turns food into energy and decides how much of that energy it uses vs. stores.
There are 4 components that factor into that equation: 1. Basal Metabolic Rate (60-70%) 2. Thermic Effect of Food (10%) 3. Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis / NEAT (10-30%) 4. Exercise Activity (5-10%)
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): Makes up 60-70% of the metabolism pie - by far the biggest piece. Your BMR is essentially the calories your body needs to burn to stay alive: breathing, heart beating, brain function, organ activity. Your BMR is strongly influenced by lean mass and body size. The best way to improve your BMR is to build muscle. The more muscle you build, the more energy your body needs to keep the engine running, and the more food you get to eat without increasing body fat.
Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): ~10% of the metabolism pie. TEF is the calories your body uses to digest food. Protein burns the most (20-30% of calories). Carbs follow (5-10%). Last is fats (0-3%). If you consume 200 calories worth of protein, ~25% of those calories (50 calories) will be burned while digesting it. So you only really consumed 150 net calories. This is one of the many benefits of consuming a high protein diet.
Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): ~10-30% of the metabolism pie - the second largest piece. NEAT includes all movement throughout your day that is NOT structured, intentional exercise: walking, standing, fidgeting, chasing kids, pacing during phone calls, etc. Stop sitting on your butt all day and start moving more.
Exercise Activity: Calories burned during structured workouts. Only accounts for 5-10% of your total daily energy expenditure. Exercise is extremely important for building muscle, cardiovascular health, mental health, improving body composition, and promoting longevity. But it is often overestimated for its impact on fat loss.
To improve your metabolism: Build muscle through strength training. Consume enough protein (~0.7g / lb of target body weight daily). Move more throughout the day.
But if you want to shed body fat, consuming less calories on a daily basis is the best place to start. Before concluding that your metabolism is broken, do a review of the 4 components. Pick one area this week and see if you can work in some improvements.
Stay well, Hal the Health Coach
