Increasing my calorie metabolism
- Thread starter dRom
- Start date
Drom:
What is your dietary purpose? Do you have a training routine? The question you pose in context is a relatively complicated one. However, I think you should think more on your caloric consumption in conjunction with our training routine--if this makes sense.
What are your goals? What is your age, height, weight?
Chillen
What is your dietary purpose? Do you have a training routine? The question you pose in context is a relatively complicated one. However, I think you should think more on your caloric consumption in conjunction with our training routine--if this makes sense.
What are your goals? What is your age, height, weight?
Chillen
yah i see what you mean. well im 15, 5'7'' 160 and according to some bmi calculators im "overweight" but if so then i must be a very in-shape overweight person. well i wanna toan up my stomach because out of everything that needs the most work. I actually eat fairly well i stay away from cookies, ice cream, ect. and try to eat grilled chicken as much as possible. i work out about 3-4 times a week.
Its all about the diet and complimenting the diet with exercise. This was written to a forum member who was starving himself so:
Bare in mind this was posted in another thread and to another person on nearly the same topic. I will answer any questions you may have:
As I have always said, in the past, the body will tell you when your are and are not doing things correctly. Same in this case. There is never in my opinion, a bad bodily response when we are talking along these types of details. You body is telling you something, youngman, and its telling you, you are doing the wrong things, and WANTS a change to produce the results you want and/or seek. All you have to do is provide the stimulation.
The ultimate fat burner is the appropriate deficit diet, young man, and optimized and complimented with appropriate training/excercise routine on a regular basis.
A deficit diet, in itself, without any scheduled excercise program can also make one lose weight. What does this tell us? That the DIET is absolutely the Boss and everything encircles the diet, and one will lose tissue, if they are healthy and have no organ issues or other medical conditions that would or could hamper progress.
With this said, I first want to state that not feeding yourself, IS NOT a wise idea, nor the answer to your problem in weight loss. In your specific case, being inconistant instead of consistant is your problem (with what I know thus far).
This is what you need to do:
This an approxomation science, but you can narrow it down very close, if your meticulous in your vision when looking at the data.
Tweak your desire and passion by educating yourself on the basic requirements of losing fat tissue. With your age, sex, hgt, and wgt, in mind, find your approximated base calorie needs (this is organ function, breathing, or bodily function needs).
Armed with this knowledge, next figure in your approximated activity calorie expenditure (training/exercising, etc), and add this on top of the approximated base calorie need. This will give you the approximated maintenance level (or like a approximated break-even point in the caloric equation)
Apply this knowledge by backing off the approximated MT Line (approximated Maintenance line), say for example, a -500c per day, for about 1 week. Before the week begins, weigh yourself in the AM when you FIRST get up (do not eat yet) (remember your clothing, preferably with just underwear and t-shirt or like clothes). Note the time, and the approximated wgt.
Each day spread your caloric content out throughout the day (keep the body fed, with calories in the 300 to 500c approximated calories each meal), or a like division which mirrors your end caloric deficit limit (meaning MT-500c). This way you have your entire day and body encircled with nutrition (I assume you alread know to eat clean), which if your eating right, will give an approximated good energy (not optimal because your in deficit) to fuel your training and exercising schedule.
At the end of the week, on the same day, the same time, with the same like clothes, weigh yourself again. Note whether you lost or gained tissue (or weight I mean). To further assist you, I want to tell you that for every approximated caloric deficit of (-3500c), one could lose 1lb of fat tissue. (though some may not all be fat tissue, this information is for another question, and isnt presently suited here).
Now, in this example you were calculating a -500c per day deficit. There needs to be -3500c to lose approximated 1lbs of fat. Now lets do some basic math. -500cX7=-3500c. With all things considered equal, and you were meticulous and faithful on the diet, you should have been CLOSE to losing at least one pound of tissue in the week.
If this didnt happen, this means you need to make finer adjustments, and the MT line is not accurate, and you need to adjust this on your own........based upon the FEEDBACK your body is giving you, AND ask yourself how faithful you were on the diet, AND how faithful in training (whether you kept the training schedule (if you didnt, this would effect the caloric equation, no?!), AND how acurate you figured in your activities caloric wise.........but, you have the base information to begin makeing adjustments.
One can not spot reduce. Losing fat is like draining a pool. The shallow end seems to drain before the larger deeper end. One can't choose where to lose fat; it will be lost all over the body.
The Nutrients are an essential factor in the diet; however, the law of energy balance within the DIET, is the ulitmate KING while the Nutrients can play in some decisions made within the body.
Do yourself a favor, figure out your MT line, adjust off of this, eat well balanced spaced out meals (DONT EVER starve YOURSELF), AND listen to your body for the results. While you are trying to figure out your body, IT WILL PAY YOU BACK, I promise. You have to learn to MASTER yourself to become the master of weight loss for YOURSELF.
Best regards as always,
Chillen
Bare in mind this was posted in another thread and to another person on nearly the same topic. I will answer any questions you may have:
As I have always said, in the past, the body will tell you when your are and are not doing things correctly. Same in this case. There is never in my opinion, a bad bodily response when we are talking along these types of details. You body is telling you something, youngman, and its telling you, you are doing the wrong things, and WANTS a change to produce the results you want and/or seek. All you have to do is provide the stimulation.
The ultimate fat burner is the appropriate deficit diet, young man, and optimized and complimented with appropriate training/excercise routine on a regular basis.
A deficit diet, in itself, without any scheduled excercise program can also make one lose weight. What does this tell us? That the DIET is absolutely the Boss and everything encircles the diet, and one will lose tissue, if they are healthy and have no organ issues or other medical conditions that would or could hamper progress.
With this said, I first want to state that not feeding yourself, IS NOT a wise idea, nor the answer to your problem in weight loss. In your specific case, being inconistant instead of consistant is your problem (with what I know thus far).
This is what you need to do:
This an approxomation science, but you can narrow it down very close, if your meticulous in your vision when looking at the data.
Tweak your desire and passion by educating yourself on the basic requirements of losing fat tissue. With your age, sex, hgt, and wgt, in mind, find your approximated base calorie needs (this is organ function, breathing, or bodily function needs).
Armed with this knowledge, next figure in your approximated activity calorie expenditure (training/exercising, etc), and add this on top of the approximated base calorie need. This will give you the approximated maintenance level (or like a approximated break-even point in the caloric equation)
Apply this knowledge by backing off the approximated MT Line (approximated Maintenance line), say for example, a -500c per day, for about 1 week. Before the week begins, weigh yourself in the AM when you FIRST get up (do not eat yet) (remember your clothing, preferably with just underwear and t-shirt or like clothes). Note the time, and the approximated wgt.
Each day spread your caloric content out throughout the day (keep the body fed, with calories in the 300 to 500c approximated calories each meal), or a like division which mirrors your end caloric deficit limit (meaning MT-500c). This way you have your entire day and body encircled with nutrition (I assume you alread know to eat clean), which if your eating right, will give an approximated good energy (not optimal because your in deficit) to fuel your training and exercising schedule.
At the end of the week, on the same day, the same time, with the same like clothes, weigh yourself again. Note whether you lost or gained tissue (or weight I mean). To further assist you, I want to tell you that for every approximated caloric deficit of (-3500c), one could lose 1lb of fat tissue. (though some may not all be fat tissue, this information is for another question, and isnt presently suited here).
Now, in this example you were calculating a -500c per day deficit. There needs to be -3500c to lose approximated 1lbs of fat. Now lets do some basic math. -500cX7=-3500c. With all things considered equal, and you were meticulous and faithful on the diet, you should have been CLOSE to losing at least one pound of tissue in the week.
If this didnt happen, this means you need to make finer adjustments, and the MT line is not accurate, and you need to adjust this on your own........based upon the FEEDBACK your body is giving you, AND ask yourself how faithful you were on the diet, AND how faithful in training (whether you kept the training schedule (if you didnt, this would effect the caloric equation, no?!), AND how acurate you figured in your activities caloric wise.........but, you have the base information to begin makeing adjustments.
One can not spot reduce. Losing fat is like draining a pool. The shallow end seems to drain before the larger deeper end. One can't choose where to lose fat; it will be lost all over the body.
The Nutrients are an essential factor in the diet; however, the law of energy balance within the DIET, is the ulitmate KING while the Nutrients can play in some decisions made within the body.
Do yourself a favor, figure out your MT line, adjust off of this, eat well balanced spaced out meals (DONT EVER starve YOURSELF), AND listen to your body for the results. While you are trying to figure out your body, IT WILL PAY YOU BACK, I promise. You have to learn to MASTER yourself to become the master of weight loss for YOURSELF.
Best regards as always,
Chillen
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I am 5 7 153-155, but an old man of 46
So your reletively close to me in height and wgt.
The aforementioned just gives an idea how to LOSE weight, one just has to flip this information to the other side to GAIN weight.
Being 15YOA, you still growing, and your body has needs beyond an adult.
So take this previous post as a stimulant of sorts (research the benedict formula)
The BMI can be inaccurate because it doesnt take into account frame size and muscle to fat ratio.
For your wgt, age, and present condition, I would focus more on increasing muscle and eating well, and not to go into a deficit, and I say this assuming you do not carry too much fat at 5 7 160---correct?
Eat several meals through the day (like for example: 5 to 6 small meals if you can), this will keep your body primed with fuel and nutrients all day. Eating good Protein, complex carbs, and good fats (this includes veggies of course). And you can mix in simple sugars like in fruit.
Add in a REGULAR training program during the week. Allow time for recuperation.
Do you have any medical conditions?
I have generalized this alot, but you should get the idea.
So your reletively close to me in height and wgt.
The aforementioned just gives an idea how to LOSE weight, one just has to flip this information to the other side to GAIN weight.
Being 15YOA, you still growing, and your body has needs beyond an adult.
So take this previous post as a stimulant of sorts (research the benedict formula)
The BMI can be inaccurate because it doesnt take into account frame size and muscle to fat ratio.
For your wgt, age, and present condition, I would focus more on increasing muscle and eating well, and not to go into a deficit, and I say this assuming you do not carry too much fat at 5 7 160---correct?
Eat several meals through the day (like for example: 5 to 6 small meals if you can), this will keep your body primed with fuel and nutrients all day. Eating good Protein, complex carbs, and good fats (this includes veggies of course). And you can mix in simple sugars like in fruit.
Add in a REGULAR training program during the week. Allow time for recuperation.
Do you have any medical conditions?
I have generalized this alot, but you should get the idea.
Last edited:
No i dont, im very thick, and like i said if theres any section i would like to work on it would be my abdomonal section. And no i dont have any medical conditions.
This is what you need to do:
1. Get the diet right
2. Have a training schedule each week (that involves full body)
As far as ab or torso training:
1. Squats: this exercise incorporates the torso indirectly, besides the obvious benefit of leg work, it does give the torso a good indirect workout
2. Keep the reps for the abs and torso at 25 or below, and add weight if necessary (the torso and abs are a high endurance muscle, but you dont want to to 100 reps, this is rediculous)
Start out with no weight until you reach the first set of 25 reps. IF on the first set you reach 25R, then add a 2 1/2 lb plate (as an example) on the second set, and then continue, and then do a 3rd. Be progressive. Each time the FIRST set hits 25, add weight.
Types of excercises: Crunch, Reverse crunch. Hanging leg raises, Leg lifts are a few starting examples. Pick one, AND do 3 sets. At the begining I suggest just one exercise of 3 sets, and as you progress you can add in another--just for simplicity sake.
I include weighted half-up sit ups (about 30 degrees up or thereabouts--some dont like these because it involves the hip flexors, but I get good strength volume from it, so see if works for you.
Schedule this about 3 times a week, and treat it as any other muscle. Allow rest time: this example gives about 4 days in one week.
But remember, doing these exercises isnt the the key in getting the abs to show, its the diet that does this. The exercises will strengthen the area no doubt, but place the diet above these exercises. Be PROGRESSIVE in the ab area as you are in your other training.
Brief synopsis only.
Chillen
1. Get the diet right
2. Have a training schedule each week (that involves full body)
As far as ab or torso training:
1. Squats: this exercise incorporates the torso indirectly, besides the obvious benefit of leg work, it does give the torso a good indirect workout
2. Keep the reps for the abs and torso at 25 or below, and add weight if necessary (the torso and abs are a high endurance muscle, but you dont want to to 100 reps, this is rediculous)
Start out with no weight until you reach the first set of 25 reps. IF on the first set you reach 25R, then add a 2 1/2 lb plate (as an example) on the second set, and then continue, and then do a 3rd. Be progressive. Each time the FIRST set hits 25, add weight.
Types of excercises: Crunch, Reverse crunch. Hanging leg raises, Leg lifts are a few starting examples. Pick one, AND do 3 sets. At the begining I suggest just one exercise of 3 sets, and as you progress you can add in another--just for simplicity sake.
I include weighted half-up sit ups (about 30 degrees up or thereabouts--some dont like these because it involves the hip flexors, but I get good strength volume from it, so see if works for you.
Schedule this about 3 times a week, and treat it as any other muscle. Allow rest time: this example gives about 4 days in one week.
But remember, doing these exercises isnt the the key in getting the abs to show, its the diet that does this. The exercises will strengthen the area no doubt, but place the diet above these exercises. Be PROGRESSIVE in the ab area as you are in your other training.
Brief synopsis only.
Chillen
Last edited:
The metabolism is a complicated subject matter. I advised 5 to 6 meals aday soley on stoking the nutritional factor throughout the day. However, this frequency in meal eating, has not been proven through reputatable research to increase the metabolism---but you may find individuals that say it does. However, exercise will increase it along with some diet factors and diet manipulations (level of calories sustained in duration, versus an increase for an extended time, and so on and so forth)
A short article on basic metabolism:
KidsHealth > Parents > General Health > Body Basics > Metabolism
Every time you swallow a bite of sandwich or slurp a smoothie, your body works hard to process the nutrients you've eaten. Long after the dishes are cleared and the food is digested, the nutrients you've taken in become the building blocks and fuel needed by your body. Your body gets the energy it needs from food through a process called metabolism.
What Is Metabolism and What Does It Do?
Metabolism (pronounced: muh-tah-buh-lih-zum) is a collection of chemical reactions that takes place in the body's cells to convert the fuel in the food we eat into the energy needed to power everything we do, from moving to thinking to growing. Specific proteins in the body control the chemical reactions of metabolism, and each chemical reaction is coordinated with other body functions. In fact, thousands of metabolic reactions happen at the same time - all regulated by the body - to keep our cells healthy and working.
Metabolism is a constant process that begins when we're conceived and ends when we die. It is a vital process for all life forms - not just humans. If metabolism stops, a living thing dies.
Here's an example of how the process of metabolism works in humans - and it begins with plants: First, a green plant takes in energy from sunlight. The plant uses this energy and a molecule called cholorophyll (which gives plants their green color) to build sugars from water and carbon dioxide. This process is called photosynthesis, and you probably learned about it in biology class.
When people and animals eat the plants (or, if they're carnivores, when they eat animals that have eaten the plants), they take in this energy (in the form of sugar), along with other vital cell-building chemicals. The body's next step is to break the sugar down so that the energy released can be distributed to, and used as fuel by, the body's cells.
After food is eaten, molecules in the digestive system called enzymes break proteins down into amino acids, fats into fatty acids, and carbohydrates into simple sugars (e.g., glucose). In addition to sugar, both amino acids and fatty acids can be used as energy sources by the body when needed. These compounds are absorbed into the blood, which transports them to the cells. After they enter the cells, other enzymes act to speed up or regulate the chemical reactions involved with "metabolizing" these compounds. During these processes, the energy from these compounds can be released for use by the body or stored in body tissues, especially the liver, muscles, and body fat.
In this way, the process of metabolism is really a balancing act involving two kinds of activities that go on at the same time - the building up of body tissues and energy stores and the breaking down of body tissues and energy stores to generate more fuel for body functions.
Anabolism (pronounced: uh-nah-buh-lih-zum), or constructive metabolism, is all about building and storing: It supports the growth of new cells, the maintenance of body tissues, and the storage of energy for use in the future. During anabolism, small molecules are changed into larger, more complex molecules of carbohydrate, protein, and fat.
Catabolism (pronounced: kuh-tah-buh-lih-zum), or destructive metabolism, is the process that produces the energy required for all activity in the cells. In this process, cells break down large molecules (mostly carbohydrates and fats) to release energy. This energy release provides fuel for anabolism, heats the body, and enables the muscles to contract and the body to move. As complex chemical units are broken down into more simple substances, the waste products released in the process of catabolism are removed from the body through the skin, kidneys, lungs, and intestines.
Several of the hormones of the endocrine system are involved in controlling the rate and direction of metabolism. Thyroxine (pronounced: thigh-rahk-sun), a hormone produced and released by the thyroid (pronounced: thigh-royd) gland, plays a key role in determining how fast or slow the chemical reactions of metabolism proceed in a person's body.
Another gland, the pancreas (pronounced: pan-kree-us) secretes (gives off) hormones that help determine whether the body's main metabolic activity at a particular time will be anabolic or catabolic. For example, after eating a meal, usually more anabolic activity occurs because eating increases the level of glucose - the body's most important fuel - in the blood. The pancreas senses this increased level of glucose and releases the hormone insulin (pronounced: in-suh-lin), which signals cells to increase their anabolic activities.
Metabolism is a complicated chemical process, so it's not surprising that many people think of it in its simplest sense: as something that influences how easily our bodies gain or lose weight. That's where calories come in. A calorie is a unit that measures how much energy a particular food provides to the body. A chocolate bar has more calories than an apple, so it provides the body with more energy - and sometimes that can be too much of a good thing. Just as a car stores gas in the gas tank until it is needed to fuel the engine, the body stores calories - primarily as fat. If you overfill a car's gas tank, it spills over onto the pavement. Likewise, if a person eats too many calories, they "spill over" in the form of excess fat on the body.
The number of calories a person burns in a day is affected by how much that person exercises, the amount of fat and muscle in his or her body, and the person's basal metabolic rate. The basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is a measure of the rate at which a person's body "burns" energy, in the form of calories, while at rest. The BMR can play a role in a person's tendency to gain weight. For example, a person with a low BMR (who therefore burns fewer calories while at rest or sleeping) will tend to gain more pounds of body fat over time, compared with a similar-sized person with an average BMR who eats the same amount of food and gets the same amount of exercise.
What factors influence a person's BMR? To a certain extent, a person's basal metabolic rate is inherited - passed on through the genes a person gets from his or her parents. Sometimes health problems can affect a person's BMR (see below). But people can actually change their BMR in certain ways. For example, exercising more will not only cause a person to burn more calories directly from the extra activity itself, but becoming more physically fit will increase BMR as well. BMR is also influenced by body composition - people with more muscle and less fat generally have higher BMRs.
KidsHealth > Parents > General Health > Body Basics > Metabolism
Every time you swallow a bite of sandwich or slurp a smoothie, your body works hard to process the nutrients you've eaten. Long after the dishes are cleared and the food is digested, the nutrients you've taken in become the building blocks and fuel needed by your body. Your body gets the energy it needs from food through a process called metabolism.
What Is Metabolism and What Does It Do?
Metabolism (pronounced: muh-tah-buh-lih-zum) is a collection of chemical reactions that takes place in the body's cells to convert the fuel in the food we eat into the energy needed to power everything we do, from moving to thinking to growing. Specific proteins in the body control the chemical reactions of metabolism, and each chemical reaction is coordinated with other body functions. In fact, thousands of metabolic reactions happen at the same time - all regulated by the body - to keep our cells healthy and working.
Metabolism is a constant process that begins when we're conceived and ends when we die. It is a vital process for all life forms - not just humans. If metabolism stops, a living thing dies.
Here's an example of how the process of metabolism works in humans - and it begins with plants: First, a green plant takes in energy from sunlight. The plant uses this energy and a molecule called cholorophyll (which gives plants their green color) to build sugars from water and carbon dioxide. This process is called photosynthesis, and you probably learned about it in biology class.
When people and animals eat the plants (or, if they're carnivores, when they eat animals that have eaten the plants), they take in this energy (in the form of sugar), along with other vital cell-building chemicals. The body's next step is to break the sugar down so that the energy released can be distributed to, and used as fuel by, the body's cells.
After food is eaten, molecules in the digestive system called enzymes break proteins down into amino acids, fats into fatty acids, and carbohydrates into simple sugars (e.g., glucose). In addition to sugar, both amino acids and fatty acids can be used as energy sources by the body when needed. These compounds are absorbed into the blood, which transports them to the cells. After they enter the cells, other enzymes act to speed up or regulate the chemical reactions involved with "metabolizing" these compounds. During these processes, the energy from these compounds can be released for use by the body or stored in body tissues, especially the liver, muscles, and body fat.
In this way, the process of metabolism is really a balancing act involving two kinds of activities that go on at the same time - the building up of body tissues and energy stores and the breaking down of body tissues and energy stores to generate more fuel for body functions.
Anabolism (pronounced: uh-nah-buh-lih-zum), or constructive metabolism, is all about building and storing: It supports the growth of new cells, the maintenance of body tissues, and the storage of energy for use in the future. During anabolism, small molecules are changed into larger, more complex molecules of carbohydrate, protein, and fat.
Catabolism (pronounced: kuh-tah-buh-lih-zum), or destructive metabolism, is the process that produces the energy required for all activity in the cells. In this process, cells break down large molecules (mostly carbohydrates and fats) to release energy. This energy release provides fuel for anabolism, heats the body, and enables the muscles to contract and the body to move. As complex chemical units are broken down into more simple substances, the waste products released in the process of catabolism are removed from the body through the skin, kidneys, lungs, and intestines.
Several of the hormones of the endocrine system are involved in controlling the rate and direction of metabolism. Thyroxine (pronounced: thigh-rahk-sun), a hormone produced and released by the thyroid (pronounced: thigh-royd) gland, plays a key role in determining how fast or slow the chemical reactions of metabolism proceed in a person's body.
Another gland, the pancreas (pronounced: pan-kree-us) secretes (gives off) hormones that help determine whether the body's main metabolic activity at a particular time will be anabolic or catabolic. For example, after eating a meal, usually more anabolic activity occurs because eating increases the level of glucose - the body's most important fuel - in the blood. The pancreas senses this increased level of glucose and releases the hormone insulin (pronounced: in-suh-lin), which signals cells to increase their anabolic activities.
Metabolism is a complicated chemical process, so it's not surprising that many people think of it in its simplest sense: as something that influences how easily our bodies gain or lose weight. That's where calories come in. A calorie is a unit that measures how much energy a particular food provides to the body. A chocolate bar has more calories than an apple, so it provides the body with more energy - and sometimes that can be too much of a good thing. Just as a car stores gas in the gas tank until it is needed to fuel the engine, the body stores calories - primarily as fat. If you overfill a car's gas tank, it spills over onto the pavement. Likewise, if a person eats too many calories, they "spill over" in the form of excess fat on the body.
The number of calories a person burns in a day is affected by how much that person exercises, the amount of fat and muscle in his or her body, and the person's basal metabolic rate. The basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is a measure of the rate at which a person's body "burns" energy, in the form of calories, while at rest. The BMR can play a role in a person's tendency to gain weight. For example, a person with a low BMR (who therefore burns fewer calories while at rest or sleeping) will tend to gain more pounds of body fat over time, compared with a similar-sized person with an average BMR who eats the same amount of food and gets the same amount of exercise.
What factors influence a person's BMR? To a certain extent, a person's basal metabolic rate is inherited - passed on through the genes a person gets from his or her parents. Sometimes health problems can affect a person's BMR (see below). But people can actually change their BMR in certain ways. For example, exercising more will not only cause a person to burn more calories directly from the extra activity itself, but becoming more physically fit will increase BMR as well. BMR is also influenced by body composition - people with more muscle and less fat generally have higher BMRs.
There are only a couple of ways to INCREASE your metabolism.
When people talk about " metabolism ', what they most often are referring to is calorie burning - how many are burned and how they are burned. So, someone who has a high metabolic rate burns a lot, someone who has a low one, doesn't, they will burn less. The metabolic rate is usually associated with how many calories you need per day just to maintain your current weight - it is also sometimes called your ' maintenance calorie level '. For example, a person's maintenance calorie level or metabolic rate might be 2,000 calories a day.
To answer the question on how to INCREASE your metabolism ( metabolic rate / maintenance calorie level ) - for example, at 2,000 calories a day - you have first understand that your metabolism is the sum total of various things I call ' drivers ' of metabolism. This is as example ( btw - the numbers below are not meant to reflect proper proportions, they're just there to illustrate a point ) of how someone's metabolism / maintenance calorie level of 2,000 calories a day might be represented..
1. BMR ( Basal Metabolic Rate )
Calories you need just to exist to keep you breathing, your heart pumping etc. - think coma. Not easy to measure but BMR is key because it can make up about 2/3 of the total calories you need. It not only varies as a function of your size, sex, and age ( and a bunch of others ) but it's also affected by the amount of muscle mass you have - the more muscle, the more calories burned.
2. RMR ( Resting Metabolic Rate )
Calories you need just to exist to keep you in a state of rest / relaxation - think laying a bed reading a book. It's easier to measure and is usually represented by your BMR with just a few more calories added to get to your RMR.
3. Digestion
The process of digesting your food requires your body to use energy ( calories ) - the more you eat, the more energy required.
4. Daily Activities
Stuff like showering in the morning, making breakfast, doing househould chores, getting to and from work, doing stuff at work and running errands etc. etc.
5. Exercise
Self explanatory - your use calories to do an exercise - i.e you burn calories going for a brisk fitness walk, or riding a bike, jogging, working out with weights etc. It's the energy used / calories burned doing the exercise itself...i.e during exercise
6. After Exercise ' Burn '
After any exercise in which you use up energy, your muscles need to re-fuel with energy. So, it's the process itself of re-fueling your muscles that actually uses up energy. The process of re-fueling actually ' burns ' calories after your exercise and this ' burning ' can continue to do so for hours after you exercise.
Calories you need just to exist to keep you breathing, your heart pumping etc. - think coma. Not easy to measure but BMR is key because it can make up about 2/3 of the total calories you need. It not only varies as a function of your size, sex, and age ( and a bunch of others ) but it's also affected by the amount of muscle mass you have - the more muscle, the more calories burned.
2. RMR ( Resting Metabolic Rate )
Calories you need just to exist to keep you in a state of rest / relaxation - think laying a bed reading a book. It's easier to measure and is usually represented by your BMR with just a few more calories added to get to your RMR.
3. Digestion
The process of digesting your food requires your body to use energy ( calories ) - the more you eat, the more energy required.
4. Daily Activities
Stuff like showering in the morning, making breakfast, doing househould chores, getting to and from work, doing stuff at work and running errands etc. etc.
5. Exercise
Self explanatory - your use calories to do an exercise - i.e you burn calories going for a brisk fitness walk, or riding a bike, jogging, working out with weights etc. It's the energy used / calories burned doing the exercise itself...i.e during exercise
6. After Exercise ' Burn '
After any exercise in which you use up energy, your muscles need to re-fuel with energy. So, it's the process itself of re-fueling your muscles that actually uses up energy. The process of re-fueling actually ' burns ' calories after your exercise and this ' burning ' can continue to do so for hours after you exercise.
So, an example of someone who doesn't exercise and has a 2,000 maintenance calorie level might look like this...
1. BMR...................................1,300
2. RMR ( bump ) ........................200
3. Digestion ( 3 meals a day ) ......200
4. Daily Activities.......................300
5.a Cardio Exercise....................... 0
5.b.Resistance Exercise..................0
6. After Exercise ' Burn '.................0
Total :...................................2,000
2. RMR ( bump ) ........................200
3. Digestion ( 3 meals a day ) ......200
4. Daily Activities.......................300
5.a Cardio Exercise....................... 0
5.b.Resistance Exercise..................0
6. After Exercise ' Burn '.................0
Total :...................................2,000
So, your metabolism is 2,000 calories. Getting back to the simple math, if you eat 2,000 calories of food, since you only need 2,000 calories as your maintenance calorie level, your weight won't go up or go down.
The basic formula is; 2,000 calories required ( maintenance calorie level ) less 2,000 calories consumed = no change in weight.
How can you measure your metabolic rates ?
Here is a link explaining how to approximate your maintenance calorie level..
Actual ways to increase that rate ?
You want to change as many of the variables - 1 thru 6 above - as you can. Here are a couple of the " opitmal " ways to go about it .......
1. Do some cardio exercise:
- good for your heart
- it burns calories to do it
- it burns calories after you do it ( after ' burn ' )
- it burns calories to do it
- it burns calories after you do it ( after ' burn ' )
2. Do some resistance exercise:
- it burns calories to do it
- it curns calories after you do it ( after ' burn ' )
- it can boost your BMR ( adding muscle mass )
- it curns calories after you do it ( after ' burn ' )
- it can boost your BMR ( adding muscle mass )
3. Eat more:
- assuming you do 1 & 2 above, you can now eat more - bumping digestion metabolism
4. More more active overall:
- take stairs instead of elevators, walk instead of driving, little stuff like that
Let's say you do this for a few months or a year, now look at what happens to the table above ( see the changes ) ..
1. BMR...................................1,400
2. RMR ( bump ) ........................200
3. Digestion ( 3 meals a day ) ......300
4. Daily Activities.......................400
5.a Cardio Exercise.....................300
5.b.Resistance Exercise...............200
6. After Exercise ' Burn '..............200
Total :...................................3,000
2. RMR ( bump ) ........................200
3. Digestion ( 3 meals a day ) ......300
4. Daily Activities.......................400
5.a Cardio Exercise.....................300
5.b.Resistance Exercise...............200
6. After Exercise ' Burn '..............200
Total :...................................3,000
Now, the basic formula is; 3,000 calories required ( maintenance calorie level ) less 2,000 calories consumed ( forget about the extra food for now ) = drop in weight. The beauty of this is, you can actually now eat more food. For example, you could now actually eat more as in something like 2,500 calories vs 2,000 calories a day and still be in a more modest calorie deficit that will still cause you to safely ( safe = fat , not muscle ) lose weight without lowering your BMR.
Requiring 3,000 calories and consuming 2,500 calories ( about a 17% drop ) is much better approach IMO than sticking with the 2,000 calories ( about a 33% drop ) because then you run the risk of making up for needed 1,000 calorie deficit by using nutrients your body needs to maintain muscle. If this happens, you start to lose muscle mass which in turn lowers your BMR. And in doing so ( given BMR accounts for so many of your overall calorie needs ) you end up lowering your overall metabolism.
Hope this helps.
Eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day is crucial to your metabolism because eating does elevate your metabolism because of the energy required to break down food. This phenomenon is called the "thermal response to feeding." Eating more meals throughout the day will keep your metabolism elevated and will give you energy to exercise and help to focus at work or school.
You'll also want to avoid not eating, like skipping meals. This is actually detrimental to your metabolism, contrary to what some people may tell you. You will lose muscle tissue b/c your body will go into the easiest energy cycle to get glucose, which will come from your muscle. Eat enough carbs (about 60% of your total diet) which include, whole-grain breads, whole-grain rice, fruits, vegetables, etc. The remaining 40% of your diet needs to be protein (about 15-20%) and fat (the remaining percentage). Your protein intake needs to be in the higher end of the percentage because of the demands of your workout. Some good advice is listed here, .
As far as fat goes, you need to look for the healthy fats, like sunflower oil, peanut oil, canola oil, etc. Good sources of both protein and healthy fats are nuts, like peanuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower kernels, and peanut butter. Just remember you need a low fat diet that has enough carbs and protein to power your workout.
You'll also want to avoid not eating, like skipping meals. This is actually detrimental to your metabolism, contrary to what some people may tell you. You will lose muscle tissue b/c your body will go into the easiest energy cycle to get glucose, which will come from your muscle. Eat enough carbs (about 60% of your total diet) which include, whole-grain breads, whole-grain rice, fruits, vegetables, etc. The remaining 40% of your diet needs to be protein (about 15-20%) and fat (the remaining percentage). Your protein intake needs to be in the higher end of the percentage because of the demands of your workout. Some good advice is listed here, .
As far as fat goes, you need to look for the healthy fats, like sunflower oil, peanut oil, canola oil, etc. Good sources of both protein and healthy fats are nuts, like peanuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower kernels, and peanut butter. Just remember you need a low fat diet that has enough carbs and protein to power your workout.
An article that that tends to say meal frequency DOES NOT tend to increase Metabolism. And, I stress "frequency" not manipulation of caloric content totals.
Its seems Meal frequency is not the stimulation as much as Caloric content totals and exercise are. Metabolism is a complicated subject matter, and the OP needs simplicity.
Its seems Meal frequency is not the stimulation as much as Caloric content totals and exercise are. Metabolism is a complicated subject matter, and the OP needs simplicity.
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I agree, I think that eating more frequently makes your body less likely to want to store fat but it doesn't actually speed up your metabolism.
In other words, eating frequently will effect your body composition more than weight. The total number of calories is still the decider with weight gain/loss
That research is pretty good, and I admit that metabolism is an extremely complicated issue. I hadn't seen that research before and back in undergrad, my exercise physiology professor strongly sided with the thermal effect of feeding theory.
The research was good, but it still has limitations...pretty much like all research. I still side with eating more meals, maybe not because of the elevated metabolism side, but with what we've all discussed as far as providing fuel throughout the day. Exercise is more my strong-suit than diet, but we had to have classes about nutrition.
Eating more meals may not increase metabolism significantly, but it's better than eating 3 meals because of what we've all posted before.
Thanks Chillen
The research was good, but it still has limitations...pretty much like all research. I still side with eating more meals, maybe not because of the elevated metabolism side, but with what we've all discussed as far as providing fuel throughout the day. Exercise is more my strong-suit than diet, but we had to have classes about nutrition.
Eating more meals may not increase metabolism significantly, but it's better than eating 3 meals because of what we've all posted before.
Thanks Chillen