|
Metabolic Rate and Weight Control
Metabolic rate plays a major role in nutrition and dieting. A basic
understanding of the relationship between metabolic rate and weight loss can
help with effective dieting.
Why metabolic rate matters
The metabolic rate is the rate at which our body burns fuel in order to keep
us alive. The body’s energy comes from the burning of this fuel, so a person
with a low metabolic rate typically has lower energy needs. Energy needs
vary according to several factors, including
age, gender,
genetics, health
status, and climate. People who live in cold climates, for example, need
more energy to survive than do people in warm climates.
Extreme dieting can lower the metabolic rate up to 45%. With a
suppressed
metabolic rate the body burns less fuel. So, while you may lose lots of
weight from a very low calorie diet in the beginning stages, you will not be
able to maintain the weight loss because your body’s metabolic rate has
slowed down during dieting. This is often the reason why we cannot lose
weight consistently over the whole course of a weight loss program.
Remember, with a slower metabolic rate the body burns calories (that is,
fuel) at a slower rate, and that makes it harder to keep weight off.
Are You Burning Up Muscle Before Fat?
It may seem illogical, but the fact is you can’t lose weight and keep
it off if you don’t eat enough. If the body doesn’t get enough
energy from food, it goes into starvation mode and turns inward for the fuel
it needs to survive. Since the body has a habit of storing fat to protect
against future famine, it prefers to burn fat only as a last resort.
Therefore, the body will burn its own muscle mass to get the fuel it needs
before it burns stored fat. So, by not eating enough, the body loses muscle,
not fat. And to fuel the confusion, MUSCLE LOSS EQUALS WATER LOSS, which
ends in fluid loss from the body and we are fooled into believing we’ve lost
lots of weight!
Extreme dieting is always a lose-lose situation: not only is it bad for your
body, it makes it almost impossible to lose weight and keep the weight off
over the course of time.
The Solution
is to consume YOUR ideal calorie requirements in order to feed all your lean
muscle weight, yet still remain in a negative
energy balance so the cells
are FORCED to tap into your fat storage to make up the calorie deficit. This
means you’re burning off fat EVERYTIME you exercise, but also helping to
work with your body in maintaining an effective metabolism for further
weight loss results for the duration of your program.
In doing it this way, you’re making sure you get the most out of every
exercise you do. If you do not want to
exercise too much to lose
weight, then this way cuts out the need for tons of exercise because
you’re LESS LIKELY to ruin a workout by re-storing the fat you burned off
after the exercise at a time when your metabolism has been reduced!
Look, let’s be honest here, you’re not going to lose tons of fat without
some form of activity or exercise. So, surely you’ll want to burn off the
maximum amount of fat every time you workout, right?
Well, feeding the muscle with the correct calorie intake, as well as simple,
effective macronutrient combinations at each meal is the best way to ensure
a red-hot metabolism during the course of your fat loss. Remember, you want
to burn the fat, but feed the muscle at the same time!
Knowing the exact macronutrient combinations along with the amount of
energy
needed to remain in a negative calorie balance is a specialized technique.
Everyone requires something slightly different to suit their individual
needs. It will require your own input to work out what would work best for
each person. I highly recommend the NEW edition of
Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle
illustrates the simplest way to calculate these figures, and shows the right
kind of foods to include for effective maintenance of your metabolism.
Click here for more details!
How Do we Metabolize Stored Fat?
Changes to Metabolism when weight changes
How Does Body's Metabolic Rate Work?
Metabolic Rate Slows Down after Weight Loss
A Faster Metabolic Rate Will Boost Fat Loss
Results
Is a slow metabolism Causing me to
Gain More Weight?
Not Much Exercise But Still Raise Metabolism
Help Raise metabolism Rate By
Increasing Mitochondria in Muscle Cells
Why
Should we Be Eating 5 Portions Vegetables Daily?
Is Your Low-Fat Diet Program Not working?
Hot
Spices for an Increased Metabolism Rate
Many More Fat Burning
Questions Here
|
