How to Manipulate Your Metabolism for Weight/Fat Loss (Part 1)

Hi Team. Is that the longest title for a post… ever? Somehow I just couldn’t make it any shorter. Oh well. Let’s get on with it….

Here’s a few comments you might have heard over the years:

• “(heavy sigh)…. If only I had her metabolism.” 
• “Oh, it’s all right for you; with your metabolism you can eat whatever you like.”
• “I only have to look at food and I get fat.”
• “I just walk past a doughnut and my arse gets bigger.”

Here are some basics about metabolism:

• We all have one.
• They’re all different.
• Some are faster and some slower (burn more or less energy at rest).
• Our metabolic rate can (and will) vary throughout the day.
• We can manipulate it.
• It typically slows as we age (although it doesn’t need to).
• It plays a significant role in body-fat levels.

Metabolism (n): The chemical processes occurring within a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. In metabolism some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes while other substances, necessary for life, are synthesized.

Okay, so the dictionary definition may be a little confusing if you don’t have a science background. To make things a little less complex for today’s lesson, I’ll give you the Craig Harper version…

When we talk about metabolism from a weight/fat-loss perspective, we are generally referring to the rate at which our body metabolises (uses, burns) calories. For this discussion, keep in mind that a calorie is a measure of energy. Also keep in mind that any calories (energy) that we put in our mouth will be used for either normal bodily functions (energy to do what we do, recovery, repair, growth), expelled as waste (sorry) or stored on your arse. Or perhaps legs. Or stomach. In fact, wherever your body chooses to deposit it.

Sigh.

It’s true that the majority of us simply give our body more food (calories, energy) than it requires. If not always, then on a pretty regular basis. In our fast-food, instant-gratification culture we have a propensity to confuse what our mind wants – and what makes us feel good (momentarily) – with what our body needs. Some of you might want to re-read that last sentence. No offence (intended). The by-product of this behaviour is rampant obesity. Take a look around. A faster metabolism means that we will expend more energy (burn more calories) at rest, which means it’s easier for us to drop body-fat and create a leaner, meaner version of… us. Of course, it’s also a lot easier to be lean if we simply don’t consume those excess calories in the first place. There’s an idea.

So exactly how many extra calories does it take to ‘build’ a kilo (2.2 lbs) of body-fat? Good question. The answer? Not many.

It takes a mere 3,500 excess (more than we need) calories to result in one pound of additional wobbly stuff on your body. Or a lazy 7,700 calories to add an extra kilo (2.2lbs) to those love handles. Five hundred excess calories each day for one week (say, one choc muffin per day) will result in an extra pound (just under half a kilo) of brand new body-fat. Yippee! Not. Of course the resultant excess fat is simply your body’s way of storing calories it doesn’t need. Bodies are clever, aren’t they? If only our minds were as smart. As long as we choose to eat more than we need (and most of us do), our body has no choice but to store those un-needed calories in the form of body-fat. For most people (the vast majority), obesity is the result of choices – not situations, circumstances or genetics. As I say in my seminars: for the most part, our weight problem is not the result our genetics (as such) but rather, our genetic management (what we do with what we’ve been given). Sure genetics are a factor, but decisions (and subsequent behaviours) are the determinant.

What We’re Born With

Just like we’re all born with different fingerprints, so too do we all have our own unique metabolism. No two bodies work (react, adapt, heal, grow) in exactly the same way, so it’s only reasonable and logical that our individual bodies digest and metabolise food in a way that’s unique to us. Note that I’m not talking about how human bodies digest and metabolise food in a general sense here (that is, the actual biological process), no, I’m talking about the impact that food has on us individually. We will often see two people consuming exactly the same diet only to produce very different outcomes (even when the other variables are the same). And not only does metabolism vary from person to person but we can actually see (create) significant metabolic variation even with the same person – which is why I’m writing this article.

Next time we’ll look at ten (or so) effective ways to manipulate our metabolism for a leaner body. And yes, they work.

See you then.

What do you mean, you don’t want to wait?

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