Metabolism (secret part II)

       

 “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act"                

                                                                                           ~George Orwell  

By the looks of our advertising, most Americans seem to have a low metabolism and be extremely exhausted. Red bull, Monster drinks, and Five Hour Energy all purport to have a solution for this immense problem. Is it possible that these drinks are capable of everything that is proposed?

How do they work?  

“Energy drinks like the ones mentioned above, work by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system SNS (which is our fight or flight response… “the preparation to flee”) The SNS accelerates heart rate… widen bronchial passages… decrease motility (movement) of the large intestine… constrict blood vessels… increase peristalsis in the esophagus… cause pupillary dilation… piloerection (goose bumps) and perspiration (sweating)… and raise blood pressure.

The problem for a dieter that is consuming these drinks is where the fuel comes from. When the SNS is stimulated, glucose is injected into the blood stream. The dieter’s calories (especially low-carb, juicing type people) are low so the body has to create glucose from a non-glucose substance (Protein…aka muscle). This process is called gluconeogenesis.   

Priming the body with these “metabolic stimulants” actually stimulate the body to consume itself (muscle) during our workouts. These stimulants increase our metabolism during our workouts…but ends up lowering our resting metabolic rate for the rest of the day.

(Resting Metabolic Rate… “RMR” accounts for 60 to 80% of your daily total caloric expenditure)  

So what is our metabolism?

Your metabolism includes all chemical reaction occurring in the body which sustains vital functions and the productions of energy. Your body produces energy constantly, but how? Energy is production mainly through the breakdown of macronutrients such as carbohydrates and fats. Once your body produces energy, it then distributes the energy throughout your body to be expended and to perform vital functions.  

Your total energy expenditure is comprised of three major components:

~ The Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) – TEF is the energy used for digesting, absorbing, and assimilating food nutrients and accounts for about 10 percent of total energy expenditure. It also plays a small role in total body metabolism. (Eat a 300 calorie meal…burn 30 calories in the digestion of that meal)

~ The Thermic Effect of Physical Activity (TEPA) - a key factor affecting metabolism. TEPA may account of 15 to 30 percent of total caloric expenditure. It is generated through physical activity and occupational and lifestyle activities.

~ Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) – RMR accounts for 60 to 80 percent of daily energy expenditure. It is the “at rest” energy required to maintain the body’s daily functions. RMR varies greatly from individual to individual. The various factors that influence RMR include the amount of fat-free mass, amount of fat mass, level of physical activity, caloric intake, age, gender, and to a lesser degree, genetics.

The good news is you can affect your RMR, because it is greatly affected by the amount of fat-free mass in the body. The combination of endurance and strength training activities will certainly change you your body composition, and in turn, change your fat-free body mass. For example, endurance activities (i.e. running, walking, swimming) when performed for at least 30 minutes or longer (3 to 5 times per week) will enhance the body’s ability to utilize more fat for energy production. In addition, strength training activities enhance the body’s ability to build more muscle. In the long run, RMR will increase, elevating your body’s total daily energy expenditure.

But you have to be careful. Your RMR can slow down as well. Since RMR is greatly affected by the amount of fat-free mass in the body, a decrease in lean tissue will affect metabolism. For example, lack of physical activity will lead to decrease in overall muscle mass and decline in RMR. Also, individuals who engage in juicing (toxin diets…if it were only so easy) or low calorie diets… followed by rapid weight loss will cause the body to go into “starvation mode”. The body will slow down its metabolism in order to conserve energy. Lack of physical activity, a decrease in total body mass “starvation mode” (i.e. loss of muscle mass), and low caloric food intake will all cause RMR to decline. 

When setting a weight loss goal, an important element that is too often left out is having your RMR tested.  You can find your RMR by having your body fat measured. By accurately measuring your body fat, you can estimate total caloric expenditure per day, establish desirable goals for weight loss (or gain), and optimize total caloric expenditure.

To conclude:

In the long run you are only as good as your RMR. Muscle is the key to our metabolism. Any product or program that entices you by promising a “speedy metabolism” or “removing toxins” is a program that is designed to fail you from the beginning.

There is no magic pill/drink or program to help in our efforts to lose weight. There is only science and application. Good nutrition and moderate activity will always be the key to weight control.