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Keeping your metabolism from tanking.

Replies

  • trixsterjl31
    trixsterjl31 Posts: 55 Member
    1. Eat enough calories. (if you got too low you will actually lose the same amount as if you ate more because of slowing of the metabolic rate).
    2. Eat Protein. .5 Grams per lb of body weight daily.
    3. Move your feet as much as possible. Clean while watching tv. walk up and down the stairs a few times an hour...
    4. Sleep my friend. If you are constantly getting less than your 8 hours sleep make up for it with a long sleep once in a while when you can.
    5. Get rid of the sugar in your drinks.
    6. Lift weights 3 days a week for 15 mins. You dont have to bulk up but str training increases metabolism especially when combined with 2.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,086 Member
    You won’t tank your metabolism..
    A couple of those points are “interesting “
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,122 Member
    edited September 18
    "Tanking" is a popular buzz word to attract attention. Everything we do in life has an effect on our metabolism and some negatively.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,731 Member
    If you take a slow and steady approach, with periodic refeeds and diet breaks, and keep your protein high and lift weights, you should be fine. You'll lose mostly fat, retain most of your muscle, and your metabolism will remain fine.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,537 Member
    Disclaimer - I’m probably over-sensitive to marketing claims about metabolism, as I had an endocrine cancer which has *kitten* up various functions in my body.

    Metabolism only varies a little. If it’s really wrong - trust me, you’ll know. You won’t be able to function, you’ll feel like death (either over or under functioning) and it’s a serious medical issue. Like - deathly serious.

    You can certainly burn a few more calories by building muscle, by increasing NEAT, and eating well is helpful. But trust me - having an actual fast metabolism is horrendous and not something I wish on my worst enemy. Think being on speed whilst having a panic attack - permanently. Similarly a slow metabolism needs medical attention fast.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 33,629 Member
    There's some truth in the article, but mostly it's majoring in the minors, other than the theoretical potential of the "increase movement" stuff (where there are pitfalls they don't mention, BTW).

    For one, what they're not telling us is that generally when they say "improves metabolism by XX%", the improvement percent isn't a percent of BMR, it's a percent of something much smaller.

    For example, the statement that "eating protein temporarily increases metabolism by about 20–30% compared to 5–10% for carbs and 3% or less for fat" is true, sort of . . . but it's 20% of the calories from protein in that particular food, or the total of one's protein intake for the day. It's not 20% of basal metabolic rate (BMR). Personalizing, 20% of my daily protein minimum is 80 calories; 20% of my estimated BMR would be at least 240 calories. That's an important difference!

    If you read the scientific article they link for that point, it says "The main determinant of DIT is the energy content of the food, followed by the protein fraction of the food. The thermic effect of alcohol is similar to the thermic effect of protein." ("Diet induced thermogenesis (DIT) can be defined as the increase in energy expenditure above basal fasting level divided by the energy content of the food ingested and is commonly expressed as a percentage.")

    The DIT of a typical mixed-macros diet at maintenance calories tends to be average around 10% of calories. (TEF, thermic effect of food, is another common term for pretty much the same idea as DIT.) None of us would benefit from eating all of our calories in protein, but none from other nutrients, so there are limits on the useful benefits of DIT for calorie burn.

    (I hope I don't need to say that drinking more alcohol to burn more calories would be a good plan, even though it "increases metabolic rate" by as much as protein does? ;) )

    The percentages in the article about exercise "afterburn" have a similar problem. Is metabolism increased by X%? Yeah. But generally, if we dig in to the supporting links, it's X% of the exercise calories. In other words, if my exercise burns 100 calories, and there's a 20% "afterburn" increase in metabolism, it's 20% of 100 calories, or 20 calories . . . not 20% of my BMR. (Another term for "afterburn" is EPOC, excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. There are other sources of "afterburn" than EPOC, but that's an important one.)

    That percentage stuff is just one example. I'm not any kind of expert, but in general, I consider Heathline an iffy source. It's usually not false, but it's often clickbait-y, and resorts to what I think of as "gee-whiz science reporting" . . . stuff (like that reporting of the percentages) to imply drama, without any context that lets a novice reader without relevant background understand the implications and put the material in context. (I'm not even sure the writers understand it well, sometimes.)

    All of the things in the article are worth doing. They're mostly worth doing for (usually small) calorie benefits, but in some cases also for other worthwhile benefits. If someone expects dramatic weight loss results from doing these things, I think there are high odds they'll be disappointed.

    Please understand: I didn't post this reply to criticize you for posting the article. Not even a little. Please, do keep posting! You post some good and helpful stuff. There's even good and helpful stuff in this article, it's just missing a bit of context. For me, one of the good things about the MFP Community is people helping other people learn and evaluate relevant information, and that's a thing that takes all of us working together to accomplish.

    Best wishes!
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,097 Member
    Morning op,
    Yes, your metabolism does slow in a calorie deficit. It is normal. I mean, most research shows it does. Unfortunately it is probably a hold over from our ancestors trying to survive in a rough world. I would suggest the research by Rosenbaum on adaptive theromgenesis in post weight reduced people. Another good read is the work of Herman Pontzer on the energy constraint models of metabolism.
    While the word "tanked" is complete bs, AT is real. I wouldn't personally worry about it. Trust me, at one time I was OBSESSED with the theory. I suggest learning to eat in a general pattern that keeps you satiated and allowing for a lower calorie intake over time. Then find a lifestyle that allows for sustainable activity and let the dice roll.
    Best wishes,
    Dalon

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