If you have a high metabolism...

missylectro
missylectro Posts: 448 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
...does that mean you should eat more? Or maybe break down your meals into smaller more frequent ones?

Replies

  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    What makes you think your metabolism is out with of normal bounds? In reality unless you have some diagnosed metabolic disorder or years of serious Eating Disorders your metabolism is unlikely to be out of the normal range.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    How do you know if your metabolism is high? Regardless, any calorie counting will take a bit of tailoring to a specific person. Say MFP told you that you should be eating 1800 calories a day in order to maintain your weight. If you eat 1800 calories a day and continue to lose, bump up your calories by 200 and wait a couple weeks to see what that does. Spreading your calories throughout the day isn't necessary unless that is what you like to do, health-wise there are no benefits to eating smaller meals. If you need to add a couple hundred calories, eat nuts for a snack. Cook using healthy oils. Add avocado to toast, salads, sandwiches. Eat peanut butter off a spoon. Your choice!
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Yeah, usually a 'high metabolism' means you move more. Meal timing/size doesn't matter for much besides comfort.
  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
    It's higher than it used to be. The reason I think it's high is because I get hungry every 2 hours.
  • Mykaelous
    Mykaelous Posts: 231 Member
    My friend eats every 2 hours and he weighs 378 lbs. I know one person with a high metabolism who is 5' 11" and weighs 137 lb's. His metabolism is high because of a combination of drugs he takes for his heart. He can't put on weight for anything although with my guidance I got him up to 147 lb's while he was eating 3 times the number of calories that I was over the course of 6 months. He would eat every 3 hours although he could only physically eat half the meal that I could so I had to make sure he was eating super concentrated calorie food. Also at the gym while doing the same exact pace on a treadmill my heart rate was at 145 and his was at 170.

    So that's my go to example for someone with a high metabolism.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    It's higher than it used to be. The reason I think it's high is because I get hungry every 2 hours.
    I think that has more to do with your habits than any biological needs (barring issues with low blood sugar).

    Do you log your foods? If you track your intake and your weight, you can tell if you're burning more calories than in the past.
  • AnswerzPwease
    AnswerzPwease Posts: 142 Member
    My mother used to work with a woman who was put on a 5,000 calorie per day diet just to maintain weight. She had these drinks that contained a crap load of calories and she had to down them. She was a small woman around 5 foot 2 inches and weighed around 100 pounds.

    My mother would joke with her and say she wished she had a little bit of whatever made her that way.

    It was unbelievable.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Your getting hungry frequently may not have anything to do with your metabolic rate.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    It's higher than it used to be. The reason I think it's high is because I get hungry every 2 hours.

    Getting hungry more often doesn't mean your metabolism is high. A high metabolism means you need more calories overall, not necessarily more frequently. Increased hunger could be for a variety of reasons.

    -You didn't get enough sleep
    -You ate too much the day before
    -You are getting ready to start your period
    -Certain medications
    -You have type 2 diabetes
    -Stress/anxiety
    -You over did it at the gym
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    My mother used to work with a woman who was put on a 5,000 calorie per day diet just to maintain weight. She had these drinks that contained a crap load of calories and she had to down them. She was a small woman around 5 foot 2 inches and weighed around 100 pounds.

    My mother would joke with her and say she wished she had a little bit of whatever made her that way.

    It was unbelievable.

    I know of someone like this. she's tiny but eats a lot every day. She eats a pound of pistachio meats a day on top of 6 oz angus beef, dessert, and tons of fruits...She had to eat every hour or will pass out...Her mother often jokes that she's an expensive wife to keep in the house.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    It's higher than it used to be. The reason I think it's high is because I get hungry every 2 hours.

    Getting hungry more often doesn't mean your metabolism is high. A high metabolism means you need more calories overall, not necessarily more frequently. Increased hunger could be for a variety of reasons.

    -You didn't get enough sleep
    -You ate too much the day before
    -You are getting ready to start your period
    -Certain medications
    -You have type 2 diabetes
    -Stress/anxiety
    -You over did it at the gym

    I often wondered about the correlation between frequent hunger and metabolism.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    another myth that people often bring up when they start exercising is the belief between sweat and metabolism/calorie burned...
  • BrieFit18
    BrieFit18 Posts: 35 Member
    I have an extremely fast metabolism and I usually eat a bunch of small meals during the day :)
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    It's higher than it used to be. The reason I think it's high is because I get hungry every 2 hours.

    Getting hungry more often doesn't mean your metabolism is high. A high metabolism means you need more calories overall, not necessarily more frequently. Increased hunger could be for a variety of reasons.

    -You didn't get enough sleep
    -You ate too much the day before
    -You are getting ready to start your period
    -Certain medications
    -You have type 2 diabetes
    -Stress/anxiety
    -You over did it at the gym

    I often wondered about the correlation between frequent hunger and metabolism.

    I think that would be subjective. The more lean mass I get the higher my metabolism goes and the less hungry I am between meals. I'm sure others experience it different.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Yeah, usually a 'high metabolism' means you move more. Meal timing/size doesn't matter for much besides comfort.
    This.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I have an extremely fast metabolism and I usually eat a bunch of small meals during the day :)
    That's your preference, though, but has nothing to do with metabolism.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    It's higher than it used to be. The reason I think it's high is because I get hungry every 2 hours.

    Getting hungry more often doesn't mean your metabolism is high. A high metabolism means you need more calories overall, not necessarily more frequently. Increased hunger could be for a variety of reasons.

    -You didn't get enough sleep
    -You ate too much the day before
    -You are getting ready to start your period
    -Certain medications
    -You have type 2 diabetes
    -Stress/anxiety
    -You over did it at the gym

    I often wondered about the correlation between frequent hunger and metabolism.

    I think that would be subjective. The more lean mass I get the higher my metabolism goes and the less hungry I am between meals. I'm sure others experience it different.

    I honestly don't know what my metabolism is like...if any reflection, I think it might be wacky and really slow. :brokenheart:
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    It's higher than it used to be. The reason I think it's high is because I get hungry every 2 hours.

    Getting hungry more often doesn't mean your metabolism is high. A high metabolism means you need more calories overall, not necessarily more frequently. Increased hunger could be for a variety of reasons.

    -You didn't get enough sleep
    -You ate too much the day before
    -You are getting ready to start your period
    -Certain medications
    -You have type 2 diabetes
    -Stress/anxiety
    -You over did it at the gym

    I often wondered about the correlation between frequent hunger and metabolism.

    I think that would be subjective. The more lean mass I get the higher my metabolism goes and the less hungry I am between meals. I'm sure others experience it different.

    I honestly don't know what my metabolism is like...if any reflection, I think it might be wacky and really slow. :brokenheart:

    The only way to know is to increase your calories until you maintain weight. If you aren't accurate with logging every day that would make it really tough to determine what your actual intake is.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    It's higher than it used to be. The reason I think it's high is because I get hungry every 2 hours.

    Getting hungry more often doesn't mean your metabolism is high. A high metabolism means you need more calories overall, not necessarily more frequently. Increased hunger could be for a variety of reasons.

    -You didn't get enough sleep
    -You ate too much the day before
    -You are getting ready to start your period
    -Certain medications
    -You have type 2 diabetes
    -Stress/anxiety
    -You over did it at the gym

    I often wondered about the correlation between frequent hunger and metabolism.

    I think that would be subjective. The more lean mass I get the higher my metabolism goes and the less hungry I am between meals. I'm sure others experience it different.

    I honestly don't know what my metabolism is like...if any reflection, I think it might be wacky and really slow. :brokenheart:

    The only way to know is to increase your calories until you maintain weight. If you aren't accurate with logging every day that would make it really tough to determine what your actual intake is.

    thank you dear. it's about time to start tightening up...
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    It's higher than it used to be. The reason I think it's high is because I get hungry every 2 hours.

    Getting hungry more often doesn't mean your metabolism is high. A high metabolism means you need more calories overall, not necessarily more frequently. Increased hunger could be for a variety of reasons.

    -You didn't get enough sleep
    -You ate too much the day before
    -You are getting ready to start your period
    -Certain medications
    -You have type 2 diabetes
    -Stress/anxiety
    -You over did it at the gym

    I often wondered about the correlation between frequent hunger and metabolism.

    I think that would be subjective. The more lean mass I get the higher my metabolism goes and the less hungry I am between meals. I'm sure others experience it different.
    They say now that a pound of muscle burns about 6 calories a day, so you'd have to do some serious bulking to notice much difference, I think. As a female, I don't know realistic bulking is.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    It's higher than it used to be. The reason I think it's high is because I get hungry every 2 hours.

    Getting hungry more often doesn't mean your metabolism is high. A high metabolism means you need more calories overall, not necessarily more frequently. Increased hunger could be for a variety of reasons.

    -You didn't get enough sleep
    -You ate too much the day before
    -You are getting ready to start your period
    -Certain medications
    -You have type 2 diabetes
    -Stress/anxiety
    -You over did it at the gym

    I often wondered about the correlation between frequent hunger and metabolism.

    I think that would be subjective. The more lean mass I get the higher my metabolism goes and the less hungry I am between meals. I'm sure others experience it different.
    They say now that a pound of muscle burns about 6 calories a day, so you'd have to do some serious bulking to notice much difference, I think. As a female, I don't know realistic bulking is.

    As a female I've put on 9 pounds of lean mass since October. The numbers on the recent studies are between 5 and 9 calories a day per pound. While that may not be much added to my BMR each day, my TDEE is much higher. I can say with confidence that before gaining the 9 pounds of lean mass my TDEE was 2350. My TDEE now is 2650. My workout programming is the same and my non-exercise activity is the same. Thermic Effect of Food wouldn't account for the difference between the calculated change in TDEE and actual change in TDEE.
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    It's higher than it used to be. The reason I think it's high is because I get hungry every 2 hours.

    I wish this was true! My metabolism tends to be a bit sluggish. Not sure why, but I've stopped worrying about that and I am just dealing with the reality. Unfortunately my hunger is more in line with a metabolism that burns about 500-1000 calories more than mine! Basically that means that most of the time I feel like I need to eat. (That is probably why I ballooned up 30 pounds a few years ago!) So every day I have to make a choice: be hungry or be fat!

    Oh, and while metabolism is definitely tied to body size, hunger is not! This is just one of those unfair facts of life!

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