Metabolism test

Thaea

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share some interesting metabolism test results with you, and see if anyone has any ideas.

I'm training for my first half ironman, and I have 10 lbs of extra fat that I gained over the holidays that I haven't been able to lose no matter what I do, and in fact have gained more. I went today for a metabolic resting test, where I lay on a table and breathed into this thingie, and based on my oxygen exchange over a 20 minute period, he was able to find out some information on my metabolism.

Based on my age, height and weight, the average metabolism estimate would be 1493, but for me, it was 1765 I was really excited about that, because that means if I lay in bed all day and didn't move, I'd be burning 1765 calories!!!!

The bad news is, my body is using muscle glycogen (carbohydrates) for fuel instead of fat stores. I hadn't eaten in over 12 hours before the test, and the guy was really surprised that the test came out that way. I mean, I was burning SOME fat, but proportionally burning more carbs in the form of stored glycogen. For most people, it's the opposite.

Anyone have two cents for me on my dilemma? I'll DEFINITELY be following up on this with him and other doctors, but still wanted to share )

2012party

I have nothing to contribute to this thread, other than thanking you for sharing your test/results. I was discussing these tests recently (I've never had one done and was curious about them), and it's interesting to hear you're almost 300 calories above average. Awesome! Good luck with the Half Ironman!

MountainMia

What is your protein and caloric intake like on an average day or collectively over a week? I'm wondering if those things could be contributing factors to why your body is catabolizing. Also, with your intense training, I'd be curious to know what you are doing and how many calories that burns in an average day or over a week.

Thanks for posting. I definitely want to know what your doctors reccommend and especially if they find anything else in bloodwork that would explain why this is.

Andresbohorquez

cycle ur carbs exp.... Do 3 days of low carbs followed by 2 days moderate carbs low days keep catbs below 40 moderate days below a 100 if u do not see many results then continue to cut out carbs and instead eat protein or healthy fats if carbs are needed refrain from symple carbs and eat more complex carbs exp simple carbs white bread anything enriched processed crackers mc donalds all the bs food exp complex or better fori u carbs whole wheat bread whole grain options sweet potatoes brown rice yams vegetables

FreshKrisKreash

How do I figure out my metabolism?

Thaea

Hey guys thanks for responding!!!

I started out the season trying low carbs and high protein, where I got almost all carbs from fruits and vegetables. That didn't help, so I added in grains but still kept the carbs low. I was getting more than 100 grams of protein a day and my muscles started to get really creepy bulky, but I still wasn't losing any fat, just getting more bulk.

I'm a vegetarian and eat a really healthful diet anyway (occasionally we eat out or I have a sweet cheat or whatever, but it's not often). So I'm just excited to get some additional info on why my body is responding this way. It makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons, for example, I get hungry early into workouts. It would make sense that my body used all the glycogen throughout the day and doesn't have much left to burn during a workout. (I always fuel well immediately following a workout).

To the poster who asked about where to get it done...I went to MA but there are a lot of people around. Just google something like "metabolism testing" in your state.