Metabolism - yes, you CAN make it better

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snarlingcoyote
snarlingcoyote Posts: 399 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So all fall and winter, even with having to rush home and run in the dark and the cold (okay, so not that cold), I have been running 3 times a week or at least getting something in to get at least 8k steps 4 times a week, with at least 30 minutes of "active minutes" (whatever that means to FitBit), but usually more. I am also not that far from my goal weight now and with this and that, I just haven't been tracking my food very much, but have lost maybe a pound over the last month or two, but I look much better than I have in years - lots and lots of leg muscles and my bum has a little shape due to the muscles.

Anywho, I went back to get a metabolism test done. My BMR is now 400 calories higher than where it used to be. 400 calories. A day. :)

For a short, middle-aged, peri-menopausal woman with just about every epi-genetic card possible stacked against her (All 4 of my grandparents survived the Dust Bowl in their formative years; 3/4 of my ancestors are descended from ethnic groups well known for the genocide and famine they've endured over the centuries.) this is amazing.

So yeah, there is a way to get your metabolism reved up, even for middle-aged ladies. The solution for me was to get the okay from my doctor, go to the running store, strap a pair of good running shoes on my feet, buy a FitBit, get out there and start running!
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Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    What is involved in a metabolism test? Did your insurance pay for it?
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
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    So... by "metabolism," you mean "running to burn calories so in order to eat more."
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,527 Member
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    Start/return to any physical activity after having not done it for a good period of time will increase one's metabolic rate. That's why lots of people who just start exercising, but still even eat the same way they are now will lose weight the first couple of weeks.
    But yes BMR can be raised based on intensity of exercise (and almost regardless of type of exercise).

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  • Lillahe
    Lillahe Posts: 37 Member
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    Thanks for the encouragement op. I know a lot of frustrated ladies can use it!
  • snarlingcoyote
    snarlingcoyote Posts: 399 Member
    edited April 2015
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    jemhh - I pay out of pocket. It's less than $100 at our local women's hospital to have it done. It's a little gross (you breathe into a device for several minutes and when you take the thing out of your mouth spit goes EVERYWHERE) but well worth it to me.

    peachyfuzzle and ninerbuff - My RMR is 400 calories more than where it was many months ago when I started running. I had it tested then and I just re-tested. My food calories from exercise are in addition to my RMR.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    I wouldn't trust those values. You might be burning 400 more calories per day from running but I don't think there's any way your basal metabolic rate increased that much. You'd have to have gained about 60 lbs. of muscle.
  • snarlingcoyote
    snarlingcoyote Posts: 399 Member
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    Thanks Teraliel - I was skeptical and depressed after my first test, but now I am a convert. I plan on coughing up the cash every 6 months or so for the foreseeable future to track my results and see what happens.
  • snarlingcoyote
    snarlingcoyote Posts: 399 Member
    edited April 2015
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    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    I wouldn't trust those values. You might be burning 400 more calories per day from running but I don't think there's any way your basal metabolic rate increased that much. You'd have to have gained about 60 lbs. of muscle.

    Uhm, I'll trust science and the medical research. :) There actually was a study some years back that tracked retired ladies who started working out. . .guess what? 6 months after they started, the group that worked out 4 times a week were burning 400 calories more a day on average than they were prior to beginning their exercise regime. Which means I'm just about average, LOL!
  • lili61
    lili61 Posts: 231 Member
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    Not to rain on the parade, but I would be skeptical of those results as well. Unless you've gained a serious amount of muscle, that is a HUGE jump in RMR.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    OP do you have a link maybe to the hospital or the test they use? I'm skeptical but interested.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,112 Member
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    Assuming your BMR was about 1500cal a 400 increase is about 25% that seems like a remarkably large increase without increasing your muscle mass.

    A 25% increase in your TDEE seems much more plausable.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    edited April 2015
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    snarlingcoyote wrote: »
    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    I wouldn't trust those values. You might be burning 400 more calories per day from running but I don't think there's any way your basal metabolic rate increased that much. You'd have to have gained about 60 lbs. of muscle.

    Uhm, I'll trust science and the medical research. :) There actually was a study some years back that tracked retired ladies who started working out. . .guess what? 6 months after they started, the group that worked out 4 times a week were burning 400 calories more a day on average than they were prior to beginning their exercise regime. Which means I'm just about average, LOL!
    I would love to see that study.

    The info in this article is pretty much the general consensus: You can't significantly affect your BMR much, except through large weight change.
    http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/can-you-really-boost-your-metabolism?page=single

  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    I'm on the skeptic train. BMR by that much? Not believing it. I'd buy TDEE, though.

    I think you're confusing the two.
  • 3bambi3
    3bambi3 Posts: 1,650 Member
    edited April 2015
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    snarlingcoyote wrote: »
    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    I wouldn't trust those values. You might be burning 400 more calories per day from running but I don't think there's any way your basal metabolic rate increased that much. You'd have to have gained about 60 lbs. of muscle.

    Uhm, I'll trust science and the medical research. :) There actually was a study some years back that tracked retired ladies who started working out. . .guess what? 6 months after they started, the group that worked out 4 times a week were burning 400 calories more a day on average than they were prior to beginning their exercise regime. Which means I'm just about average, LOL!

    It sounds like what you are talking about is an increase in TDEE (total calories burned in a day, including activity) and not BMR. Unless I am misunderstanding, you are saying that you are now burning 400 more calories per day than you did before you started exercising. That doesn't seem revolutionary, just logical.
  • Lois_1989
    Lois_1989 Posts: 6,406 Member
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    To be honest, I'm just glad you said you did it by exercise and not start banging on about products of sorcery and witchcraft (i.e. green tea)
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,112 Member
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    Here is the MATH on BMR and TDEE.

    The variables for BMR include: weight, height, age

    The variables for TDEE: movement. ( mostly exercise )

    You increase your BMR by adding muscle mass and your TDEE by moving ( exercise )



    BMR Calculation for Women: 655 + (4.35 × weight in pounds) + (4.7 × height in inches) – (4.7 × age in years)

    BMR Calculation for Men: 66 + (6.23 × weight in pounds) + (12.7 × height in inches) – (6.76 × age in years)

    To really determine your body’s energy needs or TDEE, you should also account for how often you exercise. Use this table to adjust the Harris Benedict Equation to account for your physical activity level:

    Factoring Exercise into the BMR Equation
    Amount of Exercise Daily Calories Needed
    Little to no exercise BMR x 1.2
    Light exercise (1 to 3 days per week) BMR x1.375
    Moderate exercise (3 to 5 days per week) BMR x 1.55
    Heavy exercise (6 to 7 days per week) BMR x 1.725
    Very heavy exercise (intense workouts twice per day) BMR x 1.9
  • minizebu
    minizebu Posts: 2,716 Member
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    I'm not saying that this is common, or that this is the case with OP, but people never seem to mention changes in thyroid status when mentioning changes in metabolic rate (BMR).

    A change in status from hypothyroid to euthyroid or from euthyroid to hyperthyroid, would result in an increase in BMR.
  • jak1958
    jak1958 Posts: 82 Member
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    Some are confusing BMR with RMR - not the same thing! OP said RMR...

    RMR can be impacted by resistance/weight training and there is some evidence that HIIT may raise RMR (EPOC).

    Conversely, calorie restriction without exercise has been shown to LOWER RMR - also endurance sports - long distance runners have been found to have lower RMR.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    so you increased exercise and now you have increased your TDEE because your exercise is higher?? I don't really see what is so ground breaking here..

    when I bulked over the winter I increased my maintenance level from about 2600 to 2750 through eating more and gaining weight/muscle...

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