How to speed up my metabolism

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Let's say your job is to file paperwork. If your boss were to give you stacks of paper as high as your chin every 4 hours it could be overwhelming. What if you didn't have a chance to finish filing before the next stack came in? In most cases you would end up with extra papers to file by the end of the night. Now let's say your boss only brings in a stack that’s half the size. It should take half the time to file the paperwork. What do you do if you finished early? Text your friends, chat on Facebook? In the end, you get a second to relax until the next load comes.

Eating more than your body can digest in one sitting is like that stack of papework up to your chin. Keep it simple and watch your metabolism work harder for you.

Replies

  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    very intresting ! thank you :smile:
  • tammyr76
    tammyr76 Posts: 174
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    Good post,,,that's a great way to think about it.....But to give mine a little boost I take B-12 vitamins every morning to speed up my metabolism...
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
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    Let's say your job is to file paperwork. If your boss were to give you stacks of paper as high as your chin every 4 hours it could be overwhelming. What if you didn't have a chance to finish filing before the next stack came in? In most cases you would end up with extra papers to file by the end of the night. Now let's say your boss only brings in a stack that’s half the size. It should take half the time to file the paperwork. What do you do if you finished early? Text your friends, chat on Facebook? In the end, you get a second to relax until the next load comes.

    Eating more than your body can digest in one sitting is like that stack of papework up to your chin. Keep it simple and watch your metabolism work harder for you.

    Nice analogy, but it doesn't work that way. It will take that much longer for your body to digest a larger meal. I eat basically all my calories in a 3-4 hour window and have no problems dropping bodyfat.
  • lachicadelfuego
    lachicadelfuego Posts: 35 Member
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    Great analogy! I never thought of it like that. : )
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
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    *LIKE*
  • mapexdrummer69
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    It does not work that way in the least bit. Food does not "speed up" your metabolism. Energy (calorie) expenditure is the same at the end of the day if you eat one meal or seven.



    Meal timing, size, and frequency are largely irrelevant to weight loss in the context of proper daily nutrition.
  • tylerrayolson
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    If this is incorrect, then what is the right way?
  • mapexdrummer69
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    The right answer is it does not matter when you eat.
  • stelid
    stelid Posts: 60
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    ICE CREAM FOR EVERYONE!
  • sushisuzi2
    sushisuzi2 Posts: 111 Member
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    Ya know, Rod Stewart used to say he eats once a day, and he's thin.

    It just depends on the person. I eat six times a day because I've been a grazer all my life and I feel like dogsh** if I don't eat something early in the morning. When dieting though, the overall calories is lower and lunch and dinner aren't 1000+ calorie entrees.
  • johnwhitent
    johnwhitent Posts: 648 Member
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    It does not work that way in the least bit. Food does not "speed up" your metabolism. Energy (calorie) expenditure is the same at the end of the day if you eat one meal or seven.



    Meal timing, size, and frequency are largely irrelevant to weight loss in the context of proper daily nutrition.

    I know that you have researched this extensively, but some of this still seems illogical. Perhaps my understanding is incomplete, or perhaps we are thinking of what are actually two different topics. I accept that meal timing does not affect daily calorie expenditure, but my question is related to exercise and the timing of fueling the body. One of the most widely held views in sports is that there is a window of up to two hours after exercise in which the body apprehends any food ingested and puts it immediately to work repairing and building muscle. I just read this last night in Runners World and have read it in virtually every book and periodical that I have (a very large number.) I not citing RW or any other book/periodical as an authority, merely pointing out that this is commonly accepted as truth. If your answer is that this is wrong, then part b is how can timing not matter? My basic assumption is that exercise increases the body's need for certain nutrients (carbs, protein.) If I exercise at 6:00 AM (common for me,) do you really mean to say that I can go without food all day until midnight and the effect of a meal eaten then is the same on my body as if I had eaten three meals (or whatever) earlier in the day? At what point do we get so far removed from the exercise that it does matter (because it is actually in another day.) It just seems illogical that fueling the body 18 hours later provides the same benefit as fueling right after exercise. Anyway, I am listening but not really on board with the idea that the timing of meals makes no difference for strenuous exercisers.
  • mapexdrummer69
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    It does not work that way in the least bit. Food does not "speed up" your metabolism. Energy (calorie) expenditure is the same at the end of the day if you eat one meal or seven.



    Meal timing, size, and frequency are largely irrelevant to weight loss in the context of proper daily nutrition.

    I know that you have researched this extensively, but some of this still seems illogical. Perhaps my understanding is incomplete, or perhaps we are thinking of what are actually two different topics. I accept that meal timing does not affect daily calorie expenditure, but my question is related to exercise and the timing of fueling the body. One of the most widely held views in sports is that there is a window of up to two hours after exercise in which the body apprehends any food ingested and puts it immediately to work repairing and building muscle. I just read this last night in Runners World and have read it in virtually every book and periodical that I have (a very large number.) I not citing RW or any other book/periodical as an authority, merely pointing out that this is commonly accepted as truth. If your answer is that this is wrong, then part b is how can timing not matter? My basic assumption is that exercise increases the body's need for certain nutrients (carbs, protein.) If I exercise at 6:00 AM (common for me,) do you really mean to say that I can go without food all day until midnight and the effect of a meal eaten then is the same on my body as if I had eaten three meals (or whatever) earlier in the day? At what point do we get so far removed from the exercise that it does matter (because it is actually in another day.) It just seems illogical that fueling the body 18 hours later provides the same benefit as fueling right after exercise. Anyway, I am listening but not really on board with the idea that the timing of meals makes no difference for strenuous exercisers.


    You've got to get out of the mindset that our bodies are only designed to use nutrients that are in our GI tract. Our bodies just don't function like this, they are much more efficient. Overall protein synthesis at the end of the day is not increased by taking protein within any sort of short time frame following excercise. Nutrition is often looked at in short periods of time, mostly before and after working out, and that leads to the BIG picture being totally disregarded.



    Do you think the supplement industry would survive if EVERYONE had the understanding there are no benefits to casein vs. whey, no "anabolic window", no advantages to CEE vs. creatine mono, etc? Simply put, no. It relies solely on word of mouth and magazine advertising to beat it into your heads that it is necessary and required for results. Then to beat it all, you have people who achieve results doing it so they make the claim that it must be necessary, ignoring that correlation does not imply causation. I am not saying it doesn't "work", I'm just saying you will achieve the same results if a system such as taking a whey shake right after working rather than enjoying whole foods later in the day with the same protein content.


    It simply comes down to personal preference. Some people find they perform better when eating carbohydrates an hour or so before lifting. I on the otherhand function just fine training in the fasted state and make gains every week. I trained on a nice full breakfast for years.


    I hope this makes sense.
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
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    It does not work that way in the least bit. Food does not "speed up" your metabolism. Energy (calorie) expenditure is the same at the end of the day if you eat one meal or seven.



    Meal timing, size, and frequency are largely irrelevant to weight loss in the context of proper daily nutrition.

    I know that you have researched this extensively, but some of this still seems illogical. Perhaps my understanding is incomplete, or perhaps we are thinking of what are actually two different topics. I accept that meal timing does not affect daily calorie expenditure, but my question is related to exercise and the timing of fueling the body. One of the most widely held views in sports is that there is a window of up to two hours after exercise in which the body apprehends any food ingested and puts it immediately to work repairing and building muscle. I just read this last night in Runners World and have read it in virtually every book and periodical that I have (a very large number.) I not citing RW or any other book/periodical as an authority, merely pointing out that this is commonly accepted as truth. If your answer is that this is wrong, then part b is how can timing not matter? My basic assumption is that exercise increases the body's need for certain nutrients (carbs, protein.) If I exercise at 6:00 AM (common for me,) do you really mean to say that I can go without food all day until midnight and the effect of a meal eaten then is the same on my body as if I had eaten three meals (or whatever) earlier in the day? At what point do we get so far removed from the exercise that it does matter (because it is actually in another day.) It just seems illogical that fueling the body 18 hours later provides the same benefit as fueling right after exercise. Anyway, I am listening but not really on board with the idea that the timing of meals makes no difference for strenuous exercisers.

    The body is anabolic after working out into the next day. I personally know of someone that doesn't eat anything for several hours after working out and he is built to say the least.
  • johnwhitent
    johnwhitent Posts: 648 Member
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    @mapexdrummer69 Thank you for your response. In my case I'm not referring to drinking protein drinks or other supplements, just the timing of fueling the body with good foods. Neither am I referring to trying to use food or supplements to "bulk up." I strength train 2/3 times a week, run 3/4 times a week, and cycle 3 times a week (weather permitting.) Being in my late fifties my sole goal is health and overall fitness going into my later years. I'm not trying to make this conversation about me personally, just wanting to eliminate goals such as bulking up from the conversation.

    If I understand you correctly you insists that there is no "window" after exercising in which the body more readily accepts and processes nutrients. I am still uncomfortable with this as I continually read articles and books from the endurance/aerobic community (not the lifters,) and the articles (not ads) insist that there is such a window in which the body accepts and processes nutrients more efficiently. I am aware of and respect your passion for scientific answers to such questions, but it still seems illogical to me that a meal eaten 18 hours after exercise would have the same benefit as the same meal eaten soon after exercise. Could you again post some links to the studies that support your position? I’ll try to hang on to them this time! Thank you.
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
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    Let's say your job is to file paperwork. If your boss were to give you stacks of paper as high as your chin every 4 hours it could be overwhelming. What if you didn't have a chance to finish filing before the next stack came in? In most cases you would end up with extra papers to file by the end of the night. Now let's say your boss only brings in a stack that’s half the size. It should take half the time to file the paperwork. What do you do if you finished early? Text your friends, chat on Facebook? In the end, you get a second to relax until the next load comes.

    Eating more than your body can digest in one sitting is like that stack of papework up to your chin. Keep it simple and watch your metabolism work harder for you.

    Nice analogy, but it doesn't work that way. It will take that much longer for your body to digest a larger meal. I eat basically all my calories in a 3-4 hour window and have no problems dropping bodyfat.


    ^^This.

    There are several intermittent fasting methods that require getting your entire days work of calories in just a few hours, then not eating the rest of the day and IF is extremely effective.
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
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    @mapexdrummer69 Thank you for your response. In my case I'm not referring to drinking protein drinks or other supplements, just the timing of fueling the body with good foods. Neither am I referring to trying to use food or supplements to "bulk up." I strength train 2/3 times a week, run 3/4 times a week, and cycle 3 times a week (weather permitting.) Being in my late fifties my sole goal is health and overall fitness going into my later years. I'm not trying to make this conversation about me personally, just wanting to eliminate goals such as bulking up from the conversation.

    If I understand you correctly you insists that there is no "window" after exercising in which the body more readily accepts and processes nutrients. I am still uncomfortable with this as I continually read articles and books from the endurance/aerobic community (not the lifters,) and the articles (not ads) insist that there is such a window in which the body accepts and processes nutrients more efficiently. I am aware of and respect your passion for scientific answers to such questions, but it still seems illogical to me that a meal eaten 18 hours after exercise would have the same benefit as the same meal eaten soon after exercise. Could you again post some links to the studies that support your position? I’ll try to hang on to them this time! Thank you.


    I used to think the same as you (days ago really) but recent research is leading me to believe otherwise. So here is the deal, just try it out. That is what I am going to do to see if there is any noticeable difference. I am going to workout in the morning and not eat again until my normal morning snack and see if there is a noticeable difference in my recovery or performance; I am betting that there will not be.

    I am not saying protein and supplements are not useful. I take a protein supplement (typically in the evening) and am currently on a creatine cycle, and trust me creatine does work and protein (not necessarily supplemented) is necessary, the timing of ingestion I am beginning to believe is just not relevant.
  • mapexdrummer69
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    @mapexdrummer69 Thank you for your response. In my case I'm not referring to drinking protein drinks or other supplements, just the timing of fueling the body with good foods. Neither am I referring to trying to use food or supplements to "bulk up." I strength train 2/3 times a week, run 3/4 times a week, and cycle 3 times a week (weather permitting.) Being in my late fifties my sole goal is health and overall fitness going into my later years. I'm not trying to make this conversation about me personally, just wanting to eliminate goals such as bulking up from the conversation.

    If I understand you correctly you insists that there is no "window" after exercising in which the body more readily accepts and processes nutrients. I am still uncomfortable with this as I continually read articles and books from the endurance/aerobic community (not the lifters,) and the articles (not ads) insist that there is such a window in which the body accepts and processes nutrients more efficiently. I am aware of and respect your passion for scientific answers to such questions, but it still seems illogical to me that a meal eaten 18 hours after exercise would have the same benefit as the same meal eaten soon after exercise. Could you again post some links to the studies that support your position? I’ll try to hang on to them this time! Thank you.


    Sure thing man! I'm at work right now and will respond in detail with some links as well this evening at some point. If I forget, just send me a message.