Metabolism

24

Replies

  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    The bad news is that your basal metabolic rate is determined by factors that are not under your control.

    The good news is that you can control how much you eat and how much you move.
  • Some of you are really getting on my nerves. When I say "boost" I mean how to get it more "normal". I don't mean "Hey! How do I magically loose 10 pounds by working out one time?" and when I say my metabolism is as slow as someone twice my age, I mean it's really freaking weird. I have a medical condition called EDS and it is not practiced by regular doctors. You have to see a geneticist to get any answers. And to see one there is a year and a half wait! So you tell me, should I wait that long or ask other people who are trying to loose weight too. You people really need to think more before commenting on things, especially if you're just going to try to be a smart A. But thank you to everyone giving me real advice.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Some of you are really getting on my nerves. When I say "boost" I mean how to get it more "normal". I don't mean "Hey! How do I magically loose 10 pounds by working out one time?" and when I say my metabolism is as slow as someone twice my age, I mean it's really freaking weird. I have a medical condition called EDS and it is not practiced by regular doctors. You have to see a geneticist to get any answers. And to see one there is a year and a half wait! So you tell me, should I wait that long or ask other people who are trying to loose weight too. You people really need to think more before commenting on things, especially if you're just going to try to be a smart A. But thank you to everyone giving me real advice.

    The answer is "no, there isn't anything".
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Some of you are really getting on my nerves. When I say "boost" I mean how to get it more "normal". I don't mean "Hey! How do I magically loose 10 pounds by working out one time?" and when I say my metabolism is as slow as someone twice my age, I mean it's really freaking weird. I have a medical condition called EDS and it is not practiced by regular doctors. You have to see a geneticist to get any answers. And to see one there is a year and a half wait! So you tell me, should I wait that long or ask other people who are trying to loose weight too. You people really need to think more before commenting on things, especially if you're just going to try to be a smart A. But thank you to everyone giving me real advice.

    But since this is a rare condition, why would the average person trying to lose weight be able to help you with something that none of the rest of us have any experience with?

    No one has been mean, and the advice you have gotten is real. Your metabolism is what it is. Are you trying to lose weight? In order to lose weight you have to consume less calories than you burn. So there are two parts of the equation you can impact. Eat less, or move more. That's it. Regardless of medical conditions CI<CO is constant.

    Have you calculated your TDEE (the amount of calories you burn in a day, including all your activity and exercise)? How much is that? Eat less than that, or work out more to increase your activity level. That's the advice. Best we can do, other than saying, "talk to a doctor for your unique medical condition".
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    Some of you are really getting on my nerves. When I say "boost" I mean how to get it more "normal". I don't mean "Hey! How do I magically loose 10 pounds by working out one time?" and when I say my metabolism is as slow as someone twice my age, I mean it's really freaking weird. I have a medical condition called EDS and it is not practiced by regular doctors. You have to see a geneticist to get any answers. And to see one there is a year and a half wait! So you tell me, should I wait that long or ask other people who are trying to loose weight too. You people really need to think more before commenting on things, especially if you're just going to try to be a smart A. But thank you to everyone giving me real advice.

    Regardless, you need a doctor, because "getting it more normal" is a medical issue you have, not something that anyone here can help you with.

    If you would like to increase the number of calories your body burns, the answer is to increase exercise and build muscle, period.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Metabolisms do slow down. They don't stop but they slow down. That is why it is harder for older people to loose weight. I'm 18 but have a medical issue that slows it down like someone twice my age.

    So you have the metabolism of a 36-year-old? Okay. I'm 36 and I lost 40 pounds in the last year by meeting the calorie goals suggested by MFP. No boosts or special tricks necessary.

    OK, you doubled her age, I'll triple it. I turn 54 this year and have lost 20 pounds in the last 5 months (purposely going for gradual loss) doing nothing more than a caloric deficit and exercise. No snake oil "metabolism boosters" (which don't work, incidentally) or any such voodoo.

    I turned 61 this year, have Hashimoto's (Thyroid) Disease, and lost over 70 lbs in 10 months by simply eating less and moving more.

    You cannot reboot your metabolism. It's not a computer.

    You cannot jump start your metabolism either. It's not a car.

    :)
  • _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    The sun is up for another ten minute and then you old folk need to rest.

    Lmao
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    The sun is up for another ten minute and then you old folk need to rest.

    Lmao

    psst.....I'll be 50 in March. Shhhh...tell no one; and, you are getting good advice from people of many ages. Good luck and some additional advice. Print this thread out and hang on it your wall. In 10 years you'll realize old folks actually know a little something about something. Okay, I need my sleep.

  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    edited January 2016
    OP, I can understand that you might have limitations on your physical activity with a condition like EDS, but am not familiar with how a connective tissue disorder would otherwise affect your overall metabolic rate.

    With that being said, you should have normal sedentary metabolism for someone your age unless you have some other underlying complication you haven't stated.

    If you are looking to lose weight, entering your stats and putting yourself as sedentary should give you a caloric goal to work with.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    edited January 2016
    Full disclosure in your original post would have given you some different replies.

    Coming back on page 2 to explain your personal circumstances and calling us, who have tried to help you, out, is a little galling to say the least.

    I stand by what I posted early on page one. It is advice that you can employ until you get to see a specialist.

    I am typing from my bed. Too old to be allowed out of it for more than an hour a day even though my metabolism is only 200 cal less than it was 40y ago.

    Cheers, h.
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    The sun is up for another ten minute and then you old folk need to rest.

    Lmao

    psst.....I'll be 50 in March. Shhhh...tell no one; and, you are getting good advice from people of many ages. Good luck and some additional advice. Print this thread out and hang on it your wall. In 10 years you'll realize old folks actually know a little something about something. Okay, I need my sleep.

    Go to bed old man.

    (They're right, OP ^^. Only your doctor can help you normalize your condition. Until then, it is what it is and you can only adjust external factors such as eating and exercise.)
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,227 Member
    When asking for advice, I think it is important to set out all relevant factors. In addition to there not really being anything that will "boost your metabolism", having a medical condition will possibly put restrictions on what you can and/or should do, so some of the suggestions you DO get will be wildly inappropriate for you (not to mention ultimately ineffective).

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited January 2016
    Some of you are really getting on my nerves. When I say "boost" I mean how to get it more "normal". I don't mean "Hey! How do I magically loose 10 pounds by working out one time?" and when I say my metabolism is as slow as someone twice my age, I mean it's really freaking weird. I have a medical condition called EDS and it is not practiced by regular doctors. You have to see a geneticist to get any answers. And to see one there is a year and a half wait! So you tell me, should I wait that long or ask other people who are trying to loose weight too. You people really need to think more before commenting on things, especially if you're just going to try to be a smart A. But thank you to everyone giving me real advice.

    And the points everybody has repeatedly made are:

    1) No, nothing you can legally buy over the counter will significantly boost your metabolism.

    and

    2) Even if you do legitimately have the metabolism of somebody twice (or thrice) your age, there's nothing stopping you from losing weight and/or getting healthy. The difference isn't as large as you think it is.


    And now I'll step away from the thread. I don't mind offering helpful advice, but I don't have to voluntarily put up with ungrateful teenage temper tantrums any more.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    Some of you are really getting on my nerves. When I say "boost" I mean how to get it more "normal". I don't mean "Hey! How do I magically loose 10 pounds by working out one time?" and when I say my metabolism is as slow as someone twice my age, I mean it's really freaking weird. I have a medical condition called EDS and it is not practiced by regular doctors. You have to see a geneticist to get any answers. And to see one there is a year and a half wait! So you tell me, should I wait that long or ask other people who are trying to loose weight too. You people really need to think more before commenting on things, especially if you're just going to try to be a smart A. But thank you to everyone giving me real advice.

    So you have a medical condition that you wonder if anyone can help with the changes it might (a quick search didn't show any metabolic rate change information for EDS) make in your metabolic rate, but you just ask for generic metabolic rate advice?
    Being a programmer, I tend to follow garbage in, garbage out. You started out with a question that was generic, so you got answers that are generic.
    There's also the issue that your comment about metabolism being like someone olders doesn't really make sense. While some processes do change with age, the weight of evidence is that basal metabolic rate doesn't change directly with age, it merely lowers as people become more sedentary and lose lean mass.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    OP, I can understand that you might have limitations on your physical activity with a condition like EDS, but am not familiar with how a connective tissue disorder would otherwise affect your overall metabolic rate.

    With that being said, you should have normal sedentary metabolism for someone your age unless you have some other underlying complication you haven't stated.

    If you are looking to lose weight, entering your stats and putting yourself as sedentary should give you a caloric goal to work with.

    Reading briefly about it, I kind of wonder if there was a misunderstanding in that a doctor told her it was a metabolic disorder, referring to the normal metabolic pathways for creating connective tissue is altered.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    So everyone is right that there isnt truly much that will affect your basal metabolic functions. Yes increasing muscle does help but not dramatically.

    What you are actually looking for is two things, track calories with accuracy (using a food scale) and increasing your total daily energy expenditure. You can increase tdew in a few ways. First, you try to move more often, increase your daily steps, park further away, etc... (non exercise adaptive thermogenesis calories), eat foods higher in protein as it takes more calories to digest (thermal effect of foods) and exercise with cardio and weight training (thermal effect of activity). Overall, those things along with your basal metabolic rate (metabolism) will increase tdee and can help you create a deficit (through tracking calories) and help you lose weight.


    From a statistical stand point, most people just dont have fast or slow metabolisms as there is a basic bell curve. And what is common on MFP is people are generally not accurate with the amount of calories they consume (even trained individuals under report by 300+ calories) and we arent consistent with tracking. So why not set a moderate goal, buy a food scale and track your daily calories for 4 to 6 weeks to figure out where you would maintain or lose.
  • pzarnosky
    pzarnosky Posts: 256 Member
    Maybe you should get a better doctor.. EDS is a well known disorder that affects a lot of people. Six types have been identified and treatment to manage the symptoms are widely available. It is a connective tissue disorder which in some can cause problems in the digestive system with symptoms similar to IBS. This is not a metabolic disorder, it does not effect the pituitary or thyroid. Maybe there could be some issues with absorbtion of nutrients, but I don't see any mechanism that will change your metabolism. It sucks that you have to deal with having the condition, but those are the cards you were dealt. Everyone has things that make life a struggle and make it hard to diet. You have the knowledge of the world at your fingertips, I suggest instead of looking for answers on a forum, you start reading scholarly articles and truly researching your condition to find out what has been shown to help people like you. Or, join a forum for people with EDS that will understand your struggles better. If you've had the genetic test, then you should know which of the 6 types of EDS you have.

    As this is a connective tissue disorder, some forms of exercise are probably not going to be an option for you as they will have a higher probability of joint and bone damage. Your disorder doesn't have to define you though, if you want to lose weight, you can. Don't assume it's easy for anyone to lose weight. The first few weeks are so incredibly difficult. After you start seeing results though, it gets easier. You may have to play around with your calories. Try something for 2 weeks, if it hasn't worked at all, then try something else. You have to be honest with yourself though. You can lie to MFP about what you eat all you want, but you can't lie to your body... i learned that one the hard way. Regardless of a condition, it is CICO. Find what a deficit is for you and stay at it, weight will come off. It's really about acceptance. Accepting you have a condition that makes some things difficult. Accepting that weightloss is not a temporary change, it is a permanent change if you want to stay at your goal weight. Take it slow, find something manageable and don't fall for fads. Changing your diet may help some of the symptoms you have. I know when I started eating more whole foods, a lot of my digestive discomfort I'd always struggled with got better.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    kkenseth wrote: »
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    The sun is up for another ten minute and then you old folk need to rest.

    Lmao

    psst.....I'll be 50 in March. Shhhh...tell no one; and, you are getting good advice from people of many ages. Good luck and some additional advice. Print this thread out and hang on it your wall. In 10 years you'll realize old folks actually know a little something about something. Okay, I need my sleep.

    Go to bed old man.

    (They're right, OP ^^. Only your doctor can help you normalize your condition. Until then, it is what it is and you can only adjust external factors such as eating and exercise.)

    Up before the sun! Bam. Ouch. Strange dreams.....squatting, knees, squatters, owner rights........must drink more coffee.

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    aggelikik wrote: »
    Metabolism does not need boosting, and cannot change, unless you suffer from a diagnosed medical problem. If you want to burn more calories, move more.

    This is untrue. Lots of things increase metabolic rate slightly (most very very slightly). But the only thing I've ever heard of that will make a significant difference is regular exercise.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    Hahaha I was just going to jump in as an 'official old.' But @rabbitjb ran with the ball. You're in good hands! You can lose weight too, trust me. You can't order up the pace, but lose you will if you consistently eat at a deficit of what you expend.
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
    pzarnosky wrote: »
    Maybe you should get a better doctor.. EDS is a well known disorder that affects a lot of people. Six types have been identified and treatment to manage the symptoms are widely available. It is a connective tissue disorder which in some can cause problems in the digestive system with symptoms similar to IBS. This is not a metabolic disorder, it does not effect the pituitary or thyroid. Maybe there could be some issues with absorbtion of nutrients, but I don't see any mechanism that will change your metabolism. It sucks that you have to deal with having the condition, but those are the cards you were dealt. Everyone has things that make life a struggle and make it hard to diet. You have the knowledge of the world at your fingertips, I suggest instead of looking for answers on a forum, you start reading scholarly articles and truly researching your condition to find out what has been shown to help people like you. Or, join a forum for people with EDS that will understand your struggles better. If you've had the genetic test, then you should know which of the 6 types of EDS you have.

    As this is a connective tissue disorder, some forms of exercise are probably not going to be an option for you as they will have a higher probability of joint and bone damage. Your disorder doesn't have to define you though, if you want to lose weight, you can. Don't assume it's easy for anyone to lose weight. The first few weeks are so incredibly difficult. After you start seeing results though, it gets easier. You may have to play around with your calories. Try something for 2 weeks, if it hasn't worked at all, then try something else. You have to be honest with yourself though. You can lie to MFP about what you eat all you want, but you can't lie to your body... i learned that one the hard way. Regardless of a condition, it is CICO. Find what a deficit is for you and stay at it, weight will come off. It's really about acceptance. Accepting you have a condition that makes some things difficult. Accepting that weightloss is not a temporary change, it is a permanent change if you want to stay at your goal weight. Take it slow, find something manageable and don't fall for fads. Changing your diet may help some of the symptoms you have. I know when I started eating more whole foods, a lot of my digestive discomfort I'd always struggled with got better.

    You win the thread.
  • acidosaur
    acidosaur Posts: 295 Member
    You will burn more calories by moving more.
    For weight loss eat less than you burn.

    Cheers, h.

    ^^^ exactly
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    Short-term, exercise.
    Long-term, build muscle.
  • CaptainJoy
    CaptainJoy Posts: 257 Member
    You can boost your metabolism and lose weight by eating small amounts of food more often. Adding more exercise and movement to your daily routine helps but how much and how often you eat is really important. If you eat 200 calories six times each day, your metabolism increases because your body is constantly digesting food. The digestion process requires energy which means more calories are burned the more often you eat. I don't have evidence of this, it's just something I know.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    CaptainJoy wrote: »
    You can boost your metabolism and lose weight by eating small amounts of food more often. Adding more exercise and movement to your daily routine helps but how much and how often you eat is really important. If you eat 200 calories six times each day, your metabolism increases because your body is constantly digesting food. The digestion process requires energy which means more calories are burned the more often you eat. I don't have evidence of this, it's just something I know.

    So if you eat 200 calories six times a day and burn calories digesting it, wouldn't you burn the same calories digesting 400 calories eaten three times a day? You still digest the food, right?

    Meal timing doesn't matter.
  • senecarr wrote: »
    OP, I can understand that you might have limitations on your physical activity with a condition like EDS, but am not familiar with how a connective tissue disorder would otherwise affect your overall metabolic rate.

    With that being said, you should have normal sedentary metabolism for someone your age unless you have some other underlying complication you haven't stated.

    If you are looking to lose weight, entering your stats and putting yourself as sedentary should give you a caloric goal to work with.

    Reading briefly about it, I kind of wonder if there was a misunderstanding in that a doctor told her it was a metabolic disorder, referring to the normal metabolic pathways for creating connective tissue is altered.

    EDS is a condition that effects every part of your body including digestion and physical activity. You won't find much online because like I have said, it's not very highly studied and you have to go to a geneticist to get more information. You won't find it on Wikipedia, or any other website. With my EDS comes other problems like fibromyalgia, acid reflux, ibs, asthma, and it also effects my brain. So before any of you start thinking your an expert why don't you actually talk to one first.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    edited January 2016
    senecarr wrote: »
    OP, I can understand that you might have limitations on your physical activity with a condition like EDS, but am not familiar with how a connective tissue disorder would otherwise affect your overall metabolic rate.

    With that being said, you should have normal sedentary metabolism for someone your age unless you have some other underlying complication you haven't stated.

    If you are looking to lose weight, entering your stats and putting yourself as sedentary should give you a caloric goal to work with.

    Reading briefly about it, I kind of wonder if there was a misunderstanding in that a doctor told her it was a metabolic disorder, referring to the normal metabolic pathways for creating connective tissue is altered.

    EDS is a condition that effects every part of your body including digestion and physical activity. You won't find much online because like I have said, it's not very highly studied and you have to go to a geneticist to get more information. You won't find it on Wikipedia, or any other website. With my EDS comes other problems like fibromyalgia, acid reflux, ibs, asthma, and it also effects my brain. So before any of you start thinking your an expert why don't you actually talk to one first.


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehlers–Danlos_syndrome
  • pzarnosky wrote: »
    Maybe you should get a better doctor.. EDS is a well known disorder that affects a lot of people. Six types have been identified and treatment to manage the symptoms are widely available. It is a connective tissue disorder which in some can cause problems in the digestive system with symptoms similar to IBS. This is not a metabolic disorder, it does not effect the pituitary or thyroid. Maybe there could be some issues with absorbtion of nutrients, but I don't see any mechanism that will change your metabolism. It sucks that you have to deal with having the condition, but those are the cards you were dealt. Everyone has things that make life a struggle and make it hard to diet. You have the knowledge of the world at your fingertips, I suggest instead of looking for answers on a forum, you start reading scholarly articles and truly researching your condition to find out what has been shown to help people like you. Or, join a forum for people with EDS that will understand your struggles better. If you've had the genetic test, then you should know which of the 6 types of EDS you have.

    As this is a connective tissue disorder, some forms of exercise are probably not going to be an option for you as they will have a higher probability of joint and bone damage. Your disorder doesn't have to define you though, if you want to lose weight, you can. Don't assume it's easy for anyone to lose weight. The first few weeks are so incredibly difficult. After you start seeing results though, it gets easier. You may have to play around with your calories. Try something for 2 weeks, if it hasn't worked at all, then try something else. You have to be honest with yourself though. You can lie to MFP about what you eat all you want, but you can't lie to your body... i learned that one the hard way. Regardless of a condition, it is CICO. Find what a deficit is for you and stay at it, weight will come off. It's really about acceptance. Accepting you have a condition that makes some things difficult. Accepting that weightloss is not a temporary change, it is a permanent change if you want to stay at your goal weight. Take it slow, find something manageable and don't fall for fads. Changing your diet may help some of the symptoms you have. I know when I started eating more whole foods, a lot of my digestive discomfort I'd always struggled with got better.

    I know which type I have I'm not stupid. Read my other comment, especially the last sentence
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    CaptainJoy wrote: »
    You can boost your metabolism and lose weight by eating small amounts of food more often. Adding more exercise and movement to your daily routine helps but how much and how often you eat is really important. If you eat 200 calories six times each day, your metabolism increases because your body is constantly digesting food. The digestion process requires energy which means more calories are burned the more often you eat. I don't have evidence of this, it's just something I know.

    Science says this is not correct.
  • Ohwhynot
    Ohwhynot Posts: 356 Member
    edited January 2016
    Does it affect your attitude as well? Sorry for the snark, but jeez. There are people trying to help you with a vague set of issues and you're not being very receptive to their info. If you need an expert to tell you what to do, then you need to be patient and see an expert.