How to Increase Metabolism

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Actual metabolisms don't work that way. And no matter what marketers say, supplements have virtually no effect, except on the thickness of your wallet. Sure, see your doctor, make sure you're not nutrient deficient (micros especially), make sure you're not hypothyroid, check your nutrition, that sort of thing.

That said:

We tend to burn fewer calories as we age. There may be some truly "metabolic" reasons, but most of the difference comes down to two things:

(1) We let our muscle mass decline by not using it, so losing it. A pound of muscle burns (literally) a couple more calories per day than a pound of fat.

(2) We move less. We get more sedentary jobs; we have fewer active hobbies; our leisure activities with friends including less dancing and ball-playing (or whatever) and more sitting, eating/drinking, and maybe watching stuff on a screen; for many of us, our income increases and we buy home conveniences that reduce the movement in our chores, and hire services we once did ourselves (lawn/garden maintenance can be a biggie; now there's even grocery delivery, or pickup services).

Those seem like really little things, I'll bet. But keep reading.

For someone my size (5'5", mid-130s since weight loss), the TDEE calculators seem to estimate that the average woman will burn maybe 10 fewer calories daily each year I get older, at the same daily life activity level. Big whoop-ti-doo: If I can't counter that - at least until I reach a point of disability for some reason - I'm really not trying, frankly.

Some of that is likely the muscle loss the average person undergoes: If we're looking for 10 daily calories, let's say 1 calorie is that, on average (I'm making that number up, BTW). Regardless of whether that's how much comes from muscle loss, it doesn't take much decline in movement to account for the rest.

But 10 calories a day doesn't mean much, does it? Only 10 calories a day, so 10 x 365 calories a year . . . a pound a year weight gain. Ten pounds a decade. And that's without adding any other habits - eating more, sitting more, beyond the minimal 10 calories daily - that make things come out worse.

It's really not metabolism. Don't focus on metabolism. There's little to be gained there.

Focus on eating nutritiously at an appropriate calorie level, and doing that exercise (especially exercise that has the potential to increase muscle). And - especially - move more in daily life: It can make a surprisingly large difference, especially someone like you who's already doing a good bit of exercise.

On that last point, this thread has ideas about non-exercise ways to move more throughout the day: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss

I'm not sure how long you've been on your current exercise regimen, not just those activities but the current volume/intensity. If recent, you can be looking at some water weight masking fat loss, even if eating is on point. Also, there's decent research suggesting that a big increase in exercise volume/intensity can increase fatigue to the point that we subtly do less in daily life (rest more, sleep longer, less active in other ways), effectively offsetting some of the exercise calories, possibly even a lot of the exercise calories.

You have little control or influence over your "metabolism". You have nearly complete control over how much you eat, and how much you move. Those last are where your power exists: Use it.

P.S. Age 38 vs. early 30s? I'm 63. Oh, and hypothroid, if that matters (hint: It doesn't matter much).

P.P.S: I share the question/concern about whether you think you're gaining fat if you see a scale jump day to day when you go up from 1400 calories (which frankly I'd lose weight like a house afire at). If it's day to day "gain", not month to month, it's much more likely normal, healthy water weight fluctuations and digestive system contents. Neither of those latter are fat, so they're not worth worrying about.