We all know people who can handle a third helping of chicken wings and seem to be unphased while the salad eater struggles to shed a pound. The answer is way more complicated than the one meal but the sentiment has some truth to it. Genetically, our bodies have differences in the quantity of energy we extract from our diets and also the amount of energy our bodies need daily. This variance is also impacted by everything from our age and gender to the quality of our diet and our overall health. Metabolism is the catch-all term which covers all the chemical reactions which relate to the acquisition of energy and materials and their wide uses throughout the whole body.
The Metabolism let down
Sadly though, the big factor ends up being what you were born with and for the most part regardless of whether you start with a fast metabolism or a slow one, it’s going to get slower as you age and most actions that impact your metabolism do little to swing the needle in a way that affects your waistline. It’s a tough thing to acknowledge since for those not blessed with a pizza burning chromosome, the metabolism seems to be working against your efforts of weight loss rather than helping it.
The finish line is the same – There might be a speed limit
All is not lost though. People can and do lose weight and many manage to even successfully keep it off. It’s not impossible and with enough will power, it’s not even improbable. Knowing that your metabolism is roughly static and designed to move you up in weight rather than down means you have identified a big hurdle on your long term goal. Losing weight in extreme fashion might be the dream but it’s not healthy and your metabolism is the first one who protests (maybe after your stomach!). Slow weight loss in a controlled manner is the way to truly achieve meaningful long term results. So it takes 6 months rather than 6 weeks – so what! It’s a lot longer but hitting your goals and living a fuller life for the rest of your life is worth the extra time. The benefit hasn’t changed – it just means you absolutely need to go slow in your pursuit.
Knowledge is Power: How your Metabolism Works
Understanding how your metabolism works is also not a complete waste of time. There are key features to how your body uses the different fuel types and during different phases which may help unlock some strategies for shedding fats. Before we can try to open these opportunities, we need a basic understanding of what processes are going on.
First is to understand there are 2 basic phases which make up your metabolism and those are the ANABOLIC which builds up cells using bio-materials and CATABOLIC which breaks cells (including food and body cells) into basic bio-materials for usage in bodily functions including those anabolic functions. Interestingly, the building of fat cells and muscle cells are both anabolic and generally happen in a similar way just using different materials and obviously with a different purpose in mind. When energy levels are high, cells are built up through anabolic processes and when energy levels are low, catabolic processes are put into action to break down cells to bring energy back.
More Fuel for now and Less for the future
The next thing to understand is that the basic bio-materials that end up being broken down and then utilized in cell building can be grouped into 3 forms: Glucose which are the quick energy drivers; Amino Acids which are the base form for proteins (cell builders); and fatty acids which are ideal for heating your body – and is a better storage format for long term energy than glucose. Glucose which is the most energy ready source can be synthesized by the liver using amino acids but due to the limit which the liver can hold (roughly 100g), there is only roughly 12 hours worth of body operational energy available to be used from this source. After this energy source is exhausted, the body needs to find an alternative source of energy which can cause you feeling hungry (through a series of hormonal changes) encouraging you to eat. If glucose isn’t readily available from your food sources, then the body flips to utilizing your longer term sources of energy from cellular forms like fat, muscle tissue, bone to provide energy. Of the cellular forms, fat provides the biggest boost of energy so will most likely be the first to be tapped.
The Silver Lining
So all these little factoids lead to a possible strategy to target fat in your slow and steady weight descent. By eating at least 4 hours before sleeping and then sleeping 8 hours, by the time you wake up, you would have virtually drained your glycogen stores from your liver. Your body is basically ready to burn an alternative source of energy and will send out the call for you to deliver – if food is not ready to metabolize then the body needs to start getting it’s energy from elsewhere. Fat burning should start to happen at this point. Hydrate and avoid high sugar meals during the morning hours and you should keep burning fat for a few hours. Even if you happen to run a calorie overage through the rest of the day and rebuild the fat, that process of transforming one state to another takes energy so the net amount of fat on your body should in theory be a little less.
To recap:
- Eat a 4 hours before sleeping letting your body finish the anabolic phase and move on to the catabolic phase
- Follow this up with a fast (while you sleep counts!) allowing your body to use the glycogen stores from your liver
- Have a breakfast that is low in accessible sugars to continue encouraging your body to utilize your fat stores as a fuel source
Some things to consider: if your body can’t immediately (<3hrs) utilize the glucose it gains from metabolizing your food, then it pushes those into long term storage (fat!). This means you should either be upping your activity levels (exercise until you feel tired).
Eating Right is still the key here to balancing your calorie intake with your body’s energy needs but there might be something to timing the inputs/demands of your bodily system that could help you reach your goals.
