Is there such a thing as a high- or low-metabolism and can it effect your weight?

Question:

You often hear people blaming their metabolism for the fact that they are over-weight. Is there any basis of truth in this excuse?

Physics taught me that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another.

So, if two people are eating the same number of calories (and do the same amount of exercise), but one is getting fat (because of a problem with their metabolism) and the other isn't, then how is the fat person managing to do the same amount of work using less energy - thus allowing them to store the excess energy as fat?

Answers:
'Metabolism' just means 'things going on in your body'. Rapid metabolism always produces heat as a by-product, just like 'work' does in physics.

Unfortunately doctors tend to confuse people by grossly simplifying WHAT goes on in your body.

Fat storage is a 'metabolic' process; if your metabolism is fast, you will store more fat. Fortunately, the things that increase your 'metabolism' most, will use up some of the storable fat, so there is less to store !

The most 'metabolic' portion of your body is your musculature, although your Liver does a wider range of metabolic tasks. (the liver can convert sugar into fat, BUT ONLY A LIMITED AMOUNT, so you DO NOT "store the excess energy as fat".

One problem with the Diet/Exercise simplification, is that the 'calories' (energy) you eat are not available to use (or store) in your body UNLESS YOU ABSORB THEM THROUGH YOUR GUT. (**** contains calories that haven't been absorbed; dried **** can be burnt, and is used as fuel in some cultures, although usually it's from livestock rather than humans).

Digestion, absorption, and transport of food are all 'metabolic' processes. After you have eaten, your temperature goes up ('thermogenesis') because you are processing the absorbed portion of the food, and moving the unabsorbed food along your gut.

A popular diet (the T-factor diet, book by Martin Katahn) was based on the various 'thermogenic' (ie. metabolic) effects of different foods.

A common metabolic effect is Anxiety-related Weight Loss, where stress will cause rapid changes. These happen when the muscles (all of them) are more tense because of constant adrenaline production, which also affects appetite AND the gut reactions needed to absorb nutrients. So more fuel (mostly fat because the tension is constant and gentle, rather than forceful) is being used, less is being eaten, and a smaller proportion of the nutrients are available. This can all happen without you noticing any difference in your behaviour, unless the stress becomes severe.

The body is operating 24 hours a day, and your CONSCIOUS movement is only a small fraction of your total activity. Hormonal patterns, such as a low or high Thyroid output, have an effect on ALL of your body systems, including motivation. That means you can try hard to overcome the pattern (you still produce adrenaline when thyroid is low, but it takes more effort to do it), but your body will make it even more difficult to remain motivated (it thinks you're dangerously overworking yourself).

The only simple truth is that everybody operates in a slightly different way. 'Metabolism' is something that we all have, and we can raise or lower (like blood pressure). That IS more difficult for some than for others, but it is not 'THE ANSWER' or 'THE PROBLEM' for anybody.

Your body expends energy at rest. A lot of that energy winds up as heat you have to get rid of. Some people burn of a lot of calories that way; some don't. Low metabolism is often an excuse. Sometimes it's real.

You are supposing the the fatter person is doing the same amount of work using less energy.. If it was the same amount of work, the energy used would have to be the same. If a fat person and a thin person both lifted a cement block, how could the fat person use LESS energy?

I have very high metabolism, and have never weighed over 165# at 5'10". And I eat like a horse. Really po'd my ex..

yes

yes, some people have faster metabolisms than other people. metabolism is primarily regulated by your thyroid gland, and if you have a sluggish thyroid, you tend to gain weight MUCH easier than someone with a very active thyroid.

your last paragraph is highly flawed. first of all, the same number of calories is one thing, but a lot also depends on the source of these calories, i.e. from which macronutrient(s) are these calories derived? also, "the same amount of exercise" doesn't really mean much, as people with different metabolisms will burn calories at different rates, and caloric burn also depends on a variety of other factors, including weight, amount of lean muscle mass (LMM burns more calories per pound than fat does), age, etc. so really, it's the proverbial comparing of apples to oranges.the 2 simply aren't necessarily the same.

but to answer your question, yes, there can be huge differences in people's metabolic rates. but to a certain degree, you can change your metabolism. if you have a genuine thyroid disorder, medication may be required but lifestyle/nutrition changes can GREATLY change your metabolism, either for the good or for the bad.

i think you mean fast or slow. yes people are different

The thyroid gland controls your metabolism. When mine went overactive i lost a stone in a week, and i subconsciously ate more to compensate for the loss. When i had treatment my metabolism slowed down and i put on loads of weight.
Now my thyroid is controlled - this is making it difficult for me to lose the weight i put on when it was underactive, neither exercise or dieting help.
So, in answer to your question, yes, there is truth in that statement.

Hi,
I've tried all different diets, and the weight loss is only temporary. I finally tried diet pills on the market are made from Hoodia. I saw this stuff on ABC News. It's all natural and safe, and it works! My wife took it for a month and dropped 20 pounds. I took it for a month and lost about 13 (but I didn't exercise).

I bought the natural hoodia from this website: http://www.alllsite.info/free-diet-pills. . I checked the web site address so I can post it here and I saw they're running a promotion now to get a free 2 week sample for only $4.97! I'm going to order this supply for my wife and give it to her for Christmas =)

Yes it is to do with your metabolism and yes your thyroid controls that, but after that i'm confused. I have had it explained to me at the dr's but it seems to change like the wind. All I know is that I am slightly overweight and have an enlarged thyroid gland and that they are connected; I excercise regularly and eat extremely healthily (boring huh) and am still a size 14\16, how frustrating is that. Trust me there is nothing worse than people blaming their weight on their thyroid when they haven't even been tested. Hashimotos disease 14years and wish it didn't exist! Bah humbug!

No but you can make it burn more calories faster by exercising

Is there such a thing as a high- or low-metabolism and can it effect your weight?

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