How Fast is Your Engine Running? Individual Metabolism Uncovered
by John Fairchild
Ever wonder why so many "dieters" go on several diets a year? When will they find that magic formula? When will they find the plan they can stick with for the long haul? Jumping from diet to diet due to the lack of variety, hard to follow meal plans, not getting the guaranteed results and the lack of motivation can alter a one's metabolism greatly. This meltdown of metabolism can hinder future diet strategies. This may keep these people consistently on the look out for that next great successful diet.
This brings us to what exactly is individual metabolism. Metabolism is how food is converted into energy. Our body uses this energy to sustain the function of our vital systems such as breathing, brain activity, pumping blood, cell division, regulating body temperature, digestion, filtration, excretion, rebuilding, growth and much more.
Food is our fuel to make our system work functionally. If we don't supply the body with what it needs it will slow down its' function (metabolism) to survive. When we go on a starvation diet, typically lower than 500-1000 calories per day lower than our needs, we interfere with our metabolism. Controlling our Metabolism is one of the greatest tools for weight loss. Metabolism is not to be judged as being good or poor (as some might say " My metabolism is shut down."), it is as individual as our fingerprint.
The first thing we need to do is to determine what our Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR) is. This is the amount of calories (fuel) that our body needs to maintain an everyday healthy function in a resting state. BMR is like a car engine in idle. It is running but the workload is minimal. There is a basic formula for this:
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )
Example:
Male age 40
165 lbs.
5' 8 " (68 inches)
66 + 1027.95 + 863.60 - 272 = BMR is 1685.55 calories per day
This is just the amount of calories the body needs at complete rest without any stimuli such as standing, visual disturbances, auditory disturbances and digestion. BMR increases by the amount of lean muscle tissue one has, the amount of cardiovascular work being done, their build (taller people have a higher metabolism), temperature (cold climate -fever) and the body's hormonal system. BMR decreases with age and the loss of lean muscle tissue.
There are a few other factors needed in order to find out the maintenance level of our bodyweight. BMR is the first component of the total equation. BMR accounts for 60-75% of our total calories needed per day. The next component is our physical activity. Our physical activity is responsible for another 15-30% of our calorie needs (see activity factor chart below). Third, we use calories to chew, digest and convert food to energy. This process is responsible for 5-15% of our calorie needs. And finally our genetics are responsible for another 5%.
Example:
Same person as above
1. BMR = 1685.55
2. Moderate exercise program 4 times a week and active work/home environment
Activity Factor Chart
Sedentary Lifestyle = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, office job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise 1-3 days/wk)
Moderate active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (more intense exercise or sport 6-7 days/wk)
Extreme active = BMR X 1.9 (high intensity daily exercise/sport & physical job or multiple training, i.e. marathon, triathlon, body building, football etc.)
1.55 x 1685.55 =
2612.60
3. Effect of food intake. Eat 6 meals/snacks a day (10%) - we will use our BMR as our intake number (if you eat more than this number will be higher.
1685.55 x 10% = 168.55 + 2612.6 =
2781.15
4. Genetics. 1685.55 x 5% = 84.28 + 2781.15 =
2865.43 total calories needed per day to maintain weight if active lifestyle remains constant.
Don't worry if this all seems complicated. There is a medical devise (MedGem) that will do this for you, which will be discussed later. There are some web sites that have free calculators for finding a general BMR available with no obligation such as: www.weightlosscoaching.org/weightlosshomepage/interactivecalculators.html
Let's say this person wants to lose weight. We now know that 2865.43 calories a day will keep this person at his current weight of 165 lbs.
To lose one pound of weight the body needs to have a deficit of about 3500 calories. This would equate to -500 calories each day for a week. 500 x 7 = 3500. His new intake would be 2865.43 - 500 = 2365.43 calories per day. He would also have the choice to burn off 200 extra calories per day and only dropping 300 from his food intake. This light decrease in his caloric intake would not affect his metabolism.
Lets look at it from another standpoint. His hourly BMR is about 70 (1685.55 divided by 24) calories an hour. If he would cut his calories down to 1500 per day it could affect up to 20% of his metabolism. This would put his body at a 56 calorie an hour rate (1344 calories a day). Although he cut his calories by 1365.43 his metabolism slowed down by 341.55 calories per day (BMR was 1685.55 - 1344 new BMR). This would now put him at a caloric deficit of 1023.88 calories per day (calories cut 1365.43 - 341.55 metabolism decrease).
At 1023.88 less calories per day this would seem like a great weight loss plan. Since he is an active person his body will have a hard time keeping up with this low caloric intake. The more severe the dietary restriction, the less effect his training will have on using fat as a fuel source. He may also experience fatigue, headaches and lack of sustained energy. These symptoms will inhibit a sufficient workout thus resulting in burning fewer calories at each workout. The body will also have a difficult time rebuilding lean muscle tissue, which is a great tool to increase your overall metabolism. Dietary intake seems to be needed for exercise and activity to stimulate metabolism. Adequate food intake will always compliment a workout and the body will use the proper energy states during and after the workout.
He would probably not be able to sustain this low caloric intake for long. When he goes back to his regular eating habits his metabolism will take a while to get back to normal resulting in a caloric intake above his previous maintenance level. This explains some of the yo-yo weight loss dieting issues we have today.
The above-mentioned formulas are general and are known to be accurate for about 20% of the population. There are more precise portable measuring tools you can use to get your individual measurement. Some hospitals and gyms will have what is termed a MedGem. This is a breathing device that measures your consumption of oxygen, our metabolic fuel. This is the best number to know if you are trying to lose/gain weight. Trying to manage your weight without an accurate BMR is like balancing a checkbook without keeping tabs on your spending.
In summary, know where your caloric intake needs to be before you can start a realistic and successful plan. To schedule a MedGem appointment contact John Fairchild @ kickaerobox@yahoo.com
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