Notices

Get your Metabolism going

Old 04-05-2010, 07:01 PM
  #11  
FitDay Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 3
Default Increasing metabolism

There are many ways to increase your metabolism. I'll list a few that are really up there. First of all you have to make sure that you get enough water, at least 2 liters on your days off and 3-4 liters on your workout days. Water makes your kidneys work more which means you are burning more calories. Get at least 25 g of fiber from oats, fruits and veggies to clean your colon, having a clean colon also helps you in many ways. I used to drink 1.5 liters of water first thing in the morning, it's called water therapy and is very good for you...if you do the water therapy you will notice a big change with in a month. Consume at least 1 g of protein per pound of body weight...i take around 1.5 g of protein...protein has thermic effects which aids in burning fat and maintaining muscle. Instead of eating 2 big meals a day, split them up into 6 meals a day so it's easier on the system and it will increase your metabolism. You should stop eating 1.5-2 hours before hitting the bed (unless your trying to gain weight) because your metabolism system is slower when your sleeping and what ever you eat right before bed gets stored as fat. Avoid consuming too much carbohydrates. Carbs from veggies, whole wheat, fruits, etc are actually good but they can also be very dangerous...people think eating whole wheat foods will help them loose fat but carbs are like fuel and any fuel that is not used up will be stored as fat. Last but not least you have to workout (cardio and strength training) at least 3 times a week and for the love of god don't cut your calories (i can elaborate more on that, ask if you're interested). All of the above are kinda intimidating in the beginning but once you get a hang of it and make it your lifestyle then it's very easy.

I am not a nutritionist or a doctor. Just like one of you who has seen some great results. Some of the information above may not suit you or you might not agree with but that's your opinion. Everything that i have mentioned i have researched on and heard from friends of mine who are personal trainers.


Dedication is the key.
xxtacy69 is offline  
Old 04-06-2010, 04:10 AM
  #12  
FitDay Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Central NY
Posts: 31
Default

and for the love of god don't cut your calories...
Please explain this...

All weight loss boils down to the simple idea that calories out has to be greater then calories in. There are not magic food combinations or magic eating times that will lead to weight loss.

Although is sounds like you are already set to not have your opinions debated, I would ask that you post the links that support the information that you are posting above. I am willing to do as such with my assertion if you so choose.

Last edited by glenn1978; 04-07-2010 at 12:10 AM. Reason: expanded comment
glenn1978 is offline  
Old 04-07-2010, 01:24 PM
  #13  
FitDay Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 3
Default

Originally Posted by glenn1978
Please explain this...

All weight loss boils down to the simple idea that calories out has to be greater then calories in. There are not magic food combinations or magic eating times that will lead to weight loss.

Although is sounds like you are already set to not have your opinions debated, I would ask that you post the links that support the information that you are posting above. I am willing to do as such with my assertion if you so choose.
Sorry, let me clarify that. What i mean by "don't cut your calories" is that don't eat less. Most people eat less and workout to loose fat, they do loose fat but they also end up loosing quiet a bit of muscle mass. So, to sum it up...consume the required calories to maintain weight and then do a nice session of cardio to create the deficit. I would post the links but i got them from many different websites so if you want to know something that is confusing you or you don't agree with then ill be more than happy to post that link.
xxtacy69 is offline  
Old 04-07-2010, 11:19 PM
  #14  
FitDay Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Central NY
Posts: 31
Default

that makes sense...people who just go and drop their calories do run the risk of losing muscle. There are some that can be done to insure the loss of muscle is kept to a minimum though. If you are going to gut your overall calories you need to insure that you get at least 1g of protien per lb of lean body mass per day, and you have to maintain a weekly routine of lifting. By doing this your are pushing your body to retain its muscle mass while giving it the building blocks to maintain your muscle structure.

If you fail to do this you do run a significant chance of losing muscle mass. By doing this though you can reduce your calories down (by eating less or doing more cardio) and not run the risk of a lot of muscle.
glenn1978 is offline  
Old 04-09-2010, 05:31 AM
  #15  
FitDay Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 576
Default

If only it were so simple as calories in vs. calories out. The problem with this model is that it fails to account for complex bodily functions that use the nutrients we put into them.

For example, sugars and starches are used for quick fuel and take priority over fat. Soluble fiber is absorbed into the blood, latches on to cholesterol and is excreted in the bile. Insoluble fiber on the other hand, "scrubs" the colon clean.
Protein is used to build muscle and is not ideally suited to be used as fuel. If you absorb too much protein, you are more likely to excrete it in urine than convert it to bodyfat.
Finally, there is fat, which may be the most complex nutrient to describe. Each fatty acid is a biochemical with specific modes of action in the body. In general, though, medium-chain saturated fat is the type of fat most easily burnt as fuel. This is found largely in coconut oil. Beyond that, longer chain saturated fats are preferentially stored as body fat (for insulation against cold weather), O-3 fats increase nervous system and cardiovascular health by making cell membranes less "sticky," and O-6 fats cause the type of chronic inflammation that can lead to heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc.

So you need a balance of all things. I'll take another post to get to the metabolism bit. Oh, and for the last time, saturated fat DOES NOT clog your arteries and give you heart disease! (See "Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease" by Siri-Tarino et al. if you have doubts)

-Nik
tandoorichicken is offline  
Old 04-09-2010, 06:07 AM
  #16  
FitDay Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 576
Default

As to how to increase metabolism, maybe first we should look at when it slows down. First, when you eat very little, and second, when you become sedentary. When both these things happen, your metabolism goes WAY down. When you do each of these things in isolation, your metabolism still slows down, but not nearly as much.

Now, do I think you need to space out 4-6 meals a day? No. I think that if you force yourself to eat when you're not hungry, you're just asking your body to store it as fat. Hunger is a mechanism by which your body tells you needs more fuel. It's kind of like a shipping warehouse. Once the clerk finishes clearing all the boxes he'll put in an order for more. But if you deliver more boxes than he can clear he'll have to put some of them in the backup lot on the other side of town. Sure, he can still ship the boxes out of there, but it takes more time and effort, and the fresh boxes coming in take priority. He gets severely backlogged; you get fat.

As for the timing of nutrients, remember that with breakfast you're literally breaking the fast of 7-10 hours of NO EATING. Your metabolism naturally slows to a crawl when you're asleep. The best way to "jumpstart" your morning metabolism is to give it a kick in the pants with easily digestible, easily absorbed sugar and starch, accompanied by a caffeine jolt if that's your style. I usually take cooked whole oats with a spoonful maple syrup and black coffee.
Likewise, at night, you want to prepare your body for optimal sleep. This means avoiding stimulating foods like sugar and starch. The last thing you want when you're falling asleep is a large insulin spike that can interfere with the hormonal cascade that helps you relax. If I happen to eat a lot of sugary/starchy food the previous night I'll sometimes wake up with a "carb hangover." So, usually I'll have something more fatty at night, like a couple eggs, some fish, and side of veggies cooked in coconut oil.

Finally, it's important to realize that combinations of certain nutrients also play a role. For example, eating protein with carbs takes advantage of the insulin spike to help absorb more protein, because protein alone has a tough time being absorbed from the intestine. Also, eating protein with fat also increases protein absorption, but with a more gradual rise in insulin.

However, eating carbs and fat together is troublesome because insulin stores away the fat as its busy burning the sugar. From a biochemistry standpoint this makes sense, because since carbs are the preferred fuel source, you don't want all that fat floating around in your blood as your body is burning off the carbs, but it is this same mechanism that leads to fat storage. It is also this combination of nutrients that is most common in the typical American diet: ice cream, pizza, doughnuts, frappes, buttered baked potatoes, French fries.

So as you can see, a bit more complicated than calories in vs. calories out. I know it's a lot to take in but I hope it's helpful!

Good luck on your journeys,

-Nik
tandoorichicken is offline  
Old 04-09-2010, 07:26 AM
  #17  
FitDay Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Central NY
Posts: 31
Default

wow i must be a odd ball then ...I have not timed a single meal or snack. I eat and perform cardio to maintain a consistant caloric deficit below my BMR. In doing so I have consistantly lost 1.8 lbs per week for the last 5 months. It didn't matter if I ate right before bed, ate all of my calories in one sitting, or perfectly mapped them out, I still lost weight at the same rate.

Can you point me to any studies or articles that will back up some of the stuff you are laying out. It seems that the laws of thermodynamics would take precedence over what time I eat something. In that, if it takes 3000 calories to run my body and I only eat 2000, it would be impossible for my body to then convert enegy into storage seeing as it still needs 1000 calories to operate.

Last edited by glenn1978; 04-09-2010 at 07:40 AM.
glenn1978 is offline  
Old 04-09-2010, 07:39 AM
  #18  
FitDay Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Central NY
Posts: 31
Default

just so I don't come across as totally disagreeing with you, I agree that there are combinations of food consumption that will lead to differing results. After my lifting sessions, I make sure to mix my carbs and protein in a way that will result in the maximum amount of protein absorbtion.

I just don't put a lot of stock in meal timing.
glenn1978 is offline  
Old 04-09-2010, 08:34 AM
  #19  
FitDay Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 576
Default

Thanks for your reply, Glenn.

I just want to point out that I don't space 4-6 meals a day at specific intervals according to a clock like undoubtedly some do. I know that a lot of people in the fitness community (esp bodybuilders) will swear by this, and maybe it works for them.

I eat when I'm hungry, usually for me that means about two "meals" a day with some intermittent grazing on nuts, seeds, jerky and green tea throughout the day.

My main point wrt timing is that I gradually transition from more carb-centric eating in the morning (when I need to wake my brain up) to more fat-centric eating at night (when I need to stock up for my night "fast"). Insulin sensitivity declines at night as part of the circadian cycle where your body is preparing for sleep. Thus clearing glucose from the bloodstream at night puts more stress on the body. This is the only form of "timing" that I practice.

Regarding thermodynamics, you're right. In a sense, calories in vs. calories out has merit. You can't break physical axioms. However, the tricky part is determining calories out. There's no way to know for sure. A neutral basal metabolic rate (BMR) is about 2000 calories per day. Depending on how you eat and how much sleep you get, and how active you are, that number could fluctuate anywhere between 1200 to 3000 calories per day. And it can vary day-to-day. So it's a bit of a red herring to try to pin down the calories out part of the equation. You really do have to focus on

(1) How you're eating - types of foods, taking advantage of synergistic foods, "timing" to a certain extent;
(2) How you're sleeping - 7-9 hours, deep, restful; also depends on what you ate and how recently you ate it before sleeping;
(3) How active you are - sedentary vs. active, plus adequate time for rest and recovery, i.e., not overly active

There's nothing wrong with axioms. One must just be careful to apply them properly.

-Nik
tandoorichicken is offline  
Old 04-09-2010, 09:21 AM
  #20  
FitDay Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 576
Default

Just a few studies, since they were asked for. If you Google them you should be able to find abstracts.

(1) Stamatakis et al. "Effects of sleep fragmentation on glucose metabolism in normal subjects" - Most Americans don't get good quality sleep as it is. Getting adequate rest can mitigate some of the insulin-related night-time deficiencies.

(2) Dos Santos et al. "Daytime variations in glucose tolerance in people with impaired glucose tolerance" - The abstract states that glucose tolerance in the evening is lowered even in normal glucose-tolerant subjects

(3) Morgan et al. "Circadian aspects of postprandial metabolism" - Finally, this study lends some credence to nutrient timing as it relates to natural rhythms.

The body is an outstanding piece of machinery and can adapt and work with whatever you give it for the short term, though in the long term, it's probably better not to stress it out too much. That's pretty much my rationale.
tandoorichicken is offline  

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2021 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.