Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Wrong thoughts…wrong metabolism!

“Temporary or permanent?” of course the latter would be the most popular answer unless you are the type who is strangely inclined with quick-constant-changes in your life. In whatever field it is, people find security and stability in permanence. It is funny to think that in dieting however, they give in to short-term solutions.

These short-term solutions come in different ways such as skipping meals, working out with an empty stomach and so forth.

What are the most common metabolism malpractices?

Dieters only think of one factor affecting metabolism. There are different factors that lower or heightens metabolic rate like age, sex, sleeping habits, amount of muscle mass. The tendency for most of us wanting to lose weight is to get carried away with just one area of consideration. The most typical example is that he focuses on building muscles but neglect sleep. This is not a good way because it will not give positive outcomes.

Dieters just exercise for the fat zone. This thing does not sound new to us. Even gym instructors give this as an advice. So, the dieters think that doing this would really shape them up. The truth is, they need an over-all work out to maintain weight or even improve it to the level you want to.

Another big malpractice is when dieters restrict calories too much. For experts, when food goes down too low, metabolism slows down to create a balance inside for bodily activities. There is a big possibility that you lose weight, but this may come from wrong portions of the body like the muscles or organs. You just lose weight temporarily but in the long run, you will lose muscle mass, and eventually gain weight.

The worst malpractice is the use of diet pills to lose weight. Metabolism is greatly affected by this wrongdoing. They think that taking these pills would tame their appetite and lose weight. This is just for short-term results, you have to think of long-term wellness over a temporary rejoice.

You must put in mind that health will always be the most important one not only for diet-conscious individuals but for all people. Therefore, we must not be blinded with these glittering diet malpractices

Why are you skinny though you eat much?

There may be something of mystery to you. The situation is: you eat like hungry as a bear and think of no weight-loss programs because you do not need one since your body is like skin plus bone… In dieting, the concern of weight control is not the mere issue. There are individuals who wish to have rounder butt and not to walk like walking skeletal systems around.

Why do body shapes and sizes vary?

They vary because we have different metabolism or metabolic rates to be specific. Our age, sex, amount of muscle compared to fat, and the amount of exercise we do in our daily living are different and they are the determinants of metabolic rate. These things make our body shape different from each other too. It does not mean that if one looks thin, it means that she is so choosy when it comes to food. There are instances of genetic or hormonal factors affecting metabolism too. That is why it is a wonder for some when a person eats in tons but he or she stays slim.

If compared to females, males have higher metabolic rate to females because of testosterone or male hormones. As we know testosterone is responsible for all the so-called “manly matters” among the men’s physiological aspect. It includes the growth of muscles. And by nature, males are born with more muscles than females. This makes them have higher metabolic rates than the females who have estrogen and progesterone as sex hormones.

As to age, adults have lower metabolic rates than infants, children and teenagers. This is because of the fact that the latter age groups have more active growth hormones in their stage of life. Actually, research show that human growth hormone is not prescribed for matured adults because they will just suffer from negative consequences. This is only prescribed for children that are not of normal growing rate.

Is there also an increase of metabolic rates for females?

Women have higher metabolic rates when they are pregnant and more when they are breastfeeding. However, this plunges down when they menopause. For them to maintain higher-than-normal metabolic rates, daily exercise would be a huge help. Doing so would increase the amount of muscles so, metabolic rate is increased too.

Is exercising in the evening better than other times of the day?

It does not matter at all. No research neither studies shows that the time of the day affects the effect of the exercise to the body. Doing it whenever you are free and comfortable is always the best idea. Doing it three to five times a week would indeed give you better results.
Still bothered why your little-eater friend looks like as if he ate all the food you swallowed all these times? We hope that upon reading on you have realized the key points and hopefully do what is best for you to meet your metabolic rate needs in having the weight you have been waiting for.

Resting Metabolic Rate: It is metabolism that matters!

Having a tough time jumping up just to let those jeans fit your thighs? Before a housemate complains about the mild earthquakes you create, think of doing your part of making an effort to commence a better and healthier life for your very self. What about a diet? It does not mean that you will starve to death but you just have to take efforts to lose weight.

Weight loss is as confusing as buying goods in a busy marketplace. Too crowded with methods that come with too many promises, it boggles up your mind. These promises come with the best advertisements and testimonials. But, did you know that you have the entire control of your weight? Did you know that it is all about how to know your metabolism and calculate your RMR or Resting Metabolic Rate?

What is RMR?

It is the total rate used up by the body in using fuel or burning calories but at times that we are just not doing anything or while resting.

There are factors that affect our RMR. One of these is age. As we become older, our muscles deteriorate and it leads to lower RMR. As a result, aging is accompanied with gaining of weight.

Dieting or any form of doing exercise is not at all an assurance that one could effectively lose weight. We have short-term effects only but what about the long-term ones? We know for a fact that the latter is more important than the former. Weight loss may mean losing your muscles instead of losing your fats. Muscles are essential for metabolism, so you may just get the other-way-around results. Choosing a more effective exercise really matters. Weight lifting is commendable.

As you take steps in increasing your RMR, you are pushing your self on your way to a lighter weight and healthier life as a whole

Not That Low-Carb Diet!

Just before you think that low-carbohydrates diet would save you from getting fat, better think again and weigh things up for your self. There is indeed a misconception in the arena of dieting that one must get rid of the carbohydrates-rich food group. We just do not realize that these food included in carbohydrates’ circle are the major source of energy that we need to keep up with the hard work we do every day.

Did you now that this type of diet is only good for temporary purposes? On the other these low- carb diets even have long-term risks. They are so alarming but one need not panic- all you have to do is to start healthier this time around.
There is a risk of osteoporosis. Diets which are very high in protein like animal protein from meat heightens the risk for osteoporosis for women because the body takes calcium from the bone to neutralize the acids that build up in the blood as a result of digesting large amounts of protein.
In addition, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research, any low-carb diet which is low in fruits, vegetables and whole grains but high in animal foods increases the risk of acquiring kinds of cancers.
Low carb diets your body to take high fats. An international studies show that countries low rate of breast cancer, are countries that have high fat intakes while those with a high fat consumption have high rates. Diets which use high-fiber food are better and they would help to gradually overcome the risks of breast cancer.
The most alarming id the risk of heart diseases, yes it is. Over-consumption of saturated fat is a known risk factor for raised LDL cholesterol, heart disease and stroke.
This common misconception must be alternated by a new fact that for one to determine how to slim down or lose weight, metabolism affects how much a person could lose weight and not merely rely on the idea that ignoring rice, and all the nutrients they provide.

Murdering Metabolism: A crime against your body

For example, you are not consistent with dieting like you have been in and out of losing weight program, over the years; you gain and lose weight interchangeably. Has it something to do with ruining your diet? Does it mean a problem or just a common misconception?

It is nothing else but impossible. Diet could not be ruined. There may be noticeable shifts in the body composition that is regarded as one of the things people refer to when they talk about their metabolism being "ruined" by dieting but this is only a natural component the so-called “burning of calories.”

If one hopes to bring his or her metabolic rate up and soaring, one of the best things you can do is regain some of that lost muscle by adding weight training to your routine. With this, metabolism would be faster and attaining the lighter weight you have now is easier.

In the dieting world, this phenomenon of gain now, lose weight later is called “yo-yo” effect. There are specific positive actions you can make in order to work with any metabolic concern you may have as a result of your dieting history. Every person differs, so have the freedom and sensibility to gauge your needs and put into consideration all the factors especially how your metabolism is like.

Most people experiencing the trouble of the yo-yo effect have been trying to lose weight using a low-fat diet. However, this is not the correct approach. Low-fat diets are generally high in carbohydrate diets, and they just have this imaginary guarantee that your body will consistently give high levels of insulin. The fact is: the body does not burn fat when there are high levels of insulin.

The thought of metabolism being destroyed is of falsity. Metabolism is by fact, a phenomenon that starts in the womb and ends in the tomb. We just need to take good care of our health and see to it that our metabolic rate or metabolism as a whole is not unknown to us.

Through it, we could take strides to a life of good health and satisfaction. And we must be cautious in dieting or else…

Metabolic Rate and Its Effects on Metabolism

Have you ever asked your self if why your friend’s way of losing weight is seems not giving you half of the results she or he enjoys? It has something to do with your metabolic rate. This metabolic rate varies in every person and it means we need varied way of losing weight.

Metabolic rate is the rate at which our body burns calories to sustain life. Our body burns endlessly burn calories even if we are sleeping. Our muscles are responsible for burning down calories though we are not performing any physical activity. Muscles are called “metabolic reactive” because of the said qualities.

Age may determine differences in metabolic rate but there are others which the degree of influence is just not as much as other factors or determinants.

Stress is actually one of the lesser influential among all the factors. However, it does give a difference. Most people who are stressed out are more prone to slower metabolism. Stress disrupts some normal processes of the body. This makes them gain more weight faster than those who experience lesser stress. It is also true that people eat more when they are stressed or depressed. Eating serves as the catharsis for them.

In our endocrine system, a gland called “thyroid” is responsible for our weight and other bodily processes. This would mean that hormonal production especially involving the thyroid is sure to affect every person and thus, giving different effects to each. That is why people come in different metabolism and different sizes. Genes have something to do with it too.

Water intake is also a factor. Bodily processes are often involving the water portion of our body. This means that those who hydrate well have the chance to have faster metabolism than those who have lower levels. Inadequate water intake may impede body processes thus affecting one’s metabolic rate.

Of course, the food we eat is one of the strongest factors. The choice of food actually varies to one’s lifestyle. Most busy people are into fast food. This leads them to an unhealthy diet- giving then higher calorie intake compared to those who are into healthful food. More calories, slower metabolic rate- more weight to gain.

Activities involving the body are one of the top determinants of metabolic rate. There must be a balance between the food intake and the work you do. Though you eat food but the activities you do are not that beneficial to your wellness

According to experts, muscles are the biggest factor in a person’s metabolic rate. The more the muscular tissues are, the higher the metabolic rate would be. This makes people with more active muscle tissues lose weight faster than those who do not.

With these points, people must be aware of these factors so that it will be easier for them to work out on their target weight management and choose their own means of slimming down.

How to measure Our Metabolism

Advertising has been strong when it comes to losing weight products and services. Through this medium, people are becoming more interested and captivated with the promises and the assurances these ads hold. In this modern world, everything that meets the eye is marketable- sad to say.

We need not carried away with these commercials. Increasing your metabolism is the best means of doing so. You just need your self, and a little help from outside factors. The first step is to measure your metabolism.

How do we measure metabolism?
A metabolic test comes in two ways. The first method is direct calorimetry. This method measures the energy expended in the form of heat. The other one is indirect calorimetry, it measures the amount of oxygen consumed over a period of time. Traditionally used in hospital and research facilities due to the cost of the machine and the need for trained technicians.

What are the needed preparations for the test?
The aim of the test is to gauge the RMR or the Resting Metabolic Rate of an individual. Therefore, he or she needs to avoid eating a meal 1 and a half hours before the test, avoid exercising on the day of your test and avoid the use of stimulants such as caffeine on the day of the test.

What happens in the testing bed?
You will relax in a seated position; the doctor will ask you to do this. A mask or mouthpiece would be used and you have to breathe in there for ten to fifteen minutes. A report after the test would be printed out by the machine. The most important part is that you discuss the results with the doctor in order to come up with the next steps for your diet plans.

Would the test results be useful for good?
No. You have to retest after some time. Your RMR and your total metabolism changes through time. Change in any element of your lifestyle would directly affect the result. For you to keep a track of your metabolic rate, seek help from a doctor.
There is a need for one person to give value to his metabolism because it will not just decide your size but it will have an impact on your lifestyle and on your entire life.