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A Slow Metabolism - 1

J0399287 Do overweight people really have slow metabolisms? Many overweight people will say they do. Here’s a study that disputes it. The reality is we really can do something about our metabolism. Here are just a  few basics:

Get your thyroid checked but don’t depend on a doctor to always find it being slow. Try this in addition to your blood work.

You’ve heard this before but it’s a must, eat breakfast! When you don’t eat breakfast  you’ve already gone at least eight hours without food. Your body is already conserving calories because of the long overnight fast. You are literally encouraging your body to slow down its metabolism further by not eating until later in the day.

Eat enough food during the day so you use up the calories when you really need them for energy.

Many dieters still insist you must eat 1000 calories or less to lose weight. This only puts your body into starvation physiology promoting fat storage and slowing your metabolism down. Your body will learn to store calories when they are consumed rather than utilize. Use Nutrition Data's Daily Needs Calculator to determine your correct calories you need to lose weight.

Smaller and more frequent meals level out blood sugar and provide a steady source of energy  giving your metabolism a boost throughout the day. It also keeps you from getting overly hungry for the next meal.

Tomorrow I'll share a few more insights that you may not know about regarding metabolism.

read more articles like this: Blog posts by Elaine, Habits & Behavior
COMMENTS:

Posted by: Debbie | Nov 18, 2008 5:19:26 PM

I'm going to try this. I have been overweight all my life and I was confirmed to have a thyroid condition, which they stopped treating. They said I didn't have it any longer. I don't believe that. Thanks again for your insight.

Posted by: Erik | Nov 18, 2008 6:17:21 PM

I am glad you have mentioned the Daily Needs Calculator Elaine. I've checked other calculators online and they all can very by a few hundred calories. The one specifically I am referring to is listed on http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm#, which uses the Mifflin-St Jeor formula. Why is this the case and which one is most accurate? Mifflin-St Jeor formula? Harris-Benedict formula? Lean Mass formula? Thank you.

Posted by: Elaine Murphy | Nov 18, 2008 9:02:25 PM

Hi Erik, this is an excellent question and I honestly don't know how to answer it! There is a specific mathematical formula that calculates this and it should all come out the same but for some reason it doesn't. If you really want a good way to get a base line that's probably more accurate try
Hydrostatic underwater body fat testing. It will give you a more accurate reading for how many calories you really need to lose weight in addition to an accurate body fat percentage.

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