METABOLISM
Your Metabolic Rate is how fast your body burns energy and will impact your ability to gain or lose weight.
Here are some facts about metabolism:
1) Age- After the age of 30 one’s metabolism typically will start to slow down. This is partially due to the fact that after 30 we tend to lose muscle mass and gain more fat stores. To help keep your body burning the same amount of calories you can maintain muscle mass by doing weight-bearing exercises.
2) Aerobic Exercise- Daily exercise will not only burn more calories, but it can increase your resting energy expenditure (your base metabolism). Recommendations for adults are 150 minutes/week of cardio-vascular (aerobic) exercise along with strength training at least twice/week.
3) Sleep- Aim for at least 7 hours of sleep/night. Getting inadequate sleep disrupts hormonal levels. The hormones that control hunger (Gherlin) and satiety (Leptin) may become out of balance with inadequate sleep. This can cause you to have cravings throughout the day or impact your sense of fullness. If you are someone who snores you may want to get tested for SLEEP APNEA, as this sleep-depriving condition has been directly correlated with weight gain.
4) Stress- When one is under a great deal of stress the adrenal gland releases a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is a fat-storing hormone and can cause weight gain around the mid-section. To relax try exercise, yoga, daily meditation or deep breathing.
5) Hydration- Drink liquids. It’s recommended that you consume 8 cups of liquid/day.
6) Diet- It’s very tempting to restrict calories or skip meals when attempting to lose weight. However, this may actually backfire by slowing down your metabolism, as your body seeks to conserve calories.
7) Medications- some medications may promote weight gain, or make it difficult to lose weight. Some medications used for bipolar disorder, depression or anxiety can make losing weight more difficult. If you feel your medication may effect your weight, speak with your physician or nutritionist to see if there is a substitute. Steroids, beta blockers, seizure medications and some diabetic drugs may also be a culprit.
8) Illness- Certain conditions, like hypothyroidism, can make losing weight more difficult. If your thyroid gland is not producing enough hormone, this may be slowing down your metabolism. For anyone taking thyroid replacement, such as Synthroid, Levothyroxine or Levoxyl, be sure to get your TSH tested to make sure your levels are adequate. For men a low testosterone level may also have a similar effect on metabolism. If you have been trying to lose weight with no success, and suspect one of these issues to be your problem, speak with your physician so you may be screened for these conditions.