FIT FOR PURPOSE
  • Home
  • Weight Loss Coaching
  • Blog
  • weight loss course
  • About
  • Contact
Picture

health coach blog

METABOLISM & weight loss

4/11/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture

Do you blame your metabolism for  your propensity to gain weight when you look at a cheeseburger? You may actually be right. Your metabolism decides how efficiently you torch calories and use energy stores. But don't fret. You can change your metabolic rate! To make more effective change it's important you understand the basics of how your body uses food for energy.

Definition
Metabolism is “the processes that occur within a living organism to maintain life.” It is the process of cells creating energy. How do they do this? You may remember from high school biology the terms “glycolysis,” “Krebs Cycle” (aka TCA or CAC cycle) and “Electron Transport Chain.” In case you don’t remember what actually happens in these processes I’ll give you a high level view.
When you eat protein it’s broken down to amino acids. These amino acids are then used in the Krebs cycle to create energy. Protein is also used to create muscle, enzymes and antibodies.
When you eat fat it’s converted to fatty acids and glycerol through the digestive process. It then goes through a process called oxidation in your mitochondria that creates fatty acid acetyl CoA which can be used in the Krebs Cycle to create energy. Fat is also used for hormone production, energy storage and assists protein in its functions.
Carbohydrates are broken down to glucose through digestion or stored as glycogen in the liver. The glucose that’s not being stored is further broken down and then used in the Krebs Cycle for energy. Carbohydrates are almost exclusively used for energy but can be converted to fat for energy storage. It can be stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles for release when you need some extra energy.

HOW TO IMPROVE METABOLISM

Nutrigenomics
When your body is very efficient as using the food you eat for energy you don’t store as much as fat. Your metabolism is somewhat determined by genetics but there’s good news- you can promote the expression of your helpful genes and turn down the expression of your “bad” genes through lifestyle changes. A newer field of genetics called “nutrigenomics” which is the study of how your genes are impacted by what you eat has consistently shown it’s possible to change genetic expression through what you eat. To promote your good genes to express themselves (control your energy use) you should eat more vegetables! Can it really be that simple? Eat at minimum 5 servings of vegetables every day.

Thyroid
Your thyroid is another big impactor of metabolism. You can support your thyroid to function at its best through other lifestyle factors. These include:
  • Sleep 7-9 hours every night
  • Exercise
  • Drink water
  • Avoid becoming insulin resistant 

Basal Metabolic Rate and Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the amount of energy your body uses at rest. It’s just the amount of energy your body needs for necessary functioning (heart beating, brain function, breathing, etc.). If you want to calculate your BMR you can google “BMR calculator” and find one that does this for you. If you’re a pen and paper kind of person you can use this formula if you’re a woman:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) – 161
And this formula if you’re a man:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) + 5
To make weight loss easier or weight gain more difficult you can increase your BMR by gaining skeletal muscle. Making more muscle and using those muscles will create an increase in energy expenditure.
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the amount of energy your body uses for all of your needed functions to survive as well as your typical activity throughout the day. You can also easily find an online calculator to figure out a rough estimate of your TDEE.
To increase your TDEE you have to move your body more. Spend more energy throughout the day and your TDEE goes up.

Microbiome
Scientists have made the discovery that people with a normal weight have different bacteria in their gut than people who are overweight. This is a very new field of study so we’re not sure yet how we can use this information to help with weight loss but we do know that taking care of gut bacteria is important. Luckily, this doesn’t really complicate matters because the behaviors that improve your BMR, TDEE and general health also improve your microbiome. Other things you can include are:
  • Avoid unnecessary antibiotics
  • Eat a fiber rich diet
  • Avoid artificial sweeteners and sugar
  • Consume at least 30 different kinds of fruits and vegetables per week

Lifestyle
How you live life can have a HUGE impact on how efficiently your body functions. Taking care of your body will only work in your favor when you’re trying to lose weight. I cannot emphasize lifestyle changes enough! Your life should include these things:
  • Sufficient sleep
  • Regular exercise
  • Stress management
  • Fun (hobbies, laughing with friends, etc.)
  • Hydrate with water
  • Eat whole foods
  • Avoid sugar
 
Don’t you feel relieved to know there are things you can control about your metabolism? I’ve created a whole weight loss course to teach you how to think, eat and live to achieve a healthy weight.

You’ll get 7 learning modules plus 2 bonus modules as well as a >70 page workbook. The learning modules will teach you valuable information and the workbook helps you apply the knowledge to make the needed changes for weight loss. I’ll be available to answer any questions you may have along the way on a couple zoom calls (dates and times TBD). Don’t worry- if you can’t make it to the zoom calls can email me your questions and listen to the recording of the call later. You’ll also have access to exclusive coaching hours reserved only for my weight loss course participants.

During the weight loss course I teach you to build your meals using The FFP Method. This meal building method promotes overall health, optimizes your metabolism and hormones and is practical for use in everyday life. There are no rigid meal plans, forbidden foods, calculations or counting. I include a 2 week meal plan to get you well on your way to perfecting your meal building skills.
Enrollment only lasts one week (closes 4/18) so if you’re interested head over to my website to read more about the course and enroll!
0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    2021
    Affirmations
    All-or-nothing
    Anti Inflammatory Foods
    Anti-inflammatory Foods
    Antioxidant
    Appetite Control
    Appetizer
    Autoimmune
    Back To School
    Balance
    Begin
    Benefits Of Exercise
    Blood Pressure
    Blood Sugar
    Blood Sugar Curve
    BMI
    BMR
    Body Confidence
    Bone Health
    Breakfast
    Brown Fat
    Candy
    Celiac Disease
    Challenge
    Change
    Cholesterol
    Community
    Confidence
    Cravings
    Diabetes
    Diet Comparisons
    Diet Cycle
    Dream
    Easy Button
    Eating Out
    Emotional Intelligence
    Energy Burn
    Epigenetics
    Estrogen
    Extreme Calorie Restriction
    Faith
    Fast Food
    Fasting
    Fat
    Father's Day
    Fitness
    Focus
    Food Swaps
    Freedom
    Free Radicals
    Gift Of Health
    Gluten
    Goals
    Gratitude
    Grill
    Habit
    Halloween
    Health Coach
    Heart Disease
    Heart Health
    HIIT
    Holiday
    Hormones
    How To Build A Meal
    Hunger Hormones
    Immune System
    Inflammation
    Inflammatory Foods
    Intermittent Fasting
    Juice Plus
    July 4th
    Ketogenic Diet
    Kid Friendly Snack
    Kid-friendly Snack
    Looking Back
    Love
    Lunch
    Maintain
    MCT
    Meal Building
    Mediterranean Pork And Orzo
    Menstrual Cycle
    Mental Health
    Metabolic Syndrome
    Metabolism
    Mexican Food
    Mindfulness
    Mindset
    Mom
    Momentum
    Morning
    Motivation
    Movement
    Multivitamin
    Muscle Soreness
    New Year
    Nonsense
    Nutrigenomics
    Nutrition
    Omega 3
    Osteoporosis
    Oxidative Stress
    Parent
    Picnic
    Pillars
    Plan For Health
    Pool
    Poolside Snacks
    Prepare To Fight
    Progress
    Recipe
    Recipes
    Reset
    Restart Weight Loss
    Restaurants
    Routine
    SCFA
    School
    Self-awareness
    Sensitivity
    Sleep
    SMART Goal
    Smoothie
    Snacks
    Spring Break
    Statin
    Steps
    Strategic Eating
    Stress
    Strong
    Success
    Sugar
    Summer
    Summer Snacks
    Supplement
    Supplements
    Support
    Sustain
    TDEE
    Testosterone
    Thanksgiving
    The FFP Method
    Thyroid
    Time Management
    Trigger Foods
    Vacation
    Vegetables
    Veterans
    Vitamin D
    Waist Circumference
    Wealth
    Weight Loss
    White Fat
    Whole Food
    Why
    Workout

Never disregard professional medical advice, or delay in seeking it, because of something you have read on this website.  Never rely on information on this website in place of seeking professional medical advice. Fit for Purpose (befitforpurpose.com) is not responsible or liable for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or products that you obtain through this site.  You are encouraged to consult with your doctor with regard to this information contained on or through this website.  After reading articles, watching videos or reading other content from this website, you are encouraged to review the information carefully with your professional healthcare provider.
© COPYRIGHT 2018. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Weight Loss Coaching
  • Blog
  • weight loss course
  • About
  • Contact