Metabolism ... my new BFF

Metabolism ... why does this word keep surfacing almost every time I have a conversation with someone about my weight? "Oh, you just have a sluggish metabolism". DO YA THINK?? A snail could pass my metabolism in the 50 yard dash and reach the finish line before my metabolism even sees the 1 yard point. (wow, I'm really dating myself there ... using "yards" ... I'm still an imperial girl ... Kinda like the Madonna song "Material Girl" ... but I'm living in an "Imperial World". There I go again ... 80's Madonna ... dating myself twice in the same thought ... I'm really NOT stuck in the '80s although my thought process may suggest that).

Ok, things are getting a bit strange here, on with the REAL point of today's blog ...

I admit, years of yoyo dieting has probably majorly screwed up my metabolism. But is this really true? So I ventured to Wikipedia for a real explanation of metabolism (God bless Wikipedia for assisting 40-something, brain-dead people like me). It states, "Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in living organisms to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow (oh, I have no problems with growth, just in the wrong direction) reproduce (no problem there either, 2 beautiful children), maintain their structures (oh, I'm maintaining my structure alright, we are just experiencing overkill in the insulation, bricks and mortar department) and respond to their environments (buffet environment? I'm responding!) Wikipedia continues, "The metabolism of an organism determines which substances it will find nutritious and which it will find poisonous". HUH? Okay, metabolism of mine, why have we not yet found something poisonous about chocolate? Or ketchup chips? cheesecake?? ... "The speed of metabolism, the metabolic rate, also influences how much food an organism will require" ... Ok, so my metabolism must be on overdrive? I can always find room to eat something ANYTIME of the day. But the key word there is REQUIRE ... what my body REQUIRES ... not what I WANT.

So I obviously need to focus more on only what my body REQUIRES ... not what I want it to have. I've been showing my body WAY too much love over the last several years, in the form of food. Then depriving it by calorie restricted diets. But has this REALLY slowed down my metabolic rate? Well, research suggests this is true. Yoyo dieting, especially severe calorie restricted diets ultimately slows metabolic rate by putting the body into starvation mode. Then when the dieting comes to a halt and binge eating of all the foods you were deprived of begins, the weight packs back on twice as fast because your body "stores" it, because it's afraid you're going to "starve" it again. And when you come off that diet, do you binge on celery and carrot sticks? Heck NO! We hoard the Haagen Dazs and inhale the Pringles. So ... how to get this metabolic rate moving again? Well, sensible eating ... not starvation dieting ... helps immensely. Have a treat now and then, don't deprive yourself. BE SENSIBLE. Also, the higher our muscle mass, the higher our metabolism ... so weight resistance workouts are important, too. Most men have higher muscle mass than women, so this explains why alot of men lose weight faster than women. I'm proof of that ... Terry can f*rt and lose 5 pounds, I have to cut off an arm. (sorry for that picture, I know it's not pretty, but it got the point across)


So I think that the plan I am following will help boost my metabolic rate so it can at least catch up to that snail ... sensible eating, not deprivation, and regular exercise including resistance training (yay Curves!) Metabolism will quickly become my new BFF!



Thanks for reading,

Janet xo