I saw a really interesting article on Discovery Health's website that talks about metabolism. It essentially shatters and confirms all the myths about metabolism.
Original Article Link via Discovery Health.
As someone who's seen a drastic change in weight over the years, I intuitively knew a lot of this information. It's not completely a shocker, but it's a good list to keep in mind when you're trying to achieve a weight goal.
- You can't change your metabolism, but you can influence it
- You can calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
- "Fast" metabolism is (mostly) a myth
- Exercise boosts metabolism
- More muscle mass means faster metabolism
- Healthy sleep means healthy metabolism
- Metabolism slows with age
- Slow thyroid means slow metabolism
- Caffeine (may) boost your metabolism
- Calories trump metabolism for weight loss
When I lost 120 lbs in just over a year (circa 2006-2007), I relied upon 4, 5, 9 and 10. I vaguely knew about muscle mass improving metabolism. So my strategy in my early exercise days was to build a ton of muscle in my legs, as it was probably the easiest place to start. With the boost in metabolism from muscle gain, I was able to supercharge my workouts in the future. :)
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