IT’S NOT ALWAYS YOUR FAULT …

We diet, we exercise, we struggle, we choose our foods wisely, we are very conscious of our habits … and still we don’t lose all the weight we want to, or even if we do, we gain it all back in a flash.  We start believing that we did something wrong, and we go at it again, this time with a starvation, easy-fix diet, only to go down a few pounds and then put it all back again, and again.  It reminds me of a comic strip I read some time ago in a newspaper, which said: “I keep losing weight, but it … keeps finding me!”  It may sound funny, but for those of us who have been down this path, it’s nothing but amusing … it’s actually very frustrating.

Well, today I decided to talk to you about the hidden “devil” in our bodies, who sometimes has more control over our bodies than we do … It’s name is METABOLISM!

Metabolism refers to the countless chemical processes going on continuously inside the body that have the purpose of providing energy for the vital activities and processes and allow life and normal functioning. These processes require energy from food. The amount of calories your body burns, at any given time, is regulated by your metabolism. Moreover, the body's metabolism, is governed by hormones, which are chemical messages secreted by the glands of the endocrine system and the nervous system, and it can be upset by a variety of events, including genetic disorders and hormonal problems.

The metabolic rate (or total energy expenditure) is the rate of energy production and expenditure at a given moment, and it’s divided into three states:

·       Basal metabolic rate (BMR) - the amount of calories burned at rest and contributes 50 - 70 per cent of our energy needs.

·       Energy expenditure in physical work - the amount of calories burned during movement and physical activity; it contributes at least 20 per cent of our energy needs and it is also known as the “thermic effect of exercise”

·       Energy expenditure associated with eating, digesting and metabolising food - also known as the “thermic effect of food”; it contributes about 5 - 10 per cent of our energy needs.

The first two states are proportional to body weight. A person with a high body weight has a relatively high BMR because of a larger amount of muscle required to carry the larger body. This person will also have a higher rate of energy expenditure in movement activities, such as walking and most physical work. The opposite is true for a person of low weight.

Now, all is “fine and dandy”, you may say … “enough with the scientific jargon” … you may continue to say … and I don’t blame you … so here’s what it boils down to … the factors affecting our BMR:

·       Body size - larger adult bodies have more metabolising tissue and a higher BMR.

·       Age - metabolism slows with age due to loss in muscle tissue, but also due to hormonal and neurological changes. Beyond maturity there is a gradual fall in BMR per kilogram (2.2 pounds) body weight of about 10 per cent per year.

·       Growth - infants and children have higher energy demand per unit of body weight due to the energy demand for growth and the energy demand for maintenance of body temperature.

·       Gender - generally, men have faster metabolisms than women because they tend to be bigger and have less body fat – the battle of the sexes continues!

·       Genetic predisposition - the metabolic rate may be partly decided by a person's genes – blame it on your parents!

·       Amount of lean muscle tissue - muscle burns calories voraciously – “couch potato-ing” is not an exercise!

·       Amount of body fat - fat cells are sluggish and hardly burn any calories at all; they need next to no energy to maintain themselves.

·       Hormonal and nervous controls - BMR is controlled by the nervous and hormonal systems; hormonal imbalances can influence how quickly or slowly the body burns calories.

·       Dietary deficiencies - for example, a diet low in iodine reduces thyroid function, which slows the metabolism.

·       Environmental temperature - if the temperature is very low or very high, the body has to work harder to maintain its normal body temperature, thus increasing the BMR – don’t blame me if I move to Alaska and then to Equator!

·       Infection or illness - BMR increases because the body has to work harder to build new tissues and to create an immune response.

·       Crash dieting, starving or fasting - eating too few calories encourages the body to slow the metabolism to conserve energy; BMR can drop by up to 15 per cent. Spontaneous activity is also reduced, achieving a further 15 per cent reduction in energy expenditure. These two combine to reduce energy usage and to conserve life. There is also loss of lean muscle tissue, which further contributes to the drop in BMR – remember this next time you go on a crash “magic” diet!

·       Amount of physical activity - hard working muscles need plenty of energy to burn. Regular exercise increases muscle mass and 'teaches' the body to burn calories at a faster rate, even when at rest – flipping channels is not an exercise either!

·       Drugs - some drugs, like caffeine or nicotine, can increase the BMR.

So remember:

The metabolic rate is influenced by many factors, including age, gender, muscle-to-fat ratio, amount of physical activity and hormone function; some of these you have control over and may alter, but some you can’t, … so you are not always to blame!  Therefore, when you actually decide on liposuction, tummy-tuck or any other “weight decreasing” or “body contouring” surgical procedure … you shouldn’t feel guilty!