Metabolism Testing
Do you feel like you are guessing about how many calories per day to eat?
Do you eat less than 1200 calories per day and yet do not lose weight?
Are you exercising everyday and not losing weight?
This is frustrating! I get it and that is why I offer metabolism testing for only $70. Contact me if you are interested 316-880-7266 or loyd@ediabetes online or click on the link.
You no doubt have heard of metabolism and may even have a vague idea of what it is. But there are a lot of myths related to the impact metabolism has on your health, especially in terms of weight loss.
In simple terms, metabolism is the internal process by which your body expends energy and burns calories. It runs 24/7 to keep your body moving, even when you're resting or sleeping, by converting the food and nutrients you consume into the energy your body needs in order to breathe, circulate blood, grow and repair cells, and everything else it does to survive.
This process works at different intensities in different people. How fast your metabolism works is determined many complex processes in the body.
What does Metabolism testing do for your weight loss plan?
It tells you two things essential to weight loss:
How many calories “energy” does your body burn naturally at rest?
Is your body burning off your fat or is it burning off your carbohydrates?
Whether your goal is to lose, gain, or maintain your weight, knowing the amount of calories that your body burns and whether your body is burning your fat or your food will help you better understand the amount of energy you need from food.
Your resting metabolic rate is influenced by your age, gender, the amount of body fat and muscle you have, the amount of exercise you do, your ethnicity, as well as by a number of environmental factors like smoking and climate.
Some RMR machines also measure for expired gas exchange analysis (VO2, VCO2) which can indicate your ratio of fat to carb burn.
What are the benefits of testing your metabolism?
Purpose: The Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) test is performed to estimate the amount of energy that your body burns in one day.
Why is this important: Whether your goal is to lose, gain, or maintain your weight, this information is extremely valuable for designing a personalized weight management program. Knowing the amount of energy you use at rest will help you better understand the amount of energy you need from food.
Your resting metabolic rate is influenced by your age, gender, the amount of body fat and muscle you have, the amount of exercise you do, your ethnicity, as well as by a number of environmental factors like smoking and climate. Two people with the same weight and height can have very different metabolic rates and energy (caloric) needs.
How accurate is this metabolism test?
This RMR test uses a state-of-the-art metabolic cart for expired gas exchange analysis (VO2, VCO2). It is highly accurate and has been widely used and recognized as the gold standard for metabolic measurement in applied human physiology assessment and research.
What happens during the appointment?
The duration of the test is about varies by location but is usually 15 minutes. During the test you will be lying supine or sitting in a chair. You should remain still, relaxed and as comfortable as possible without falling asleep. The testing staff will monitor you during the entire test to ensure you stay awake and should you need assistance.
The results of the test may be inaccurate if pre-test procedures are not properly followed, which means no eating food or exercising 6 hours before. The accuracy of your results can also be affected by certain medications, medical conditions, acute infections and, for females, pregnancy, breast feeding and menstruation. You should let the testing staff know prior to the test if any of these apply, including the use of non-prescription medications. You should immediately report any unusual feelings that are of concern to the test staff during the test.
What is the test protocol?
Prior to your RMR test, there are a few important things to note:
You must complete a 12 hour fast overnight, prior to your RMR test. e.g. if your appointment is at 8am, you must only drink water after 8pm the evening before.
You must not consume alcohol or caffeine 12 hours prior to the test.
You must avoid moderate and vigorous exercise at least 24 hours prior to the test.
Your commute to the hospital should be relatively stress free, so plan extra time! Avoid brisk walking, running or taking a lot of stairs.
Failure to meet these standards may result in an inaccurate result.
Attire for the test: No specific attire is required.
What makes one’s metabolism “faster” or “slower”?
AGE
The metabolic rate declines with age because of loss of skeletal mass in increased percentage of fat tissue.
BODY FAT PERCENTAGE
Your RMR depends on the amount of fat you have. If your body fat percentage is high, your RMR might be lower than that of an individual with a lower body fat percentage.
GENDER
The RMR is lower in women than in men, mostly because men, on average, have a greater muscle mass and a lower body-fat percentage than women.
WEIGHT
A smaller body requires fewer calories to maintain the same physiological functions, whereas a larger body requires more calories.
Also, during weight loss your body may try to conserve energy in response to a lower calorie intake, this can also cause a reduction in RMR.
HEIGHT
Taller people typically have greater body surface area and more lean body mass. As a result, they can have a higher RMR.
BODY TEMPERATURE
For every increase of 0.5 degrees C in internal temperature of the body, the RMR increases by about 7 percent. Therefore, a person with a fever of 42 degrees C (about 4 degrees C above normal) would have an increase of about 50 percent in RMR.
DIET
Starvation or serious abrupt calorie-reduction can dramatically reduce the RMR by up to 30 percent. Likewise, restrictive, low-calorie weight-loss diets may cause the RMR to drop by as much as 20 percent.
EXERCISE
Physical exercise not only influences body weight by burning calories, it also helps raise RMR by building extra muscle. The greater the exercise intensity, the longer it takes the body to recover, which results in a longer and higher excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).
EXTERNAL TEMPERATURE
Temperature outside the body affects the resting metabolic rate. Exposure to cold temperature causes an increase in the RMR, as the body tries to create the extra heat needed to maintain its internal temperature. A short exposure to hot temperature has little effect on the body’s metabolism because of compensatory increases in heat loss. However, prolonged exposure to heat can raise the RMR.
GENETICS
Some people are born with faster metabolisms, while others naturally have slower metabolisms.
HORMONES
Some hormones can increase or decrease metabolic rate. For instance, the thyroid hormones regulate a portion of metabolism. An individual who has hypothyroidism can have a low RMR.
Knowing your metabolic health and RMR is crucial to your success on any nutrition or training plan.
See how efficient your body is at converting food to energy and using fat or sugar as fuel
Feed your body in a way that achieves your goals and conquer plateaus
Learn if you have a slowed metabolism to understand frustrated attempts to lose weight and plateaus
Track how your body composition changes with a before and after testing.
