Most people believe their metabolism to be one of the most screwable parts of their body (yeah yeah, vagina butthole haha, grow up). They believe that all their fitness failures and shortcomings are due to messing up and “slowing down” their metabolism and success is solely determined by having a “good” metabolism.
And in this deceptive world of health and fitness, nothing is more misunderstood than your own metabolism. It’s a trendy word no doubt, but so-called “fitness gurus” and marketers are throwing metabolism around way too much nowadays with absolutely no meaning or substance.
In reality, most of what you believe about your metabolism is a myth, such as…
Eating 6 meals per day will help stoke the metabolic fire
The theory behind this commonly used phrase is that if you eat 6 small meals per day, your metabolism will never slow down since you’re constantly supplying your “metabolic flame” with more fuel and you’ll be able to burn more fat throughout the day.
And this sounds incredibly sexy on paper, but it’s just that, a sexy sounding theory. It’s also a great marketing tool to help companies sell more food.
From a body composition standpoint, there is no difference between eating 6 smaller meals as opposed to 1-3 bigger meals.
The most important thing to do is to watch your total caloric intake for the day. There’s nothing inherently wrong with eating 6 times per day, but there are no real benefits to it either.
Find the best meal frequency for your lifestyle.
Fasting will slow your metabolism down to a crawl
Continuing from my first point, fasting will not slow down your metabolism unless you take it to the extreme and do something crazy like fast for 1 week straight.
If you skip breakfast everyday and don’t eat until 2pm, you’re going to be just fine. Calm down. You could even go up to 72 hours without food as this study states and not damage your metabolism (I don’t recommend this, I’m simply trying to make a point that fasting won’t hurt you).
For a more realistic approach, you could do a Eat Stop Eat style fast 1-2x per week (read my review here).
Your metabolism slows down as you age
Yes, your metabolism does slow down as you age, but the amount is minuscule and the only reason it does slow down is because you tend to lose a tiny bit of muscle mass as you age.
For example, a 60 year old man is never going to have as much muscle mass as a 25 year old man even if they follow the exact same workout and diet plans.
Older people also tend to carry more fat. So the best thing you can do to protect your metabolism as you age is to build a lean and muscular body and maintain it for the rest of your life.
So yes in this case, the saying “If you don’t use it, you lose it” really is true.
Don’t use your age as an excuse to let yourself go. There’s no reason why you can’t be old and still look fucking incredible. As long as you continue to lift weights and eat right, your metabolism will be just fine.
Eating [insert magical food here] will boost your metabolism and burn fat
Okay people, it’s time to put on your common sense hats. If losing weight was simply a matter of eating “magical” foods like chili peppers, cinnamon, green tea, and unicorn blood then nobody would be fat.
It boggles my mind the amount of people who believe that eating specific foods is the secret behind weight loss.
Yes, there are studies showing foods like green tea and hot peppers increase your metabolic rate, but the amount is so ridiculously fucking little that eating these foods will never produce any noticeable results.
I’ve never heard of anyone who has successfully lost weight because they ate more chili peppers or drank more green tea. It’s absolute nonsense. There’s nothing wrong with eating these foods, but please don’t eat them for the sole sake of trying to lose weight.
Doing intense workouts (like intervals) boosts your metabolism and burns more calories after the workout
A lot of people these days are doing workouts that are focused around EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) or the calories burned after the workout. Some workouts claim that it’s able to significantly boost your metabolism up to the point that you’ll be burning more calories post-workout than the actual workout itself.
And while this sounds great, the calories you burn post-workout aren’t as significant as you think.
In fact, a 2006 study done on EPOC concluded that the majority of calories burned when exercising are burned during the actual exercise itself. Things like high intensity interval training can boost EPOC a tiny bit more than traditional running, but the amount is nothing significant. This is why people are able to get results with slow, steady-state cardio – because the majority of the calories are burned during exercise.
Quick note: Here is a smart cardio routine that really goes in-depth on how to use cardio to get as lean as you desire.
Gaining muscle will shoot your metabolism though the roof
Muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat tissue but the extra calories it takes to maintain muscle mass is nothing to write home about. For whatever reason, the media loves to say that gaining one pound of muscle will boost your metabolism by an extra 10-15 calories, with some going as high as 50 calories.
So if you gained an 20 pounds of muscle, your metabolism could technically increase by up to 1000 calories, meaning you would get to eat 1000 extra calories per day just to maintain your weight. Sounds awesome right?
Well… the truth is that gaining 1 pound of muscle will only increase your metabolism by approximately 5 calories. This is why gaining muscle in hopes of increasing your metabolism and losing fat isn’t the smartest thing to do.
Gain muscle to be strong and look awesome, not to boost your metabolism and lose fat.
You can’t lose weight because you have a slow metabolism
Put bluntly, people who claim they can’t lose weight because they have a slow metabolism are simply lazy and ignorant.
These people have become so brainwashed by the media that all their failures are due having a shitty metabolism and that it’s “not their fault” that they can’t lose weight.
But in reality it is their fault.
Try not losing weight on 1000 calories per day.
People who blame their metabolism are people who don’t even bother with tracking their food intake.
These are people who say they got fat after college because they’re getting older and their metabolism isn’t what it used to be. Oh please! I’m sorry buddy, but you’re not fat because your metabolism slowed down, you’re fat because you eat like shit and stopped exercising. Too crude? Perhaps, but with obesity rates skyrocketing, now is not the time to kiss your ass.
Take action. Actually make an effort to track the amount of food going into your mouth. Get your ass to the gym and train with a purpose – lift weights and train with intensity. Do this for a few weeks, and I guarantee your metabolism will magically fix itself.
You can’t gain muscle because you have a fast metabolism
Yes skinny guys have problems too and one of the most common problems they have is that they can’t gain muscle because the believe that their metabolism is too fast.
And it’s true – some guys (especially younger ones) have faster metabolisms, but more often than not, the real reason skinny guys can’t gain muscle is simply because they’re not eating enough consistently.
Skinny guys who say that they eat a lot typically make one or more of the following mistakes:
- They don’t track calories. Most skinny guys don’t have a very big appetite and stop eating the moment they feel full. If you’re trying to gain weight and you’re simply gauging the amount of food you eat by “hunger” and “how you feel” then you’re not going to make much progress. I suggest all aspiring skinny guys to track their calories. Start by adding 500 calories to your maintenance calories and scale appropriately depending on whether your gain or lose weight.
- They eat big on occasion, meaning they’ll eat a ridiculous amount of food a couple times per week (and tell everybody they eat a ton and can’t gain weight), probably on weekends but then they’ll go right back to eating like a bird during the week. If you want to grow, you need to eat big consistently.
Some skinny guys really do have fast metabolisms, but that’s not the reason they can’t gain weight. Instead, most skinny guys lack appetite, have no idea on what it truly means to eat a lot, or don’t even make the effort track their calories.
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And if you guys could spread the word and ‘LIKE’ and share this post on Facebook, that would be awesome 🙂
Yes, I’m asking for a shameless ‘LIKE’ but it’s easy and it’ll (maybe) shut up that annoying friend you have that always complains about their metabolism.
What do you guys think? Drop a comment below with the most ridiculous metabolism myths you’ve heard.
I thought a lot of these tips were very helpful, but I found the slow metabolism part rather offensive. It’s definitely true in a lot of cases, but two people close to me have medical conditions that did slow their metabolism. My sister tracked her calories for months, exercised, and even went down to eating 500 calories daily. She still couldn’t lose weight because of her condition and the medication she had to be put on to combat it. So I’d appreciate you not generalizing everyone who claims they have a slow metabolism because it further stigmatizes people like her, with serious medical conditions. At least try to put an “unless you have a serious medical condition or are on specific intensive medications” or something like that. Because as much as it should just be implied, it’s not. Thanks for the other information.
I didn’t write this for those with medical conditions.
There are always exceptions, and those with medical complications are one of them.
I’m making the assumption that someone who has been officially diagnosed with a condition would be smarter than to go online and read a “metabolism myths” article.
To assume makes an ass out of u and me! I have hypothyroidism, one symptom of which is a slow metabolism. The medication doesn’t cure it only alleviate it. Before I was diagnosed, I was on approx 500 cals a day, exercising 3 times a week and yet gaining 3-4 pounds per week. I needed a new wardrobe every 6 weeks, which came from charity shops and Primark as I couldn’t afford to keep replacing my clothes. As I didn’t know I had the condition, I’m sure you can understand how I would have felt reading your article “I’m fat because I’m lazy” 🙁 Clearly, I should have been losing weight! There *are* some people who should be losing weight and aren’t!
I would really love it if you would edit your paragraph: “Put bluntly, people who claim they can’t lose weight because they have a slow metabolism are simply lazy and ignorant.” And preface it with: “If you can get 5 people who know you well to agree with you that you have tracked your calories and are working out enough, (really, be honest now) and you are still not losing weight, go see a doctor to have yourself checked because this is not normal and may indicate an underlying condition.”
I understand what you’re saying and I’ll consider editing the post soon.
Ooh…you forgot about a huge myth.
.
No eating after 7:00 pm (or 6:00 pm, or 3:00 pm, or 8:00 pm, or whatever). If you do so, your food will instantly turn to fat!!!
.
Such nonsense.
Awesome article. After my third child, I just could not lose weight. I ate fairly healthy and worked out 4 times a week. One day I finally got serious and started to track my food intake…I realized I ate way too much. Since I started monitoring my food intake/quality…I have lost 20 pounds. Back to the weight I was when I met my husband 20 years ago. I also stick to a weekly workout routine. No more excuses. People tell me they want to lose weight or how they can’t lose weight. I try to tell people how I lost the weight and they immediately wave me off. I just think that some people are contempt with themselves or feel it is too much of an effort. Anyway, thanks for the harsh truth!
I like the article (and I really like the writing style), and I want to believe everything you’re saying. But you need to clarify about lifting weights. You say that gaining muscle will not help you lose fat, and rather that you should lift weights to look awesome (as well as to get stronger). But by saying “look awesome”, you’re insinuating that the lifter will no doubt be burning fat. And later, under the “You Can’t Lose Weight Because You Have A Slow Metabolism”, you tell the reader to go lift weights and train with intensity, which once again intimates that gaining muscle will help you lose fat (unless the “train with intensity” part is meant about cardio).
Is it that you are saying that lifting weights has the dual purpose of gaining muscle and burning fat? Because if you are, then I’m on board. There are thousands of (natural) lifters with hard bodies who don’t do any cardio. So if you’re merely saying that gaining muscle is technically not a mechanism which burns fat but rather that muscle-gaining and fat-burning are two separate by-products of lifting, I agree. If not, then you need to clarify.
You’re looking way too deep into this.
Here’s what i”m saying:
– Lifting weights, and getting stronger builds muscle. (No arguing around that)
– When you build muscle, you look awesome. (I am not going to debate the semantics behind “awesome.”)
– Lifting weights burns calories which aid in weight loss BUT you should use your diet/nutrition as your primary weapon for fat loss. Weight lifting should primarily be a tool to preserve/build muscle.
– You can’t just lift weights and eat a shit diet and expect yourself to lose fat.
Keith,
Last 2 sentences of your comment is something that should be reposted on every fitness article. So many people see exercise mostly as tool to burn calories, not realizing that one Krispy Kreme donut will undo any calories burned. Deficit should come from food, and any exercise , especially resistance training is just an extra bonus that helps keep muscle mass while cutting. This needs to be stressed way more.
I train 5 days a week with high intensity. I max out resistance on my cardio machines, I max out inclines, I burn around 800-1000 calories.
I do count my calories – I max out at 1600 daily.
I have a general deficit of 600-800 calories in my caloric intake vs my actual gym workout, and that doesn’t even take account for the “calories burned from just living”.
I have severe hypothyroidism. I bounce back anywhere between 50-150 mcg’s regularly.
Yet, the fucking scale won’t move.. and when it does, it’s in the wrong direction. I record all of my workouts with pictures, AND the app through Retrofitness – so I really don’t want to hear shit about how I can’t possibly be doing all of that and not losing weight. What else can I do!?
You seem to be training too much and eating too little.
Have you considered seeing other doctors about your condition?
I have seen several – my thyroid is an issue, however as of right this second we’ve got it under control. I eat more calories, then I gain weight faster. I eat fewer calories, I gain weight. I feel like I’m at a lose/lose.
Krista, I would say that perhaps it could be that you are not tracking your calories accurately. Do you use a scale and measure the amount of each ingredient you put in every meal? If you go to restaurants and eat out there’s a huge error in counting what they actually put in. Any drinks with calories not tracked can also throw off what you’re actually eating. Also, tracking calories on cardio machines doesn’t really represent what you burn. You’re body kinda becomes slightly more efficient over the long term when it comes to cardio so less calories will be burned. Looking at calories burned is a good way to measure and progress when it comes to time on the treadmill but not for figuring out calories burned. If all else fails see if you can get a doubly labeled water test done to see how many calories you’re actually burning. Even if your metabolism is incredibly slow you can still continue lowering it until you begin dropping weight. However, under 1200 calories is not recommended and you should consult with a dietitician. Hope it helps!
fat is calories too I would say bring the calories down for a little while to 1300 and when excersing just do fat burn only no high intesity. I have hypo thyroid too and I started to loose weight.But I went on a very low fat low carb temp and i lost 30 pounds
Maybe you need to cut down on your carb intake. Carb rises insulin and insulin does only one job store energy into fat. Cut down on carbs intake and insulin will go down you will stop storing fat.
I think this is an excellent article. I am a personal trainer as well and have no functioning thyroid to speak of and will be on medication for the rest of my life. I think what people are saying here about their hypothyroidism causing an extremely slow metabolism or making weight loss impossible are not accurately tracking their food or are highly overestimating their calories burned through exercise.
Even when you are hypothyroid, you shouldn’t be able to attribute more than 10-15 pounds of weight gain to your poorly functioning thyroid. I tried to blame 80 pounds of weight gain to my thyroid, and after losing it all, I can say that it was just an excuse. It’s an easy excuse to hide behind.
Honestly – you should probably not be a trainer with that attitude. I can understand if someone uses thyroid as an excuse, but you have no idea how much weight is attributed to a thyroid disorder, and to spout this and then say “It’s an easy excuse to hide behind”. So happy that you were able to lose 80 lbs, however it’s not that simple for others.
Actually throid issues are measured and at most slow metabolism a mere 300 calories at most a day.
Don’t edit anything. You wrote a generic article to debunk some myths, I found it really helpful. Many people cannot even be honest with themselves, So it’s easier to attack. I was fat once..now struggle to keep weight up. Excuses are just that.. If you are still fat and not burning you need to reduce or be honest about daily intake, and do more fucking excersise. I love how some people recon they have super human metabolism.. That only they know the reasons behind… If you can’t cut through your own bulshit then there’s no hope for you, thyroid problem or not. People love shifting the blame when they don’t like what they see back in the mirror or don’t have the will power to change themselves. Leave these halfwits to their excuses. I couldn’t be a trainer I’d just want to punch people who come up with this self denial crap. Your body, your responsibility.
While this sounds all dandy, I thinks there’s something very important you’re not talking into account.
Cost.
Sure, there’s tons of purple that would love to be able to just go to the gym and eat healthy, but what about those of us that can’t afford it? How about the fact that you insinuate that all fat people are fat because they eat a lot? I mean, I realize that you reference caloric intake. Still, there lies the undertone that you can’t be fat without eating stupid amounts of bad food. And that simply isn’t true.
For example, I live in poverty. Most of my jobs have been fast food. Not to my liking, but it’s the quickest job I could get to survive (barely) and I’m good at it. I cannot afford groceries because the cost of living is so high, yet somehow am not poor enough for SNAP benefits because I will typically work full time, even overtime on occasion. I was eating once a day (sometimes even skipping a day), working 50 hours a week, and dying of exhaustion. I also weighed close to 370 lbs because that one meal I was getting was actually food that I had to sneak from work. Now, before you spout about losing track, let me inform you, I had no time for snacking. My “meal” was really A sandwich. Also, I didn’t have much time for drinks anyway, but when I did, it wasn’t a bunch of soda all the time. I have no thyroid issues, but am actually diagnosed reactive hypoglycemia. The gym wasn’t an option, but I walked 12 blocks every morning and again most afternoons taking my son to and from school.
I have since lost a lot of weight. You know how? I now eat once every few DAYS, sometimes lasting as long as a week without a meal.
There’s so many factors to weight loss that you conveniently pretend don’t exist, just like much of the media you so willingly tout against. You do have some very good points, I’ll give you that. But to make it sound like everyone can simply “do this” to lose weight is incredibly judgmental and doing so you are deliberately remaining blind to real problems that should be addressed. You want a healthier America? Then how about instead of singling out people who already have a hard enough time you think of some real solutions. Instead saying “eat healthy”, look at why they aren’t eating healthy in the first place. Get mad at high level empty calorie foods being more accessible than fresh vegetables. Ask why soda is cheaper than even water.
Anyone can say “put down the fork, fatty”. That’s easy. It takes true care and concern to get at the heart of the problem. And for that, I say that your article lacks originality and shows little effort. In short, lazy writing.
I simply can’t write an article covering every single exception for weight loss.
But I know for damn sure the majority of people are simply overeating and have no idea how to control their portions.
And you absolutely do not need a gym to exercise. Maybe to maximize muscle growth, but definitely not to be healthy and strong. There are enormous resources out there that teach you how to train with just your bodyweight for free.
Good article, but maybe be less harsh in the future (because you don’t want this great message lost!). I am only 30 lbs overweight and that is A LOT for me. What I mean is that most would not put me in the ‘fatty’ category. Now, if I were, I might not have been as receptive to your message, because of being hurt/offended (fair or not).
I especially appreciate your article because I suffer from night eating (NED I think?). It is some WEIRD eating disorder. Anyway, I eat like 1500 calories at night (of course I am a MAJOR night owl), BUT I have started fasting during the day to make up for it. As a matter of fact, I have a FitBit, and I have been able to create about a 200 calorie deficit per day. Not losing weight fast, but I WILL lose it! Oh yeah… Lifting heavy weights, eliptical and walking. I came here about the fasting, so I’m SO GLAD that’s a myth!
Thanks for writing!
Thanks but no I will not be less harsh in the future 🙂
Then why do you have a electronic that cost more than having to pay for 3 meals in one day for one person. If you can’t afford groceries, then get rid of the electronics, which will save u a handful more money than it would owning a electronic, that won’t help u in life whatsoever. If you really need a phone, or computer, go get a flip phone, and go to the library to use that computer for something that you may need so bad. Focus on your own life, than telling people how to write a article, that may be incorrect, but still may help someone that can afford it. There just trying to do a good deed, unlike you.
A coke is cheaper than water from the tap? And also, it goes to show you that its not just how much you eat, its what you eat that is important. If you’re not getting the nutrients you need, your body will tend to store fat, especially if you are having a high fat/sugar intake. If you really have to live on that little food to maintain a healthy weight, I suggest you may have a hidden medical issue or something with a thyroid.
In short, lazy thinking.
It’s easy to find cheaper ways to eat if you just try. It’s not that difficult to eat healthy on a low income. I used to spend less than £15 ($20) per MONTH on food and although my diet was INCREDIBLY boring and slightly depressing, I still ate three meals a day and they were relatively healthy and well within my calorie allowance. There are also tonnes of ways you can work out without using the gym! You can run, do yoga, interval training, calisthenics (for which there are a MILLION free videos online!).
You’re making excuses. It’s as simple as that. Yes, some people are afforded more luxuries in life which makes the process of healthy eating and exercise more varied, exciting and higher quality, but you absolutely CAN do it on a low income.
Stop buying soda and drink some tap water for heaven’s sake.
For some people, caloric intake is only half of it. What they eat is important. Some people can eat cookies and junk food and as long as it doesn’t exceed their needed caloric intake to maintain a healthy weight they will fine. For other people, however, what they eat seems to matter as much as how much- so they can eat a diet of a lot less calories, but if the diet is not a super healthy diet- then they will have as much trouble with weight, regardless of their age or gender. For me I fall into the latter. If I eat semi healthy , but have a few cookies every day, I will not lose weight. Even if my caloric intake is below 1600 . This is very important to remember, that everyone is different!
Why the fuck are you eating cookies while trying to lose weight? of course you won’t lose weight you’re stuffing your body with unhealthy carbs.
not necessarily true. If you’re in a deficit and you ate a few cookies, you’ll still lose weight. It’s not a exactly matter of “unhealthy” carbs.
Calories in versus calories out- you’re likely not losing weight cause your calorie intake is higher than you think!
true!
Good info
Thanks Cherry.
Incredible rude post. Lol
LOL. Why so incredible rude?
I really don’t understand why there is so much animosity here. Why is it when an article is being straight with people and not blowing air up their ass, everyone attacks the person? If the author was trying to sell some stupid gadget, saying “being fat is not your fault, just use this gadget”; everyone would be rushing to purchase it. He did not in any way say he was a medical doctor and he is speaking for sick or diseased people. There is not one single article, study or journal that can include or speak for the entire population. It seems that, as soon as people are told the truth as to why they are fat and out of shape (for the majority) they start using illnesses for their sword. I like the comment from the personal trainer with hypothyroidism, it speaks volume. I was diagnosed with epilepsy as a child and PCOS as an adult. I was told I would be disabled and fat forever with diabetes and metabolic syndrome. I lost over 100lbs just making a calorie deficit and building slowly with my exercise and have maintained this for 14 years, while getting my PHD and becoming a healthcare manager. I have been told repeatedly by doctors that I must be trying to live forever because my health and blood work is perfect. I was told if I ever get diabetes it will be when I am 90+ years old (BTW, my family is the picture of obesity and sickness) out of 9 children I am the only one in good health and not overweight or obese. So all of these silly excuses of not being able to lose weight and statements of being “sick” needs to go out the window. “The best way to predict your future, is create it!”
People will always hate no matter what. Just ignore the haters.
Wonderful article! I am so glad I can finally find some reliable non-bullshit information on metabolism. Thank you!
Thanks Peggy.
From what i learned I’m nursing school less than 5% of Americans have a throid disease issue that truly presents them from losing weight. Others just use it as a crutch.
I have a hard time losing weight. The only way i lose is too cut my calories low. Another myth is starvation mode. No such thing. There was a study in Minnesota about it and all participants lose so much weight they looked deathly skinny. Not 1 participant’s body began to get fat because the body was hording calories as fat.
Great Info Thanks. I gained weight not from eating too much but from my love of Vodka! LOL I’m on day 10 of a 21 day water fast (sadly no buzz for me). So far I have lost 23 pounds and feeling amazing!
that’s great, but if you’re drinking nothing but water I would not recommend that. Super dangerous.
Keith,
It’s actually not super dangerous. You should do some research on it!
Do some research on why we do or don’t need to eat food for 10 days?
I think I’ll take the common sense route on this one.
It’s super dangerous. Take it from a healthcare professional – overweight people can still die of starvation and malnutrition even when they have the excess weight. Eating nothing and only drinking water is incredibly stupid and dangerous.
That said, since you said “research it” and all the information I could find was from stupid blogs with no scientific or peer reviewed information, I suspect trying to convince you is futile.