ShareWhether you’re trying to shed a few extra pounds or just get fit and lean – one thing is certain…
…if you boost your metabolism, you can burn more calories with less effort. BOOM!
With all the fad diets and miracle supplements available to speed up your metabolism, it’s no wonder the facts get blurred with the fiction.
Turns out, most of these so-called metabolism tricks are BS and could be sending you down the wrong path.
I’m warning you right now… some of the tips you’re about to read (if not all of them) will surprise you. These metabolism secrets go against much of what you read about in mainstream magazines or hear from the trainers at your local gym.
OK, let’s get to the top 5 metabolism myths you need to know about:
#1: Adding one pound of muscle will drastically increase your metabolism
You may have read that by adding one pound of muscle, you can burn approximately 50 calories extra at rest every day.
Unfortunately this is a huge myth – otherwise gaining 10 pounds of muscle would mean you could burn 500 calories extra a day by doing nothing additional. It’s too good to be true!
Here are the real numbers… an extra pound of muscle will burn 6 additional calories per day at rest, while fat burns 2 calories on average.
Sure, it’s better than nothing but not a miracle calorie burner.
In fact, muscle has a relatively low resting metabolic rate. It only accounts for 20-25%, and the vast majority of our Basal Metabolic Rate caloric burn (energy expenditure at rest) comes from function of the brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs.
Truth: Simple dietary changes and exercise habits can make a big difference in how fast someone burns calories at rest – not just muscle mass.
#2: This [Insert Dodgy Pill Name] Will Speed Up Your Metabolism
It’s hard to resist the quick metabolism fix that Dr Oz is dangling in front of you…all for under $20 bucks!
“This supplement will help you burn fat while you sit on the couch… you never have to exercise or diet again… blahdy blah blah…”
But the claims made on these supplements lack true scientific backing. And contain harmful ingredients that could permanently damage your health.
It’s not worth the risk cool cats.
Truth: Avoid miracle pills. Drugs are bad, kids.
#3: Eat Every 3-4 hours For a Faster Metabolism
Now this is controversial. Pick up any fitness magazine and you’ll see advice that eating frequent meals can fire up your metabolism.
But – there is NO solid research evidence to show eating 6 meals/day over 3 meals/day will boost your metabolism. (1)
The thing is, your metabolism increases every time you eat anything, and the amount it increases depends on the size of the meal and the amount of carbohydrates/fats are in the food.
So big meal, big increase in metabolism.
Also, skipping meals does NOT slow down your metabolism. It takes about 3 days of fasting or severe calorie restriction before you metabolism goes into ‘starvation mode’.
If eating 6 small meals a day stops you from losing control and binging – stick with it. Just don’t go around telling your friends it’s speeding up your metabolism.
Truth: The quality and quantity of food has a greater impact on your metabolism, not so much the frequency.
#4: Your metabolism automatically slows down as you get older
If the first three points didn’t surprise, this surely will.
Your metabolism doesn’t automatically slow as you get older. It’s not like you have a standard “decline” rate — and your metabolism doesn’t say,
“Oh boy, you just turned 50. I better slow down by 12.4%”.
It doesn’t work like that.
Yes, as you get older you gradually lose muscle mass, which contributes to a slow down in your metabolism.
But you CAN reverse this seemingly inevitable decline.
In fact, I have a 65 year old client who I helped get six pack abs. We’ve been training for over five years – and during that time he’s gained muscle, strength and confidence.
You can defy the odds, too.
Truth: If you lift weights and eat healthy consistently throughout your life, you will see a slower decline in muscle mass and you won’t notice any weight gain.
#5: Eating before bed will cause weight gain
“Don’t eat after 7pm…”
“Avoid eating late at night…”
This could be the most popular nutrition advice ever.
But it doesn’t matter what time of day you eat. Sorry, simply refraining from eating at night isn’t enough for you to avoid fat gain. It’s just not that simple.
The food content, the quality, hormones and energy expenditure will influence and determine fat storage. Not an internal alarm clock that detects you were eating a cookie at 7:01pm last night!
Instead of worrying about the time of consumption, you should be more concerned with how much you’re eating.
Truth: as long the meal consists of healthy food, eating at night is no worse than eating at any other time of day.
Now what’s the big deal about your metabolism anyway?
No matter your age, you’ll be able to speed up your metabolism with these simple workouts and tips…
Grab your 6 FREE bodyweight workouts here:
http://fatlossaccelerators.com/free-workout-routines/
Enjoy!
KV
References:
1. Cameron, J.D., Cyr, M.J., Doucet, E. (2010) Increased meal frequency does not promote greater weight loss in subjects who were prescribed an 8-week equi-energetic energy-restricted diet. British Journal of Nutrition. 103(8):1098-101.
