Nutrition

Metabolic Myths and Truths that you must know about

Shannon Clark explains precisely how the fat loss process occurs and what myths surround the rate at which you burn calories daily.

It is no secret that your metabolic rate will be highly tied in with the type of success you see with your weight loss plan. After all, experiencing a rapid fat loss will require you to create a calorie deficit in the body where you are burning off more calories than you are taking in through your daily food intake.

Your metabolic rate, which means how many calories you burn at rest to survive, represents the largest part of your total daily calorie expenditure. You can burn calories much faster and see more significant weight loss by elevating this as high as possible. But sadly, there are a few main metabolic myths that circulate. Let us take a quick look at what you need to know.

Overweight people have a naturally slow metabolism

Have you ever heard someone who was overweight that they have a slow metabolism? The matter is that it is not so much that they naturally have a slow metabolism, but more than the way they are eating and the lack of exercise they are doing have promoted their metabolism to run slowly.

With the right changes to their workout and diet plan, everyone can boost their metabolic rate again to run more efficiently.

Consuming cold beverages will help you lose weight

Another statement about metabolism is that drinking cold water will cause the body to expend more energy. While it is true that you will burn a few more calories to bring that water up to body temperature, do not get your hopes up too high that if you down eight glasses of ice water per day you will shed fat faster than ever.

While you get that slight calorie burn, it is nothing to write home about. However, what you will get is better hydration levels, which has an even more significant impact on your metabolism. Therefore, keep up your water intake but understand the primary reasons for doing so.

There are negative calorie foods

One commonly held belief is that there are negative calorie foods that you can eat that will cause you to burn off more calories than you take in. While there is no question that there are very low-calorie foods, the fact of the matter is that you will never burn more calories digesting a portion of food than what you take in.

You may burn off so many that the total 'net' calorie intake is virtually negligible (think celery and cucumbers), but you will not burn off more calories through digestion. Eating these ultra-low-calorie foods is a wise idea, however, as it can speed up the rate of fat loss due to hunger control.

Protein boosts the metabolic rate

Finally, the last issue regarding the metabolism that you need to get squared away in your mind is the notion that protein-rich foods spike the metabolic rate. This idea is entirely accurate! If you want to burn more calories over the day, take in more protein. While you will not net a negative calorie balance from these foods as we just outlined above, the body does burn off more calories digesting these foods than it does digest fat or carbs so for that reason, a higher protein diet can certainly aid the weight loss process.

So, there are some crucial facts that you must know about the metabolic rate. If you can get these facts straight in your mind, you will be able to tell facts from fiction when seeing success from your weight loss diet plan.

Finally

One of the biggest problems I see today is issues with poorly functioning metabolisms due to years of very low-calorie dieting and the wrong types of nutrients coming in regularly. By changing the diets around many clients, I have worked with, we have been able to bring up their rate of fat loss and get them to see the results they desire. I strongly feel that learning how to manage your metabolism and maximise it to your potential will be the most critical to achieving lasting weight loss success.

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

CLARK, S. (2010) Metabolic Myths and Truths that you must know about [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article067.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Shannon Clark is a certified personal trainer who holds a degree in Exercise Science. She has been writing about health and fitness for the last nine years across numerous websites and helping others both online and in-person achieve their fat loss goals.


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It is no secret that your metabolic rate will be highly tied in with the type of success you see with your weight loss plan. After all, experiencing a rapid fat loss will require you to create a calorie deficit in the body where you are burning off more calories than you are taking in through your daily food intake. Your metabolic rate, which means how many calories you burn at rest to survive, represents the largest part of your total daily calorie expenditure. You can burn calories much faster and see more significant weight loss by elevating this as high as possible. But sadly, there are a few main metabolic myths that circulate. Let us take a quick look at what you need to know. Overweight people have a naturally slow metabolism Have you ever heard someone who was overweight that they have a slow metabolism? The matter is that it is not so much that they naturally have a slow metabolism, but more than the way they are eating and the lack of exercise they are doing have promoted their metabolism to run slowly. With the right changes to their workout and diet plan, everyone can boost their metabolic rate again to run more efficiently. Consuming cold beverages will help you lose weight Another statement about metabolism is that drinking cold water will cause the body to expend more energy. While it is true that you will burn a few more calories to bring that water up to body temperature, do not get your hopes up too high that if you down eight glasses of ice water per day you will shed fat faster than ever. While you get that slight calorie burn, it is nothing to write home about. However, what you will get is better hydration levels, which has an even more significant impact on your metabolism. Therefore, keep up your water intake but understand the primary reasons for doing so. There are negative calorie foods One commonly held belief is that there are negative calorie foods that you can eat that will cause you to burn off more calories than you take in. While there is no question that there are very low-calorie foods, the fact of the matter is that you will never burn more calories digesting a portion of food than what you take in. You may burn off so many that the total 'net' calorie intake is virtually negligible (think celery and cucumbers), but you will not burn off more calories through digestion. Eating these ultra-low-calorie foods is a wise idea, however, as it can speed up the rate of fat loss due to hunger control. Protein boosts the metabolic rate Finally, the last issue regarding the metabolism that you need to get squared away in your mind is the notion that protein-rich foods spike the metabolic rate. This idea is entirely accurate! If you want to burn more calories over the day, take in more protein. While you will not net a negative calorie balance from these foods as we just outlined above, the body does burn off more calories digesting these foods than it does digest fat or carbs so for that reason, a higher protein diet can certainly aid the weight loss process. So, there are some crucial facts that you must know about the metabolic rate. If you can get these facts straight in your mind, you will be able to tell facts from fiction when seeing success from your weight loss diet plan. Finally One of the biggest problems I see today is issues with poorly functioning metabolisms due to years of very low-calorie dieting and the wrong types of nutrients coming in regularly. By changing the diets around many clients, I have worked with, we have been able to bring up their rate of fat loss and get them to see the results they desire. I strongly feel that learning how to manage your metabolism and maximise it to your potential will be the most critical to achieving lasting weight loss success. Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: CLARK, S. (2010) Metabolic Myths and Truths that you must know about [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article067.htm [Accessed About the Author Shannon Clark is a certified personal trainer who holds a degree in Exercise Science. She has been writing about health and fitness for the last nine years across numerous websites and helping others both online and in-person achieve their fat loss goals.