Hi everyone. I know we've all heard the expressions "slow metabolism" "fast metabolism" "speed up your metabolism" etc but frankly, I don't really have a good understanding of what any of that means and I would really like to know.

I understand that the metabolic process is the conversion of food into energy but past that...confused.

I've been reading this board for some time now and there is such a wealth of knowledge on here. You guys are so smart! So school me about the metabolism please:

-how do you know if it is slow or fast?

-does WLS change your metabolism?

-are we born with slow or fast (or regular) metabolism or do they change as we age, gain and lose weight, exercise, etc?

-does our metabolism just affect the food we eat? Or can we also metabolize drugs or Water slowly or quickly?

Signed,

science stupid

This is a great question

Sent from my SM-G928T using the BariatricPal App

Here is an internet link to the definition of slow metabolism. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/expert-answers/slow-metabolism/faq-20058480 According to them "If you weigh more or have more muscle mass, you will burn more calories, even at rest. So people who weigh more are more likely to have a faster metabolic rate — not a slower one — because a portion of excess weight is muscle tissue."

When you have WLS, you tend to lose weight because your meal volume decreases and you consume less calories. So by their definition your metabolic rate should slow down slightly as you lose weight.

You metabolic rate changes with age. At around 80 years old and beyond individuals tend to lose weight without much effort.

As I gained weight over the years, I became diabetic. My body no longer properly handled insulin. After a while I found that even when I dieted and exercised, I could not lose weight. Instead I gained weight. That was alarming and one of the reasons why I choose to have RNY gastric bypass surgery 3 years ago. There are several medical conditions such as PCOS that can dramatically interfere with weight loss. Also many medications have side-effects that interfere with weight loss.

You can increase your metabolism by:

Staying hydrated

Eating Protein periodically

Getting enough sleep

Exercising

Doing weigh bearing exercise/increasing muscle

You can decrease it by:

Skipping meals

Not getting enough sleep and/or sleeping too much

Not exercising

Not getting enough protein

Here is an internet link to the definition of slow metabolism. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/expert-answers/slow-metabolism/faq-20058480 According to them "If you weigh more or have more muscle mass, you will burn more calories, even at rest. So people who weigh more are more likely to have a faster metabolic rate — not a slower one — because a portion of excess weight is muscle tissue."

When you have WLS, you tend to lose weight because your meal volume decreases and you consume less calories. So by their definition your metabolic rate should slow down slightly as you lose weight.

You metabolic rate changes with age. At around 80 years old and beyond individuals tend to lose weight without much effort.

As I gained weight over the years, I became diabetic. My body no longer properly handled insulin. After a while I found that even when I dieted and exercised, I could not lose weight. Instead I gained weight. That was alarming and one of the reasons why I choose to have RNY gastric bypass surgery 3 years ago. There are several medical conditions such as PCOS that can dramatically interfere with weight loss. Also many medications have side-effects that interfere with weight loss.

Thank you for the link and your response! I am quite possibly misinterpreting, but higher weight = faster metabolism?

If you go to Google, search for "resting metabolic rate." The more you weigh, the more calories you require to maintain that weight. Do you have MyFitnessPal? It calculates how much you should eat based on your weight and how much you move in a day. If I do nothing but lay in bed, I would require 2050 calories to stay at my current weight. Because I move, I require closer to 3000 calories to maintain my weight. If you lose 10% (or more) of your body weight then your metabolism panics and sends distress signals to your brain causing a sharp increase in appetite, which is why dieters always fail unless they have the grit to ignore this biological imperative. Once you're fat, your body wants to STAY fat. It sucks.

If you're a man, you have the advantage of testosterone and higher muscle mass, which is why men tend to lose weight faster when they make the effort (drives my mom nuts when she and my dad compete). Women can counteract this by lifting weights (and men can add fuel to the fire the same way).

More muscles = more calories burn. The larger you are (even if it's fat), the more calories you require to sustain your weight.

You learn a lot when you're fat and don't want to be anymore. I've spent years trying to figure out why I have this problem and why I can't fix it. It's impossible to change hardwiring, but it is possible to alter your anatomy in favor of weight loss! Hence, WLS is the only proven way to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off.

On crashing metabolisms: I don't think that happens unless you *severely* restrict your calories (such as only consuming 1000 or less per day and/or overdoing it on the exercise). There comes a point when your body slows its processes to conserve energy and if you continue to push yourself beyond your limits, that's when you risk the crash and cannot repair it. This is why the Biggest Loser contestants have wrecked metabolisms It's sad.