By Traci Angel
Ever wonder why you and your spouse can eat the same foods, and he or she loses or maintains weight while you gain? It is frustrating to cut back while watching someone else’s skinny frame withstand a night of pigging out. It just doesn’t seem fair.
Marilyn Tanner, spokesperson in St. Louis for the American Dietetic Association, says a lot of factors are involved when it comes to a person’s metabolism—the process of how the body makes and uses energy, which affects a person’s body weight.
“Men have a higher rate. Muscle has a higher metabolic rate,” Tanner says. “As we age, our metabolism slows. Women know that at their change of life, everything slows down.” It is important to keep in mind what we actually put in our mouths, Tanner says. “People consume more than what they realize. Portion distortion is a major factor. Then, when you look at the metabolic rate, it all comes together,” she says.
Finding the right solution can be as simple as a little math. A person’s resting metabolic rate is the number of calories (energy) needed for the body and its organs to operate in a resting state without activity. For example, if a person’s resting metabolic rate requires 1,500 calories, but he or she expends 350 calories on the treadmill, then that person needs 1,850 calories to maintain current body weight. To lose weight, the person would need to consume fewer calories than what is required by the resting metabolic rate plus the activity level to maintain the current weight.
Building muscle mass is one way to increase the metabolism’s activity rate, says Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University. “Boost your exercise and nutrition plan by lifting weights more often,” she says. Another effective means of boosting how your body burns calories is to incorporate interval training into regular exercise. This is when short, speedy bursts or sprints are used while running and biking, instead of going through the entire workout at one steady pace.
Skinfold measurements and other equipment used at health clubs can give an estimate of body fat percentage and calculate body mass, but Diekman says to be wary of numbers. “If you are lifting [weights] all the time, your BMI [body mass index] is going to be high because of muscle mass,” Diekman says. “What I remind people is it is more than just weight loss, it is about a healthy pattern. Focus on making better food choices, food portions and physical activity. If the answers to all those are positive, then your focus is a healthy pattern and, with time, weight loss will occur.”
Individualizing a plan takes into account personal physiological characteristics and how they affect metabolism. Sitting down with a dietician can help to tailor your body to a better lifestyle, says Tanner. “Healthy behaviors are more important [than numbers],” Tanner says. “Ultimately, disease prevention and healthcare, increasing activity and watching mindless eating make a big difference.”
A consultation with a dietician runs about $70 per hour. To find a registered dietician in your area, go to www.eatrite.org. For additional dietetic information, contact the St. Louis Dietetic Association at 314-977-8664 or the Missouri Dietetic Association at 573-636-2822.
