Comments on: Eating and Metabolism Revisited

By: Tom

Tom — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:05:29 +0000

Hey Navyatha – The problem is that diet can only have a limited impact on your metabolism. The type of foods you eat only affects around 10% of the calories you burn via metabolism. Doing lots of exercise and controlling your calories is the main way you can control your weight.

By: Navyatha

Navyatha — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:07:01 +0000

I think type of foods do effect the over all metabolism aspect for sure. Simple weight management can be relatively simple calories in = calories out. But, when you are looking to change your body composition such as the fat/muscle ratio in the long run, focusing on keeping the metabolism high is important. This is especially important when you looking to lose the last few pounds of fat, which is the most difficult to get rid of.

Great post between. Spicy food does have positive effect on metabolism. This is also supported by several clinical studies.:p Meal frequency is also a great way to increase metabolism provided the person can actually stick to the recommended portions for the small meal.

Navyatha.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 09:06:56 +0000

Hi Ben – I think Mike is best equipped to answer this question properly but my understanding is that when your metabolism slows down past its normal metabolic rate it becomes less efficient by producing less energy, failing to perform certain internal chemical reactions etc. Now whilst this is a good evolutionary strategy if you went without food for a few days it would not be so good if this kicked in after not eating for a few hours. Surely it would make hunting for food more difficult if lethargy kicked in after just a few hours without food?

By: Ben

Ben — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:58:58 +0000

Mike, you say “As for metabolism, it is interesting to note that in a study on people fasting for up to 72 hours, the metabolism was NOT slowed down…in fact it was slightly elevated. So it it hard to believe that “skipping a meal” does anything to slow down a metabolisms (that would be a pretty poor evolutionary survival strategy if it did!).”

Maybe I am just interpreting your post wrong, so forgive me if that is the case, but are you saying that a slowed metabolism from an extended period of not eating would be a poor evolutionary survival strategy? A slowed metabolism (whether this is actually an effect or not is another debate) is a perfect example of a great evolutionary survival strategy. You don’t need a high metablic rate to survive, you want your body fat to be slowly broken down in case you can’t find enough food to survive. Yea, nowadays that is not the case, but humans (and animals in general) weren’t looking to stay thin in the past, they were looking to make it through the winter with enough food!

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:02:41 +0000

Glad you like the site Matt and thanks in advance for any referrals.

By: matt craven

matt craven — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 01:21:22 +0000

I love the stuff on this site, I will be following you and sending people here if I am stuck with any information as its just full of it here.

Matt

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:45:56 +0000

Thanks for the information James. I’ll have to take a more detailed look at this.

By: james jones

james jones — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:56:43 +0000

caffeine is no more a diuretic than water, according to a research review article by Larry Armstrong, a professor of exercise and environmental physiology at the Neag School of Education.

“While there have been several studies done that show caffeine is a mild diuretic, there is no evidence that exercise, when combined with the consumption of caffeine or caffeinated beverages, will result in chronic dehydration, and this is contrary to the advice of most exercise physiologists, physicians and dieticians,” explains Armstrong, who has been conducting fluid balance research since 1980.

“Therefore, the health and performance of athletes and recreational enthusiasts will not be impaired if they consume caffeine and caffeinated beverages in moderation and eat a well-balanced diet,” he says.

in sum, maybe caffein might not be AS GOOD as water at rehydrating you , it doesn’t appear to dehydrate you.

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:36:37 +0000

Fantastic summary Mike. Personally, I do try and do 5 or 6 smaller meals per day where possible. However, as you say it’s not always practical. If you go away for the weekend or have a full day of meetings at work then sometimes you just have to stick with the traditional 3 meals a day.

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:28:46 +0000

Hey Johann. No problem for the long comment. You make some good points. Whilst the mini meals idea works for many people (myself included) other people will have equal success with the standard three meals a day approach.