‘I can’t lose weight because I have a slow metabolism.’ You may have heard people around you make this argument, or you may even have thought that your weight-loss struggles stem from a slow metabolism. However, though commonly blamed, the metabolism is incorrectly viewed as a dysfunctional system.
In an April 2 Instagram video, Dr Jeremy London, a board-certified heart surgeon with over 25 years of experience, emphasised that weight-loss struggles don’t indicate a broken metabolism. Rather, it shows a problem with your energy expenditure.
He noted that our body’s energy expenditure, aka our metabolism, has four components, all of which play a major role in burning calories: your baseline energy burn, movement throughout the day, exercise, and the energy required to digest food.
All of these components make up your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) or the total amount of calories you burn each day. Here’s how our body burns calories:
1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
BMR accounts for 60-75 percent of total daily energy expenditure. Dr London explains, “It is the minimum number of calories your body requires to maintain essential life-sustaining functions, determined largely by fat-free mass (muscle/organ mass).”
2. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)
Dr London noted that NEAT includes all activities not involving sleep, digestion, or formal exercise, such as spontaneous activities like fidgeting or walking. It is highly variable between individuals, typically 15-20 percent of total daily energy.
3. Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT)
Meanwhile, calories burned during intentional exercise; varies widely based on lifestyle. Typically, 5-10 percent of total daily energy intake, the heart surgeon shared.
4. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)
Lastly, he noted that the thermic food effect typically accounts for 10 per cent of daily energy expenditure and is influenced by meal size or composition. “Protein-rich meals increase TEF more than fats or carbohydrates,” Dr London noted.
According to the heart surgeon, digestion accounts for only about 10 percent of our total energy expenditure. This shows, interestingly, that chasing metabolism-boosting foods really doesn’t move the needle very much. “Metabolism is simple math: It’s calories in versus calories out,” Dr London highlighted.
However, he pointed out that though our metabolism changes as we age, there are biological and hormonal changes, but the bottom line is that we have decreased muscle and decreased movement.
“Less muscle means less baseline energy burn; less movement means less calorie expenditure. What really matters? Well, you need to build muscle and move more. And not just in the gym, but every day throughout your life, because your metabolism isn’t the problem – it’s how you’re using it,” Dr London stressed.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
