I mean, I get that having a fast metabolism means that you get fat harder and vice versa, but what does it exactly mean? And what are the upsides and downsides of each?
In: Biology
The process at which you convert food to energy is what our metabolism is responsible for so faster obviously needs less time to convert to ATP (energy) and vice versa. It’s not uncommon for people with slow metabolic rates to be overweight because the body is inefficient at converting food to fuel, and will opt to store the food (as bodyfat) instead of using it all for ATP.
People that weigh more actually have a higher basic metabolic rate. They expend more calories maintaining their bodily functions. This is mentioned a lot when trying to gain weight, but it’s also relevant to people that are obese and trying to lose weight.
As someone who has a “fast metabolism” according to others, I have a different theory. I do eat a ton of food – like, burger and fries for lunch, half a pizza for dinner, that kind of thing. But I’m super, super physically active. I’m a constant fidgeter in addition to exercise and walking a lot. There’s a theory that people with fast metabolisms are actually just fidgets – we’re always moving, even just jiggling our legs at our desks. I’m constitutionally incapable of sitting still.
This is an interesting topic.. A “fast metabolism” is often associated with the physiological phenomenon of “mitochondrial uncoupling”. This is a process where the mitochondria produce more energy than they need or can effectively use, producing more waste heat and an effusion of metabolic byproducts, but generally fewer of the metabolically harmful, degeneration-inducing ROS(reactive oxygen species). Think of it like a fire. A hot fire burns clean. It produces less soot. This process of mitochondrial uncoupling is, in some circumstances, associated with increased lifespan.
it mostly means someone is working out hard and has built enough muscle mass to consume more calories.
really it’s a fallacy, and doesn’t have much bearing in science.
Not an expert, but ill give my two cents about it.
Recently started calorie counting, to try and lose weight, and i was amazed how much i fucked up on my cheat day( im eating healthy 6 days of the week, and one day and going all out on eating and drinking).
Started my died late March and manage to go from 98kg to 90kg so far, altough i only started calorie counting in June.
Diet and exercise work wonders.
This month, i went to a nutricionist and did some exams. She told me all my stats look good, apart from visceral fat (the fat located around your abdomen) and my metabolism.
She told me that despite me having a good percentage of muscle mass, my metabolism is slow due to the percentage of visceral fat, and it should increase as soon as i lose a bit more fat.
She also told me people with faster metabolism tend to burn more calories even when resting and also having a good percentage of muscle mass increases your calorie burn. Its kinda interesting, because despite not dieting in any way for the past couple of years, my body weight never went above 99kg, despite eating and drinking like a fucking elephant all the time. My work is kinda physically demanding (i work at the warehouse of a home depot, so im lifting heavy stuff all the time and walking a lot).
I have a personal theory about how the “fast/slow metabolism” misconception could partly be a function of how efficient people’s digestive systems are. For example, my brother has bathroom issues and can eat and eat and eat with no weight gain. He is therefore not absorbing his food efficiently. This could be an extreme case but you can imagine there being a spectrum of how effective people are at digesting their foods.
Nothing since it’s not a thing. People just dont understand their bodies or want an excuse for while they’re overweight
This usually refers to the number of calories your body naturally burns each day with no activity included. These are the calories needed simply needed to keep your body running to survive.
Some factors that influence this number are body size and muscle mass. The larger you are the more calories it takes to maintain your body. Muscles require more calories to maintain than fat.
For normal people, this difference is within a couple hundred calories per day (about 1 soda worth). So generally this is too small of a factor to account for weight gain differences between two people. The reality is people don’t adequately log their calorie intake and calorie output.
>having a fast metabolism means that you get fat harder and vice versa
That’s actually a [common misconception](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions#Nutrition,_food,_and_drink).
>There is no evidence that obesity is related to slower resting metabolism. Resting metabolic rate does not vary much between people. Weight gain and loss are directly attributable to diet and activity. Overweight people tend to underestimate the amount of food they eat, and underweight people tend to overestimate.[376]
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