Those people you love to hate. The people who seem like they can eat whatever they want and they never gain weight. People like this:
We like to think that these people have "fast metabolisms." In fact, I am one of those people that have been accused of having a fast metabolism.
However, the fact is, the vast majority of people have normal metabolisms. If you think of a bell curve…
…the vast majority of people are going to fall somewhere in the middle of that curve in regards to metabolism. Very few people are going to be out on the ends with truly "slow" or "fast" metabolisms for their body weight.
I had my resting metabolic rate (RMR) tested in our Performance Lab not too long ago. I was 178 pounds at the time. My RMR was 1,671 calories per day.
However, based on the Mifflin equation (a popular equation used to estimate your RMR based on factors such as your body weight and height), my predicted RMR is 1,847 calories per day.
My true RMR was 10% below what is predicted for someone of my height and weight. So, I do not have a fast metabolism. In fact, it's slightly slower than predicted.
So what is going on? Why do people accuse me of having a fast metabolism?
I recently tested a device known as the Sensewear Armband, which gives you an estimate of your total daily energy expenditure (the amount of calories you expend over 24 hours).
It's a pretty nifty device…it can give you an estimate of your total daily energy expenditure within ±300 calories of your true average (measured by the gold standard known as doubly labeled water). That's not a bad estimate at all. I wore the device for 3 days to give me a decent estimate. I then compared what was measured with the armband, to what you would predict my total daily energy expenditure to be based on my RMR.
There are different equations that you can use to predict your total daily energy expenditure. One is to take your RMR and multiply by 1.6.
My measured RMR x 1.6 = 1,671 x 1.6 = 2,674 calories per day
So, that's my estimated energy expenditure over 24 hours, assuming that I have an average activity level.
But here's my total daily energy expenditure, measured by the Sensewear armband:
3,360 calories per day
My 24-hour energy expenditure is 26% higher than you would predict. So, I don't have a "fast metabolism"….I'm simply more active than the average person.
This doesn't mean that I exercise a lot. My volume of my exercise program is not high by any means…I exercise about 5 days per week for an hour average. My energy expenditure was around 3,300 – 3,400 calories per day even on days that I didn't work out. My energy expenditure is high because I'm active throughout the entire day. I fidget a lot, I get up from my desk a lot, and I rarely sit still for long periods of time. I tend to do a lot of walking around.
These people that you think have "fast metabolisms" often just are more active throughout the day.
Today's lesson is that you should focus on your overall activity throughout your entire day, not just your exercise in the gym. You can make pretty large impacts on your total daily energy expenditure by doing this...more of an impact than you could ever make by simply exercising harder or exercising more. This means walking around more, taking the stairs rather than the elevator, etc.
I do an entire 1.5 hour lecture on this topic (and others) called "The Hidden Secrets of Weight Management." The next scheduled lecture is Thursday, September 27th, at 6 PM in our Decathlon Room. The cost is $25 and dinner is included. The lecture is for current and former 20/20 clients, as well as general members of the PRO Sports Club. This lecture, based on some of the latest research in metabolism and energy expenditure, will give you some important information that will help you lose weight and keep it off over the long term.
