Current Events > Why do people blame weight on metabolism

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pojr posted...

do you count your calories?

did you study nutrition in in college?

I do count calories yes, but mostly when I'm cutting or on keto. When I'm bulking, I'm not that concerned about too many calories, I can always just do more cardio. I read the labels on nearly everything I buy, and will avoid certain foods, medicines and ingredients altogether.

I actually want to go to a college or university to study health, biology and nutrition, and eventually become certified with a degree to help others. I got into those subjects within the past year as a part of my weight loss and health goals, and the motivation to help my father, who is dying from cancer, also pushed me into this direction. I want to help others take initiative over their health and well being and not end up sick, depressed, fatigued, etc.

Most of what I learned came from watching different videos, documentaries and reading scientific articles. I hated how I looked and felt and wanted to change my lifestyle, so I started with the basics and lost 60 pounds in 6 months. I'm always learning new things and making small changes to my diet and lifestyle, such as trying new foods, doing different exercises, and cooking dishes or deserts that are low-carb.

pojr posted...

i'll admit a lot of the info you mentioned in your very first post went over my head, especially the stuff about Ph of the stomach. that is on a level that I cannot even comprehend. i always found nutrition to be very confusing and often have difficulties understanding what is really healthy and what isnt. i know there are probably resources on the internet, but for me I never really had a huge interest in it. not making excuses, just explaining why im a fatty lol.

Evening_Dragon posted...

Everything else listed seems to make sense, but what is that bit about a more alkaline stomach? Are you talking about the amount of hydrochloric acid produced, or what?

Yeah the stomach acid bit surprises a lot of people, because they'd never think maintaining something so simple would have so many health consequences if neglected. It does tie into the amount of hydrochloric acid that is produced and the pH of how acidic it is.

As your body gets older, or you chronically consume a lot of foods that upset the pH balance (such as processed foods with high amounts of sodium, potatoes, grains, or carbonate products such as baking soda and Tums), the pH of your stomach acid becomes more alkaline. The stomach acid should have a pH between 1-3 in order to digest proteins, absorb nutrients, kill pathogens, and support a healthy gut biome. If the stomach acid is not acidic enough, you will start to have things like GERD, acid reflux, heartburn, indigestion, and bloating. Making the stomach alkaline might fix those issues temporarily, but the better long-term solution is to introduce things that naturally build up your stomach acid on its own, like apple cider vinegar and betaine hydrochloride.

Stomach acid is what breaks down proteins and allows nutrients to be absorbed into the blood stream so that it gets distributed to all of your organs and cells. If your stomach is not acidic enough, then you won't be breaking down all the food you eat, and you'll gradually deprive your body of the nutrients it needs. Another thing is that stomach acid kills pathogens, bacteria, and viruses. Alkaline stomach acid will allow the pathogens to thrive in your lower gut and interrupt digestion, assimilation of nutrients, and can cause excess bloating, gas, and more.

One interesting thing I learned that kind of ties into everything related to the stomach, is that B12 is one of the special vitamins that has a unique ability to cross the mucousal barrier in the stomach via the intrinsic factor, and having alkaline stomach acid and excess foreign pathogens and bacteria in your gut interrupts that process. B12 deficiencies can cause neurological issues. That's another reason why artificial sweeteners like aspartame are bad, because they kill the good bacteria in your gut, and the stomach won't be able to digest and absorb the B12 and other nutrients, while pathogens and bad bacterias will also use up B12 and other nutrients for themselves. The B12 deficiencies and other nutritional deficiencies with poor diets will end up causing neurological issues, metabolic disorders and cancers to form if left unchecked for years, mostly in the older adults and elderly folks in their 50's and up, because again, the stomach acid becomes weaker as you age. That's why it's super important to take care of your stomach, and why I always recommend ACV and betaine hydrochloride to anyone (especially older adults) that wants to change their diet, because it won't matter how healthy you eat if you can't break down the food properly.

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@pojr @Evening_Dragon bumping for you guys before thread archives.

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Wtf

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@Xenozoa425

I appreciate the info, I meant to reply before. A lot of the stuff you mentioned goes way over my head. I think for some people dieting and can be hard because there's so much science to it, unless you have a bachelor's degree in that field. I wish it were more simple, I wish there was a sign that said "eat this, don't eat this"

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Dont more active people have higher metabolism than they would if they were sedentary? So yeah metabolism is a factor, but you even sort of have control of your metabolism.

pojr posted...

, I wish there was a sign that said "eat this, don't eat this"

But the dose makes the poison; ice cream is fine. A half gallon of ice cream is a single sitting is not.

Weight loss/gain is still mostly CICO. If you have a "slow metabolism" then just eat less in the first place if you're trying to prevent weight gain or lose some weight.
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It is very complicated for many people because a lot of good info is lost in a sea of misinformation and stereotypes. Anyone that is serious about dieting and improving their health and fitness should basically do the opposite of what mainstream media and mainstream medical outlets tells you.

Low-fat diet with lots of carbs and avoid salt to lose weight? No, that's a recipe for disaster, you do low-carb with some protein and healthy fats, and more potassium to balance out your sodium.

Lots of cardio at a low level for a long time with no strength training? No, you should do some strength training, building muscle uses more energy, and increases your BMR so that you burn fat and calories and increase your metabolism, and cardio should be done with powerful bursts of intensity for very small intervals.

Less reps with more weight or more weight with less reps? No, you keep a controlled rhythm, slowly contract and maintain tension before slowly releasing, at a challenging weight that is neither too little nor too heavy. That builds muscle smart and quick.

Ic3Bullet posted...

Dont more active people have higher metabolism than they would if they were sedentary? So yeah metabolism is a factor, but you even sort of have control of your metabolism.

That kind of ties into what I posted. Active people have a higher BMR because they are typically leaner, and lean muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat, so more muscle on the body burns calories faster than a fattier body.

You can think of fat as a battery. If you have all this fat, this extra surplus energy when you are overweight, your body doesn't feel the need to overwork itself, so your energy demand is not high. If you are normal or underweight, then your body obviously needs energy, and it doesn't have it stored away, so you can eat more to maintain.

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