YOUR METABOLISM AND YOU

One of the key elements in weight management is to understand your metabolism. Metabolism is the body's way of getting the energy it needs from food. Things like starvation dieting and fasting for extended amounts of time slows down your metabolism while exercise, clean eating and a good night's sleep are considered metabolism boosters.Finding out your unique metabolic type is a great place to start burning fat and losing weight.

If you've been following a balanced diet plan to the letter without success, ask yourself this, Are you working against your metabolism? Most diets are designed with one kind of metabolism in mind. This Metabolism is known as Metabolism A. People with Metabolism A have no problems processing carbohydrates. Their bodies react to Carbohydrates by releasing the right amount of insulin to handle the rise in blood glucose. But people with Metabolic Syndrome also known as Metabolism B, produce excess insulin which leads to excess fat storage, erratic energy levels and powerful sugar and carb cravings and is associated with conditions like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and fatigue. For people with Metabolism B, counting calories may do little for them in terms of weight loss.

If you have Metabolism B, your body overreacts to Carbohydrates. It releases too much insulin, a fat storage hormone. Insulin is the key that opens the doors to your cells to allow glucose to enter. A high insulin level causes excess fat storage both on and in the body.

Over 55 percent of people who have struggled with weight loss do not have metabolic equilibrium. Because of a hormonal imbalance, their metabolism and weight does not respond to a calories in / calories out formula. They can cut their calories, increase activity, count fat grams and limit sodium intake but contrary to what diet books/experts say, they will not lose weight and keep if off.

Why?

Because they have an imbalance of the fat gain hormone, Insulin. Insulin is normally released in the right amount based on a rise in blood sugar from carb foods or the livers release of stored sugar when we pass five hours without eating. A person with Met A always releases the right amount of insulin but a person with Met B begins to release excess insulin in response to carbs and despite the number of fat grams or sodium grams ingested, will GAIN fat.

A hormonal imbalance of insulin is inherited and escalated by environmental factors such as lack of activity, excess carb portions, skipping meals, stress and illness). You don't cause Met B, you inherit the gene and life speeds it on.

HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR METABOLISM TYPE

Take this quiz to find out if you have Metabolism A or B

•   Do you gain weight easily and find it difficult to lose weight?

•   Do others around you eat more than you do yet end up slimmer?

•  Are you frequently tired even when you have just woken up.?

•   Are you sometimes mildly depressed?

•   Do you feel an energy slump in the late afternoon?

•  Do you have a roll of fat around your middle?

• Do you often crave carbs such as bread, chips,sweets or pasta?

• Do you have trouble sleeping?

• Are you sometimes forgetful or find it hard to concentrate?

•   Do you have high blood pressure?

• Do you have high cholesterol?

If you have answered Yes to many of the questions above, it is likely that you have Metabolism B. 

Because the Met B's weight does not directly respond to calories in/ calories out, the millions of people with Met B do not respond to calorie based diets and these diets can actually make them fatter. If you took two women ( one with Met A and the other with Met B), both are 52 years old, both are 5.5" tall and weigh 170 lbs at the start of a calorie based diet and checked their weight loss in 8 weeks, the Met A woman would most likely lose 10 pounds (1-2 pounds/week). The Met B woman could have lost 2 pounds or no pounds at all. There is no way she will lose anywhere near 10 pounds after 8 weeks of a calorie based diet.

If you gave the Met B woman a program that rests her insulin release, allows fat to burn, helps the connection between insulin cells, she would lose 6 - 13 pounds in 8 weeks. The Atkins diet has been used by people with Metabolism B to lose weight as the diet helps to perform a carb cleanse and help to get the Met B's insulin levels to normal.