Metabolism Over the Years & How to Accelerate It, Part 1

What is the Metabolism & How Does It Change over the Years? 

Obesity is a widespread epidemic that affects many. The more excess pounds you accumulate, the harder they become to lose. More importantly, the longer you have been overweight, the harder it becomes to lose weight. It’s likely you'll find someone suggest you may have a slow metabolism. 

What Is Metabolism? 

Plainly said, your metabolism is the exchange of nutrients and chemicals broken down from the food you’ve consumed so the body can grow and renew its own cells and tissues, and produce the energy needed for these functions. All this goes down through a whole series of biochemical processes. In general, they are divided into two large groups: 

Catabolic Processes 

Catabolic processes are responsible for breaking down biomolecules. They help digest the food into amino acids (from proteins), glucose (from carbohydrates) and fatty acids (from fat). They are responsible for generating energy as their byproduct. If your food intake is insufficient, energy is burned from the body’s own fat and protein stores. Therefore, athletic people in training that seek to gain muscle mass do not like catabolism. 

Anabolic Processes 

Anabolic processes perform the opposite function – they are responsible for building biomolecules. Using amino acids, fatty acids and glucose, these processes grow and rejuvenate cells, tissues and organs. They synthesize the bioactive substances needed for fine regulation that maintains the body in optimal condition. As a result, they demand a lot of energy. 

Both types of processes work simultaneously and in perfect unison. In some situations, one may be predominant over the other, but overall they maintain a fine balance.

What Is the Relationship between Metabolism & Calories? 

Basic Metabolism 

It’s the exchange of nutrients, by which the food consumed and broken down over the course of 24 hours produces just enough energy needed by the body to maintain its balance – without either increasing or decreasing your bodyweight. We’re talking, of course, only about the maintenance, it takes to support the body’s vital functions, i.e. when the body does no work and is at rest. This energy consumption is typically around 60% of the total energy you spend throughout the day.

Muscles burn energy the most. The more muscles you have – the more energy you burn. 

Calorie Balance

Calories are the unit of energy. The amount of calories needed to maintain the basic metabolism for one day ensures an optimal caloric balance. 

It stands to reason that by increasing your calorie intake, you increase your weight – and that is what happens in real life. Accordingly, if calorie intake drops, your weight should also drop. But this does not generally happen or at least not to the degree we wish. It turns out that the logic of a living system (your organism) differs from mathematical logic in a significant way. 

Reducing your calorie intake is interpreted by your body that food is currently deficient. As we all know, food shortage is a direct threat to its survival, so the body employs many austerity measures that have been in the making for millennia. It slows down the metabolism, consumes less energy, stores everything it can in reserves. When food is sufficient again, your body first restores the reserves used and accumulates even more, preparing in advance for the next shortage period. 

Metabolism & Age 

Metabolism in children is very fast. It is subject to increased body growth and inherent high physical activity – many building blocks and energy are needed. Over the years, growth slows down, needs gradually decrease and with them the necessary amounts of food and energy. 

In your early twenties, growth stops. After 30, the metabolism gradually slows down. If you keep the same calorie intake, the first extra pounds begin to accumulate. After 40, the process becomes very visible. 

After 50, hormonal changes occur in both men and women. These further slow down metabolism. Even people who have been thin in their youth start packing extra weight. 

So you begin to wonder – how do I speed up this damned metabolism to make the fat disappear? But is this exactly what you need? 

Read the next article "Can We Speed up Metabolism and How to Do It"