Does Your Metabolic Rate Need Some TLC?

Weight gain isn’t an exercise deficiency – it’s the result of an inefficient metabolism.

Fat loss favours a healthy, warm body with a fast metabolism, which can readily use stored body fat for energy whilst in the resting state. In fact, 70% of your daily energy expenditure comes from the resting metabolic rate.

When it comes to weightloss, and optimising your health, the most bang for your buck comes from rebuilding your metabolism. The higher the metabolic rate, the easier it is to lose unwanted excess fat and keep it off.

Yet so many of us are trying to force weightloss with excess exercise, fasting, low carb or keto dieting, skipping breakfast and eating the wrong fats (PUFAs) and carbs (complex carbs) – which all have a negative impact on your health and thyroid, and promote weight gain because they all increase stress hormones and downregulate your metabolic rate.

“If your body’s stressed, the last thing it will want to do is lose weight.”

Assess your own metabolic health using the checklist below:

• I gain weight easily, even on low calories and with exercise
• I struggle to lose weight no matter what I do
• My basal body temperature (BBT) upon waking is under 36.6 degrees
• My resting heart rate (RHR) upon waking is in the 40s or 50s
• I feel puffy and fluidy most days
• I don’t poop daily or regularly
• I wake throughout the night
• I couldn’t care less about sex
• My hair is brittle, dry and thinning
• I have poor skin health (acne, dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema etc.)
• I frequently experience cravings (salt and/or sugar)
• I have cold extremities: hands, feet, nose
• I’m often get bloated, have reflux and digestive issues
• I feel fatigued, heavy and have no energy
• I’m emotional, low, moody, unmotivated and just not excited about life
• I don’t handle stress well – I’m anxious and irritable
• I urinate frequently, especially through the night
• I’m never hungry upon waking and skip breakfast most days
• I have PMS and menstrual issues; heavy, irregular and painful periods
• I don’t get hungry throughout the day
• I have afternoon energy crashes
• I have fertility issues
• I have brain fog and just don’t feel mentally alert
• I get sick often
• I have hormonal imbalances (miscarriages, PCOS, endometriosis, PMS, early menopause etc.)
• I have thyroid issues and am on T4 only medication

If you answered ‘yes’ to most of the above questions, your metabolic rate may need a little TLC. Even if you answered ‘yes’ to some of these questions but have a history of yo-yo dieting, low carb eating, keto dieting, training on low calories or fasting – rebuilding your metabolism is literally the best thing you can do for permanent weightloss and your overall wellbeing.

When you rebuild your metabolism, everything gets better, because your metabolism is the sum of every metabolic process in your body – including digestion, immunity, detoxification, hormonal health, reproduction and repair. So when metabolism slows – how your body functions biologically, mentally, physically and emotionally is affected also.

“Just by raising your body temperature to normal (36.6º) you can lose weight effortlessly without eating less and exercising more – and you’ll be able to maintain your ideal weight easily.”

The good news is you’re never too old and it’s never too late! No matter how damaged you think your metabolism is, you can get better. You just need the right tools, a desire to change, guidance and patience. And you simply CANNOT achieve permanent weightloss without making metabolic health a priority. It’s scientifically impossible!

“A higher metabolism, not exercise makes people naturally thin.” – Dr. Ray Peat

Join BodyIQ to rebuild your metabolism so it burns calories at rest, rather than stores them as fat, to help you regain your health, vitality, confidence and a body you’ll be proud of at any age. It’s the only way to achieve permanent, exercise-free weightloss without sacrificing your health.

Article by Kinga Fourie
Certified Nutritionist, BodyIQ Founder & IFBB Figure Champion