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Reversing Obesity

We understand all too well the mechanics by which we gain weight. When we take in more calories than we burn throughout the day, we wind up with a surplus. And when that surplus reaches 3500 calories, we have gained one pound.

We all assume that the reason for the surplus is that we either eat too much or that we exercise too little or both.

What we have excluded from this mindset is the largest aspect of the calories that we burn. An overwhelming majority of the calories we burn on a daily basis is the result of our resting metabolic rate --the burning of calories by our body exclusive of exercise.

Here is the formula for figuring your resting metabolic rate. For women: start with 655, then add to that 4.36 times your weight, then add 4.32 times your height in inches, then subtract 4.7 times your age. A 45-year-old woman who is 5'4" and weighs 150 pounds will have a resting metabolic rate of 1374 calories (per day) assuming that she has an average amount of muscle mass.

For men: Start with 66, add 6.22 times your weight, then add 12.7 times your height, then subtract 6.8 times your age. A 49-year-old man who is 6'2" and weights 200 pounds would have a daily resting metabolic rate of 1917 calories assuming an average amount of muscle mass.

When we are young and our percentage of body fat is low and our muscle mass is high, our resting metabolic rate can effectively neutralize all of the calories that we consume throughout the day.

As we journey through our 20s and 30s however, we begin to lose muscle mass and we begin to experience a greater amount of emotional and physical stress. Both of these factors are significant in contributing to the decline of our resting metabolic rate. And as we decline on the burn side of the equation, the likelihood of having a surplus of calories on a regular basis increases. This is exactly how we gain weight as we age, even if we do a reasonably good job of not overeating or over-drinking. We just stop burning enough calories to neutralize a reasonable amount of consumed calories.

So if a continuously reducing resting metabolic rate (caused by a loss of muscle mass and being subjected to cortisol-raising stress) is the primary reason that we gain weight, what do we have to do in order to lose weight?

In order to accomplish our weight-loss goals, we need to do three very important things on a consistent basis.

The first goal: we need to make certain that the plan that we have developed for ourselves is sustainable. In order to be sustainable, it must be reasonable, doable and enjoyable. This means no starvation diets that are designed to lose weight fast! Because of the way our bodies are wired, those diets will ultimately result in weight gain!

The second thing we need to do is to become aware of, and begin to manage, the variety of emotional, physical and nutritional stressors which cause us to lose muscle mass and therefore reduce our ability to burn calories at rest.
Chronic stress raises our cortisol levels which disrupts our ability to maintain a fat-burning metabolism. Why is this true? Because cortisol is a catabolic hormone, which means that it breaks down muscle tissue and uses the protein as an energy source while ordering fat to be stored instead of burned.
Managing stress also means that we keep our blood-sugar, our blood-calcium and our endorphin levels in an optimum range. To accomplish this, we must keep our emotions positive, eat quality food in small to medium portions, and get plenty of sunlight, sleep and water. Failure to manage stress means a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in fat accumulation.

And the third important goal that is essential to our long-term success is increasing our resting metabolic rate by engaging in strength-conditioning exercise on regular bases. One pound of muscle burns 350 more calories at rest per week than one pound of fat. Chronic stress and a sedentary lifestyle can conspire to make us obese; we must replace our lost muscle mass through muscle-building exercise. This and this alone will rejuvenate our resting metabolic rate which will allow us to eat healthy and not have a surplus at the end of the day.

This is the science of effective, long-term fat reduction. When the enemy is excess fat, we must fight back by creating muscle mass and by successfully managing our emotional, physical and nutritional stress.