Wait Until You're My Age

Debunking the Myth of Slowed Metabolism

“I remember when I was your age; I could eat a whole cake and not gain a pound! Now I just look at a piece of cake and gain 10 pounds!”

We have all heard this before. Some of us may have even said it before. It is though to be common knowledge that your metabolism “slows” as you age. Is there any truth to that claim?

Sort of.

Human metabolism simply refers to the body’s energy production and is made up of essentially 4 different parts. These have been discussed in prior articles but I will cover them briefly here as a reminder.

• Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - The energy your body uses performing normal functions to keep you alive. This covers all the normal cellular processes, breathing, blinking, everything. This is determined by your body size, obesity level, muscle mass, etc.

• Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) - The energy your body uses in activity that is not exercise. Walking, cleaning the house, hanging up your Doc Anarchy poster. Pretty straightforward stuff.

• Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT) - The energy required to perform exercise. Can be cardio or weights and is in addition to NEAT.

• Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) - The energy required to digest food. Protein can take up to 30% (highest) whereas liquid sugars are >1%. TEF is usually around 10% of your daily caloric expenditure.

Using these 4 parts of human metabolism I will explain why it is mostly crap to blame your weight gain on old age.