30 AMERICANWAY
JANUARY 1 2009
ILLUSTRATIONBYLUKEBEST
L I F E S T Y L E
I
It provides a convenient scapegoat, our
metabolism. Some days, the mysterious
biological process seems toprovide theonly
explanation for why some people can burn
off breakfast by running errandswhile oth-
ershavecaloriesthatnevertrulyvanish.Un-
fortunately, themetabolic realityappears to
be complexand likelyabit frustrating.
Granted, the success of your battle with
your waistline in 2009 rests largely upon
basicmath: Do you eatmore daily calories
than you expend? Still, some factors be-
yondyour control, includingageandgenet-
ics, may unfairly stack themetabolic deck.
“Some people are naturally gifted in that
they have a higher metabolism than other
people,” says Tara Gidus, an American Di-
eteticAssociation spokeswoman.
The intriguing and hotly debated ques-
tion is whether or not you can tweak your
metabolism, at least to some degree. How
many hours you sleep, how much muscle
mass you maintain, how frequently you
eat—allmayplaya role, according to some
researchers and clinicians. Evenhowmuch
you putter around the house and yardmay
contribute.
“We all have to play the genetic cards
we’ve been dealt,” says TeddMitchell, MD,
chief executive officer of the Dallas–based
Cooper Clinic and coauthor of
Move Your-
self
(see “Metabolic Reading Material”).
“Butwhileapercentageof yourmetabolism
has been ingrained genetically, a large per-
centageof yourmetabolism isbehavioral.”
YOUR METABOLISM
— the burning of
calories to fuel your body— depends upon
three primary components, beginningwith
how fast youburn calories at rest. The rest-
ing metabolic rate is influenced by age,
genetics, and your body’s own hormonal
makeup, including thyroid, estrogen, and
testosterone levels, Dr. Mitchell says. Then
there’s the energy your body consumes to
actually digest that apple or steak dinner
you’ve eaten; it’s a relatively smallmetabol-
ic contributor. And lastly, you have to take
into account your daily activity level, con-
sidering everything fromfidgeting inmeet-
ings to swimming laps.
Right out of the gate, men usually enjoy
a metabolic advantage because they pack
moremuscle than women of the same age
Feel theBurn
Before you embark on the latest faddiet to lose
those pesky holiday pounds, youmightwant to
get to know yourmetabolism a little better. It’ll
make all the difference.
ByCharlotteHuff
