Endocrinologist Zabulienė on metabolism: without knowing these facts you will have to fight against weight for life

Is there really a slow and fast metabolism?

Metabolism is closely related to genetics, in practice 70 percent. It is determined by the genes, if we will be thin or fat. If there are about 1,600 genes for weight loss, then there are about 2,000 genes for those who are obese. So, for the most part, what we will be is determined by genes. Because some are very thin, they can eat whatever they want and don their outfit clothes, others unfortunately earn half a pound every year. It is true that metabolism can be slower or faster, but you also have to pay attention to how a person behaves: what he eats, how much he moves, how he sleeps, how he knows how to relax.

It’s not just genetics that’s to blame and saying I’m already destined to do it, so will I only eat turtles?

It is definitely not possible.

And how to speed up the metabolism?

If, in principle, we can only regulate and accelerate our basal metabolism, we can only regulate the 30% that is at our will with food and exercise, we will not achieve anything with one of them. But we need to get enough exercise, eat well, well, like not too fast acting carbohydrates and not too little protein. The building material of the body is protein. The more we eat and the more we exercise, the faster our metabolism will be.

The body is said to use more energy to digest protein than to digest carbohydrates.

Yes.

Eating like celery here is the only food that will need more energy than it needs to digest. Would protein and celery be the best diet to boost metabolism?

I can’t be sure about celery, but a protein food, if its ratio is higher than carbohydrates, as we used to think of 50%, now it is said that it should be around 40% and protein around 30%. The eating habits that we had in the past should definitely change for most of us.

We’re back to what most of us don’t like: we need to eat fewer calories and burn more.

Yes, you are right. The more calories we burn, the faster our metabolism becomes. Very often, overweight people say that they drink water and gain weight. In part, this is not true because the larger the human or mammalian body, the faster the metabolism. Overweight people have a fairly fast metabolism. It all depends on how much they eat and how many calories they consume. If 150 minutes a week of physical activity is enough for a person in normal conditions, then very often it takes 600 minutes a week to lose weight and reduce your body mass index. But this is hard work.

If we decide to lose weight, diet alone is not enough. Sticking only to the diet and therefore losing weight only slows down the metabolism. Every time we lose weight, we must bear in mind that physical activity only needs to increase. This speeds up the metabolism.

Also, if we simply starve and eat nothing, not only the fat but also the muscle tissue disappears as well, especially as the years go by.

Yes. There is even such sarcopenic obesity when the muscles are exhausted and the abdomen is still large. You’ve probably all heard the saying when a man comes to a tailor, looks from both sides, and then says, so where are we going to make a vest? If this is really the case, the person no longer has a torso, which indicates that the metabolism has really slowed down and this is related to the production of insulin, thyroid hormones.

All Lithuanians are very fond of research, although they do not receive much treatment. How can metabolism be studied and should it be done?

There are metabolic studies in laboratories that we could not do in our daily lives. And there are studies that are used in practice, sometimes used by athletes, for example, under the exhalation of oxygen, carbon dioxide. But most of the people analyze the blood, the main indicators are glucose, lipids, cholesterol.

And you don’t need to study hormones?

The most popular and beneficial are thyroid hormone tests, which show what the metabolism is, how likely it is to be slower or faster.

We investigated, we found out what was wrong, but diet, sports are not interesting. What is that magic pill?

I have always thought that a person must be interested both in following some rules and in getting a result. Sometimes it is difficult to follow a diet, it is also difficult to do physical exercises, you feel compelled. But you have to try to do it with joy, set small goals. Let’s say that after losing a kilogram or exercising for an hour a week, tell yourself: how great I am.

Then the happy hormone dopamine is released, allowing us to pursue another small goal. During exercise, endorphins are released and if you exercise not alone but with a friend, it is a very fun activity. There are no truly magic pills. Sometimes drug treatment is associated with insulin resistance, lack of metabolism, for example, when there is too little iron. We can administer pills symptomatically, but if we look at it holistically, it works.

Then let’s talk about short recipes filled with the internet. For example, coffee. Speeds up the metabolism.

Short-term effect, we will not lose weight.

Next, the number one in Lithuania right now, apple cider vinegar.

If there is a quick response, then the effect is short-lived and the upset stomach will be long-lasting.

Making love: exercise, endorphins, oskitocin.

One of the best recipes. But it must be with pleasure.

Drink water in large quantities. I don’t know why, but apparently it suppresses your appetite or like exercise, because you keep running to the bathroom.

You really said the reasons why it might work. But the effect is short-lived.

Protarpinis badavimas.

A more recent study in mice showed that if a mouse eats 24 hours a day, it dies very quickly. If you eat 12 hours a day, your health improves and you survive much longer. If you eat less than 12 hours a day, an average of 6-7, you are healthy and living as long as you are supposed to. Depending on the nature of starvation and the state of human health, fast for 12 hours – the effect is good enough.

Then fast when we eat during the day and not during the week. Or religious fasting.

Each nation has its own choice on how it sees it. A day without eating is a test of will, adherence to one’s beliefs. If a person practices it constantly, I think it is possible to do it. It will not make you gain weight, but it is hard to say if it will help you lose it.

Alternating exercises: one day we move a lot, the next day we lie on the couch and watch television.

Well, when you lie down on the couch, your basic metabolism is still working. It is possible, but regular exercise is always more beneficial.

The spicy food.

The effect is short-lived, but there is isolated evidence that it causes weight loss over time.

There are still several products that supposedly improve metabolism – ginger, turmeric … Are there any miracle products?

I believe that miracle food is what helps us stay healthy. I would talk here about foods with fiber that improve the gut microbiota.