Metabolism: does exercise boost it?
Well, I always hoped that the rumors were true – that gaining muscle mass would increase one’s resting metabolism. How many times have you heard fitness gurus tell you that if you bulk up with muscle you burn more calories even when you’re sitting around, watching TV?
Unfortunately, the truth is that even the most impressive muscle gains result in only a tiny increase in resting metabolic rate. In one case I recall a man who lost ~40 lbs of fat and gained ~20 lbs of muscle. His metabolism increased by a mere 50 calories/day.
In my experience, metabolism seems to be more a factor of nature rather than nurture. You’re born with a certain internal engine – and not much changes that (at a given body weight). However, exercise burns calories – and that can lead to weight loss, etc. It’s just that the baseline metabolism doesn’t change all that much.
Stay tuned for my next blog entry where I’ll explain why metabolism may be linked to diet failure.
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
I agree with your nature – nurture analogy. It made think about non exercise activity thermogenesis (N.E.A.T). This is a practical, sustainable and cost-free strategy we tend to under-appreciate. In my practice, I tend to place strong emphasis on this when counseling my patients about weight loss – it is probably more powerful than going to the gym. To learn more about NEAT, check out:
http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/mayo/research/levine_lab/index.cfm
Fifty calories a day, though, would add up to about 5 fewer pounds a year. Little changes can make a difference over time! Ten years later, other things being equal, isn’t he likely to weigh a lot less than his friend who does not have that muscle mass?