Metabolism

I want to do more research on this but, thought I'd start here... What do you guys think of your metabolism now ? What could/should we be doing or taking to help speed it up ? Do we have a harder time now since surgery ? Just wondering if this may be a part of my weight gain or current weight stand still. Thanks for any feedback !

I had my resting metabolism (RMR) tested in May 2007; at that time, it was around 2000 calories.  My body composition monitor says my RMR is now around 1700, although I honestly think it's a little higher than that.  (The body composition monitor bases it's analysis on body fat, skeletal muscle, total weight, but there are other factors that play into our metabolism.)   In my experience, there are a couple things you can do to increase your metabolic rate.  First, build additional skeletal muscle through strength training.  Muscle tissue takes more calories to maintain on a daily basis, so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. Second, eat small meals/snacks throughout the day, rather than 3 larger meals.  I eat every 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours over the course of the day, and I usually eat between 150-300 calories each time I eat (slighty more calories at traditional breakfast, lunch, and dinner time, slightly fewer calories at "snack" times).  By giving your body a steady supply of fuel/food, I think it learns that more food will be coming regularly, so it's okay to burn off as many calories as it needs/wants and doesn't need to conserve energy for a rainy day!!!   As some additional background, I started at 396 pounds, had surgery in 10/2005, am now at 188 pounds, still losing about 3-5 pounds per month, eat ~2200 calories per day, and exercise 6-8 times per week (both strength training and cardio).   I look forward to seeing input from other folks on this issue - good post. Kellie

Kellie, How does someone get tested for their RMR? Patti

Some of your higher end gyms offer metabolism testing.  Most of them use the breathing method.  They determine how much oxygen you use and carbon dioxide you create.  It's supposed to be pretty accurate.  I had mine done this past July and it seemed to be right on target.   Do a google search on your city/state and metabolic testing.  That's how I found the facility that did my test.