3 Accelerate Your Metabolism

Why Yours Is Slow—and How to Speed It Up

Ever envied people you know who seem to be able to eat whatever they want without ever putting on a pound? Hey, we do, too! Those effortlessly lean people often have high metabolisms that keep them trim—without spending a lot of time in the gym.

But what exactly is metabolism, anyway? What determines whether it’s fast or slow? If yours is slow, are you cursed forever? (Don’t worry—you’re not!) Understanding how your metabolism functions, and how to change it, is the key to shedding body fat. You’ll discover why in this chapter.

From Morris:

Before I started working with Obi, I didn’t really understand how my metabolism worked. I knew I couldn’t eat like I did in my 20s without gaining weight, but I didn’t realize that my metabolism—not just what I was eating—was the culprit.

I didn’t just lose weight during the 12 weeks I worked with Obi—I added lean muscle. My chest, back, and arms all got bigger, and that extra muscle fired up my metabolism and keeps it running hot. That means I’m burning more calories all the time, even if I have a 14-hour day on set and can’t work out.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR METABOLISM

It’s natural to assume that someone who’s ripped or never seems to have weight issues has a fast metabolism. But we both know people who look fantastic because they maintain super-strict diets and work out hard nearly every day of the week. So don’t assume that a speedy metabolism is the only reason the person looks so great.

That said, people love to blame their metabolisms for being overweight. “It’s not my fault,” they say. “I have a slow metabolism.” Or, “Even when I diet, I can’t lose weight. My metabolism is sluggish.”

Even if that’s the case, that slow or sluggish metabolism is a result not of their genetics but rather of their lifestyle choices, which we’ll talk more about in a bit.

Fast metabolism. Slow metabolism. So what exactly does metabolism mean? We don’t have to get all scientific here. The simplest way to explain is that metabolism is the process of converting what you eat and drink into energy to fuel your body. This process takes a certain amount of energy, or calories. The amount of calories that your body uses for its most basic functions (like breathing) is called your basal, or resting, metabolic rate, or BMR.

Well, obviously you do a lot more in a typical day than breathe! In addition to the calories you burn through your BMR, you expend calories during the day whether you’re working, walking, exercising, or simply sitting on the couch watching Rosewood. You also burn some calories when you digest food, which is called the thermic effect of food.

So your metabolism in total—the amount of calories you’ll burn in a typical day—is dependent on three things: your basal metabolic rate; the amount of activity you do during the day; and the food you eat (but not how often you eat, as you saw in the last chapter). The biggest factor is your BMR, which makes up about 70 percent of your total metabolism.

Your BMR depends on the following:

Your size. Simply put, if you’re 6'2", you’re going to burn more calories, on average, than someone who’s 5'6". The heavier you are, the more calories you burn all the time.

Your gender. In general, men tend to have more lean muscle mass and less body fat than women. That means their metabolic rates tend to be higher than women’s.

Your muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate will be.

Your age. As you get older, you tend to lose muscle, which slows your metabolic rate.

Take a look at these factors, and what becomes obvious? The only factor within your control is the amount of muscle you have. You can’t grow another 6 inches and you definitely can’t turn back the clock. But you can keep your BMR elevated by building and retaining muscle.

Most people fail to do the kind of exercise that lets them retain muscle, however. Remember that after you reach the age of 30, you start to lose lean muscle mass at a rate of between 3 and 8 percent per decade, which causes a 3 to 5 percent drop in metabolic rate each decade. You lose muscle, your metabolic rate drops, and you begin to gain body fat, and gain weight as well. (The amount of fat you have is your body fat percentage; your weight is the number you see on the scale.)

People often assume that a slowing metabolism is a normal part of getting older, but we’re here to tell you that’s not the case! The good news is that lifestyle factors play a bigger role. In other words, you’re in charge. Now, if you live a sedentary lifestyle, your metabolism will drop. The more time you spend on your butt sitting on the couch, the slower your metabolism will be.

From Morris:

If you want to change your body, the question is: How badly do you want it? It’s like being in the acting business. Everyone wants to be a star—but no one wants to do the work! It’s the same with changing your body—you have to be willing to do the work.

EXERCISE IS THE METABOLIC ANSWER

So what’s the answer? Exercise—specifically, the right kind of exercise. That’s the only way to preserve your lean muscle mass, which is the driver of your metabolism.

People have different roadblocks when it comes to exercise. Some people simply aren’t working out at all, and they need to be encouraged to develop a regular routine. But what if you do exercise, yet don’t see many results? We bet you’re exercising wrong.

You already know that in general women prefer cardio and men prefer lifting weights, but that’s not the only issue with exercise. You need a workout plan that includes two vital elements—strength training, or weight lifting, and cardiovascular exercise. That’s the type of training you’ll do with our program. The Cut is designed to put more lean muscle on your body, which will increase your metabolic rate and turn your body into a blazing-hot furnace that burns more calories all the time. That’s a beautiful thing.

You already know that strength training helps build and maintain lean muscle. That’s only half of the exercise equation, though. The other is cardio—but not just any cardio. Low-or moderate-intensity cardio exercise is better than no exercise at all, but neither does a lot to maintain lean muscle or impact your metabolism. High-intensity cardio like sprinting, boxing, soccer, and plyometrics also helps maintain lean muscle and prevent age-related metabolic decline.

From Obi:

Don’t blame your genetics for your body. You can overcome bad genetics with the right diet and exercise program.

From Morris:

Mainly I work out in the morning. Sometimes if I have a long shooting day, I’ll go to the gym at three thirty or four in the morning. Some days are too intense for me to get it in and I’ll miss a day, but I try to work out at least two days a week during the week and then I get it in on the weekends, too. The closer it gets to a scene or show where I have to take my shirt off, the more cardio I do!

We realize that not everyone can do high-intensity workouts like running or playing basketball all the time. They can be hard on your body and joints, especially high-impact activities like sprinting and plyometrics. But you don’t have to do long sessions of high-intensity cardio to reap its benefits. Even short bursts of high-intensity effort, called interval training, will help you preserve lean muscle mass, increase fat loss, and speed up your metabolism. Another huge benefit of high-intensity exercise is that it cuts your workout time—you can burn as many calories in half the time as you would if you did lower-intensity activities.

The following activities can all be high-intensity:

   Basketball (Morris’s favorite workout!)

   Boxing/kickboxing

   Circuit training (weight lifting done with no rests during sets)

   Cycling (indoor or outdoor)

   Plyometrics (jumping or explosive power moves, including jumping rope)

   Rowing

   Running

   Soccer

   Swimming

   Tennis

All of these activities continuously use many muscle groups, which elevates your heart rate and burns a lot of calories. When you perform high-intensity exercise, you use more muscle fibers overall, which helps produce an EPOC response that will burn additional calories post-workout. Your effort matters; if you want to build and maintain lean muscle, you need to challenge yourself beyond what feels comfortable. But don’t worry—you’ll choose a program that fits your fitness level and individual needs.

That high-intensity exercise means that you burn more calories than you normally would while you’re doing it, and afterward. Plus, it’s helping you keep that lean muscle. So from a metabolic and calorie-burning standpoint, it’s win/win/win. The more calories you burn through the kind of high-intensity exercise you’ll do with our program, the higher you’ll ratchet up your BMR.

From Morris:

When I first saw how ripped Obi was, I was impressed. I know how hard it is to look like that as you get older. I figured he must be taking supplements or fat burners to look the way he does, and that he’d want me on some of that stuff, too.

Well, as soon as I started talking with Obi I realized he didn’t use fat burners or supplements other than protein powder and fish oil. He was legit—a top-notch, highly conditioned athlete who broke many track sprinting school records when at Cal State Fullerton University.

Obi is 100 percent natural, as they say in the bodybuilding business. That means he doesn’t use steroids or other drugs to put on muscle. I’ve never used steroids, either, and I wanted to work with someone who’s legit. Obi built his body and helps others build theirs the healthy, drug-free way, and that’s a big reason I chose to work with him.

From Obi:

Morris is right—I believe you should, and can, build your best body the natural way through proper diet and the right kind of exercise. I’ve been a fitness professional for more than 13 years now. I’ve appeared on magazine covers and been featured as a fitness expert for more than seven years, and I have never taken an illegal drug or used steroids. I strongly recommend against using unproven supplements to change your body. The best supplement to take? Healthy, clean, whole food.

Making the Cut: Real People, Real Results

Name: Rome Douglas

Age: 39

Location: Upland, California

Occupation: Retired professional football player; currently sales manager for industrial packaging supplies company

Height: 6'7"

Starting weight: 385 pounds

Ending weight: 353.6 pounds

I recognized that I needed help with my weight as I was approaching 400 pounds. I decided to follow The Cut because I’ve known Obi for years and trusted him to create a program that would work—and be good for my body.

Initially it was hard to stick with the diet part of the program—I felt jittery and slightly irritable because my body and mind were conditioned to fill up my plate every time I ate. But I realized I was eating out of habit and stuck with the diet. I’ve not only lost a ton of weight in a short amount of time—I also have a ton of energy. I feel like I did when I was playing sports!

I like The Cut because it’s also helped me develop healthy habits that I can keep for life.

BETTER METABOLISM IN A BOTTLE? NOT SO FAST

You know now that the way to a faster metabolism is one word—muscle. But that’s not what many supplement companies would have you believe. Even though you learned last chapter that there’s no such thing as a fat-burner pill, the weight loss supplement industry would have you believe otherwise. You’re constantly bombarded with claims and advertisements about the latest breakthrough pill or supplement that claims to help you lose weight, get ripped, or increase your metabolism.

So why do people fall for these products? First, it’s normal to want to find the easy way out. There’s also probably no fitness subject that is as confusing to the average person as metabolism. Remember that lots of people believe, wrongly, that eating six or seven small meals a day will speed up your metabolism. Well, another common myth is that there are foods or supplements that will boost your metabolism.

Don’t feel bad if you’ve spent money on “proven” supplements that did a whole lot of nothing when it came to losing weight. After all, it seems like every month or so you hear about a new supplement, plant, or herb that’s supposed to help you lose weight. So let’s take a closer look at the evidence—the published research and the opinion of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an objective government agency that has no financial interest in any of these products—regarding these products:

Bitter orange. The Claim: This stimulant is found in some weight loss supplements and is supposed to suppress appetite, burn more calories, and increase the breakdown of fat. The Verdict: According to the NIH, it may have an effect on resting metabolic rate, but it’s not clear whether taking bitter orange affects weight loss. The Bad News: It can cause side effects like an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, chest pain, and anxiety.

Caffeine. The Claim: Caffeine is found in many weight loss supplements, presumably because research shows that it does help to break down fat. The Verdict: The NIH states that caffeine has a possible modest effect on weight loss. The Bad News: Taking too much of it (more than 400 milligrams/day—about the amount in four regular cups of coffee) can cause anxiety, jitters, upset stomach, nausea, and other side effects, and we don’t recommend taking it in a supplement form.

Calcium. The Claim: There is research to suggest that consuming calcium may help you lose weight, especially if you don’t consume enough of it. The Verdict: The National Institutes of Health states, “Most studies have found that calcium—from foods or dietary supplements—has little if any effect on body weight and amount of body fat.”

Chromium. The Claim: Chromium is a mineral that is claimed to help build muscle and create fat loss. The Verdict: Research is mixed; the NIH concludes that some studies suggest chromium may produce a small weight loss. However, most of those studies were conducted with a small number of people over a brief period of time. In other words, the jury’s still out.

Chili peppers. The Claim: Some studies have found that eating chili peppers can briefly boost metabolism and may also help produce fat loss due to their capsaicinoids, the substances that make the peppers taste spicy. The Verdict: It’s way too early for researchers to recommend that you eat a certain amount of chili peppers each day for lasting weight loss!

Conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA. The Claim: Supposedly, this supplement can reduce body fat. The Verdict: According to the NIH, CLA has minimal effect on body fat and body weight. The Bad News: CLA can cause abdominal pain and discomfort, constipation, diarrhea, and upset stomach.

Garcinia cambogia. The Claim: There are claims that this supplement helps suppress your appetite, decrease the number of fat cells your body makes, and produce weight loss. The Verdict: Research on this supplement is inconclusive, and the NIH states that garcinia cambogia has little to no effect on weight loss. The Bad News: This supplement may cause side effects like headaches and nausea.

Green tea/green tea extract. The Claim: Some studies have found that green tea and green tea extract can temporarily boost your metabolic rate. The Verdict: Review studies that look at most of the published research have found this increase is short-lived, and not enough to create any significant weight loss. The Bad News: While green tea is generally healthy, green tea extract can cause side effects including nausea, constipation, and high blood pressure; it may also cause liver damage in some people.

Guar gum. The Claim: This is soluble dietary fiber that is supposed to make you feel fuller and prevent weight gain. The Verdict: Published research has found no proven effect on body weight. The Bad News: Guar gum may cause abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, cramps, and flatulence.

Pyruvate. The Claim: Often found in weight loss supplements, pyruvate is claimed to reduce body fat. The Verdict: The NIH’s position is that it has a possible minimal effect on weight loss.

Raspberry ketone. The Claim: This is a relatively new supplement that claims to be a powerful fat burner. The Verdict: According to the NIH, raspberry ketone has not been studied enough to determine whether it has any effect on body fat or weight loss. The Bad News: The NIH has yet to determine whether it’s even safe to take.

Yohimbe. The Claim: Found in many weight loss supplements, this herb is supposed to increase weight loss. The Verdict: After reviewing the published research, the NIH has stated that yohimbe has no effect on weight loss. The Bad News: It’s also considered unsafe and can cause high blood pressure, anxiety, headaches, heart attack, heart failure, or even death.

From Obi:

Educating you about supplements is a topic of personal importance to me as I’ve had at least a dozen supplement companies ask me to serve as their spokesperson. I’ve turned down every one. I will never sacrifice my credibility to make an extra dollar and I will never say a product does something that it doesn’t! That’s a big reason I wanted to write this book with Morris—I want to help prevent you from spending boatloads of money on weight loss products that don’t work and to help you get in the best shape possible the healthy way.

If these supplements actually did what they claim, two-thirds of Americans wouldn’t be overweight or obese! Weight loss supplements always seem to claim the same thing—they’ll help you break down fat! They’ll speed up your metabolism! They’ll suppress your appetite! They’ll expedite fat loss! The claims may be impressive, but the reality is that most supplements have little impact on fat loss, metabolism, or anything else. By themselves, they don’t help you accelerate your metabolism or lose weight any faster or magically break down your fat stores or eliminate belly fat. There are a few supplements that can be beneficial (like omega-3 fatty acid supplements), provided you’re exercising and eating right. Supplements are meant to assist your diet and exercise program, not replace it.

Whenever a doctor, fitness expert, nutritionist, researcher, or anyone else makes a blanket or controversial statement about losing weight, you should be on your guard. Don’t accept that information as gospel. Do your own research, and then form your opinion about it. Even the most credible experts are human and make mistakes. In short, if something sounds too good to be true when it comes to helping you boost your metabolism, lose weight, or shed body fat, it probably is.

Hopefully you’ve learned from this chapter that the only proven way to increase your metabolism is with the proper type and amount of exercise—specifically strength training and high-intensity cardio, which will help you build and retain the lean muscle that will boost your metabolism. Now that you know the why, let’s move on to the how: the diet that will help you lose body weight and fat, and the exercises and workouts that will enable you to keep your metabolism firing on high.