Be careful what you wish for …

How many people are getting to the gym, lifting weights and exercising more with the goal to speed up their resting metabolic rate?

I don’t deny that building more muscle, can be marginally helpful. However, metabolism is a black box in the science world and it is evident that we don’t know all there is to know. My current understanding around the effect of muscle tissue on resting metabolic rate (RMR) is as follows. At any given weight, the more muscle on your body, and the less fat, the higher your metabolic rate. That's because muscle uses a lot more energy than fat while at rest.

So the logic is if you can build up your muscle, and reduce your body fat, you'll have a higher resting metabolism and more quickly burn the fuel (calories) in your body.

“That’s what I want!” I hear you say.

Here’s the red flag to that wish … If you have more muscle, it burns fuel more rapidly - tick. But, If you do gain more muscle and effectively speed up your metabolism, do you have to fight, the knowledge and the drive to deny the natural tendency to [want to] eat more as a result of your higher metabolism? Have you noticed yourself tending towards more carbohydrate and fatty foods or the combination of both, when you put in at the gym, especially with the weight lifting?

I argue that many of us don’t have the restraint to resist our biochemical drive to eat more!

As females, during the back end of our menstrual cycle our metabolism naturally sped up. We are hungrier , our body wants to fatten us up for the impending potential pregnancy. Most females notice the week before their bleed, brings with it an increase in cravings - fats and carbohydrates (often in the form of chocolate, as the body has tasted and experienced the calorie load from this little delight). It is physiologically super challenging to win against this happening (but I have a few strategies).

Bottom line is, once you increase your metabolism, make sure you know how to fuel yourself nutritionally to avoid falling prey to eating more of the non helpful choices.