Heart Disease
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(ii) Activity – This is the energy used doing movement and exertion – from lifting your arm to operate the remote control to doing housework, walking and exercising. The calories burnt depend upon how active or passive lifestyle you have. The activity level calories roughly are 30% of BMR for inactive persons, 50% of BMR for average activity and 75% of BMR for strenuous activity.
(iii) Dietary Thermogenesis – This is food induced heat production – the calories burnt in the process of eating, digesting, absorbing and assimilating food in the body. Digestive calories will be about 10% of both BMR and activity level calories. Also if you drink two litres of iced water a day, your body will burn 100 calories just heating the water to normal body temperature.
5.3 Example – For a person weighing 60 kilos with average level of activity, the guideline daily calories will be: –
1,320 BMR (BMR calories 60 x 22) + 660 (50% of BMR for activity level) + 198 (10% of BMR and activity level calories for thermogenesis) = 2,178 calories.
Diet and Lifestyle Guidelines to boost Metabolism
5.4 Whether you are trying to lose extra kilos or compensating for the inevitable slowing down of the metabolic rate that comes with age or simply you want to remain hale and hearty, the following are some surefire ways to boost your metabolism to keep your energy pulsating and your body in shape. The more of these ways you are able to incorporate into your lifestyle, the more you will boost your metabolism. That means you will be burning more calories 24 hours a day! So bring discipline to your lifestyle, get rid of negativity, have positive attitude and bounce back with high spirits and vibrant energy with these health-giving tips to boost your immunity.
(i) Never skip Breakfast – Breakfast breaks the fast after about 10 hours or more since your last meal and sleep. Your stomach and spleen are at their strongest first thing in the morning. Eating substantial healthy breakfast improves your metabolism as much as 25%. On the other hand, if you skip breakfast or just have tea/coffee and a light bite, your body thinks it is “famine” and its natural reaction, as protective mechanism is to completely shut down your metabolism or slow it down to a crawl in an attempt to preserve whatever fuel reserves it contains for the future “famine”. Since basal or resting metabolic rate accounts for 60-70% of energy expenditure, it is clearly the largest form of energy expenditure to maintain healthy weight. Those who skip breakfast are also the ones likely to develop high cholesterol, high blood pressure, blood sugar problems linked to diabetes and heart diseases. Eating breakfast has been proven to improve concentration, problem solving abilities, mental performance, memory and mood, besides good health.
(ii) Avoid Fasting and Feasting – Eat Frequently – Long gap between meals is the next biggest destroyer of metabolism. There is some evidence to suggest that eating small, more frequent meals keeps the metabolism on the right path i.e. burning calories faster than large, less frequent meals. The more frequently you eat, the more frequently your metabolism will get a boost. There are two reasons why meal frequency may improve metabolism. Firstly, the levels of thyroid hormones begin to drop shortly after eating a meal which slows metabolism. Secondly, it may be that thermogenic effect of eating several (6 to 7) small meals is higher than eating the same amount of calories in 2-3 large meals. When you fast, the body actually turns away calories which are converted into fat. Even when the body needs energy, it actually burns muscle and holds on to fat.
