People who have a slow metabolism often have weight problems and difficulty losing weight.
The basic metabolism (or basal metabolism) corresponds to the necessary and incompressible energy expenditure to maintain the life of a person at rest (the work of the heart, breathing, cellular renewal, blood circulation, etc.). It is the process that allows convert nutrients into energy. He is totally different for each person and depends on factors such as gender, height, age, level of physical activity, smoking, level of chronic stress… It is located on average between 1400 and 1800 kcal per day for a adult. That’s if you lie in bed all day doing nothing. “When we add dietary thermogenesis (the energy needed to digest food) and the energy expenditure linked to daily activities, we move to an average metabolism of 2200 to 2800 kcal per day“, explains Aurélie Tetzlaff, dietician-nutritionist. But certain people, for various reasons (pathologies, hormonal imbalancetoo restrictive diet…) have a slower than average basal metabolism. For the same meal, a person who has a fast metabolism will burn more calories (and store fewer calories) than someone who has a slow metabolism.
1. You are gaining weight or having difficulty losing it
Barring pathology, a healthy adult who has normal physiological functioning has a basic metabolism adapted to their energy expenditure. “But when we put ourselves in “restrictive” mode, go on a diet or deprive ourselves of certain foods, the body modifies its functioning by adapting as much as possible to this situation which is extremely uncomfortable for it. . He enters “survival mode”, will learn to consume less energy (the body burns fewer calories) and especially to store more in the form of fat“, explains our interlocutor. This is why we have difficulty losing weight, or even gaining it. “This is the great paradox and drama of diets“.
2. You are tired but you get enough sleep
When our metabolism is slowed down, we often feel tired or lethargic. We lack energy even when you get enough sleep. “In fact, from the foods consumed, the body no longer produces as much energy as it should. It will store them rather than using them to produce energy“, explains the dietician.
3. You are often cold
Often feeling cold, especially in the extremities (hands and feet) is one of the warning signs. “It is always because of this story of storage and availability of energy which will lead to failures of normal systems: once again, energy will be stored instead of being used to regulate body temperature”
4. You are often constipated
Slowed metabolic processes lead to slowdowns in the digestive system. This can notably result in bloating or constipation which settles down.
5. You often have sugar cravings
Cravings or sugar cravings Regular exercise can be a sign of a slow metabolism. This is again linked to the cause of the decline in the amount of energy available to maintain the body’s vital functions and the fatigue induced by a slow metabolism. And when we are tired, appetite-regulating hormones are altered.
6. Your elbows and heels are dry
Dry skin (especially on the elbows and heels), dry hair or brittle nails are signs of a slowing metabolism and ensures hydration less well from the body.
7. You lack sexual desire
“A slow metabolism affects hormones like androgens which can lead to lower libido or fertility in some people“, indicates Aurélie Tetzlaff.
If you have one or more of these physiological and physical signs, it is interesting to talk to a dietician-nutritionist and explore this avenue. He may suggest that you carry out a resting metabolic rate test (CMA). “These signs being not very specific, they are not always the manifestation of a slowed metabolism. There may be other things, but it’s worth looking into.r” concludes our speaker.