Article 21: The Perfect Friend of a Perfect Figure – Metabolic Power: Unveiling the Mystery of Metabolic Power

My best friend with a killer figure - metabolism

You may have tried liquid diets, small meals, calorie-counting diets, fat-free diets, and various other diets recommended by doctors, but the weight you lost always seems to come back. You may be a failure when it comes to weight loss, but you've become a nutrition expert in your pursuit of it, even able to recite the calorie content of every food. Even with such knowledge of food, you still can't lose weight. Why? Because your metabolism is compromised!

Unveiling the Mystery of Metabolic Power

Metabolic capacity is the body's ability to digest and absorb food, convert it into energy, and excrete waste.

Metabolism, or simply metabolism, is a fundamental characteristic of bodily life activities, encompassing both material metabolism and energy metabolism. In reality, energy metabolism always accompanies material metabolism; the two are inseparable. In a broad sense, material metabolism includes three stages: the entry of nutrients into the body, intermediate metabolism, and the excretion of metabolic end products. In a narrow sense, material metabolism refers only to intermediate metabolism. Energy metabolism refers to the release, transfer, storage, and utilization of energy during the metabolic process.

When discussing metabolism, we cannot ignore calories, which we often hear about. Many people fear calories, meticulously recording their daily calorie intake and feeling terrified if they exceed it. In fact, all bodily functions require calories, such as metabolic processes, muscle contractions, and glandular secretions, and these calories primarily come from food. The nutrients in plant and animal foods can be divided into five major categories: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Adding water makes six categories, with carbohydrates, fats, and proteins being the main sources of calories. Carbohydrates, including grains, root vegetables, and starches, are the largest source of calories, accounting for 58% to 68% of total daily calorie intake. Therefore, it is essential to eat well to replenish energy. Fat, including various oils and nuts such as peanuts and sunflower seeds, is also an important source of calories, accounting for about 25% of total daily calorie intake. Daily intake should not be excessive to avoid calorie surplus. Protein, including fish, meat, milk, and eggs, provides calories, but from an economic perspective, it is not cost-effective because protein's primary function is not to provide calories. It only converts into calories when there is a calorie deficiency. Daily intake should account for 10% to 14% of total daily calorie intake. In other words, sufficient daily protein intake is enough to avoid it being stored as fat.

The uses of calories include basal metabolism, physical activity, the thermic effect of food, and thermogenesis, all of which affect the level of metabolic capacity.

The minimum energy required by the human body to maintain all organs of life is called basal metabolism. It is mainly used for respiration, heartbeat, oxygen transport, glandular secretion, kidney filtration and excretion, muscle tension, and cell function. Simply put, if your basal metabolic rate is 1000 kcal (1 kcal = 4.184 kJ), and you sleep all day without engaging in any other activities, you will burn 1000 kcal of energy in that day.

Basal metabolic rate accounts for 65% to 70% of the body's total calorie expenditure, making it the highest calorie expenditure and thus significantly influencing the speed of weight loss.

So, how do you test your basal metabolic rate? We usually use the following questions to assess your metabolic rate; check the boxes for the issues you have. Fewer than 6 checked items: Your basal metabolic rate is currently good, but don't be complacent, as metabolic rate can change with lifestyle and age. 7-11 checked items: Your basal metabolic rate is currently not ideal; you should adjust your diet and lifestyle as soon as possible to improve it. More than 12 checked items: Your basal metabolic rate is currently very poor, which not only makes you prone to obesity but also affects your health. You should improve your eating habits and start exercising as soon as possible, because only by comprehensively improving your basal metabolic rate can you fundamentally solve the problems of sub-health and weight gain.

In addition to basal metabolic rate, the body's metabolic rate can be divided into two types based on the different uses of energy: activity metabolic rate and dietary metabolic rate.

The activity metabolic rate is the amount of calories burned during daily activities such as housework, walking, and running, accounting for 15% to 30% of total calories burned. The amount of activity varies from person to person, resulting in different calorie expenditures.

The dietary metabolic rate is the energy required for the body to absorb and digest food, accounting for about 10% of total calories. After eating, you will feel warmer because the digestion and absorption of food requires energy, and the body's metabolic function is working.

It's important to note that for any type of metabolism, more is not necessarily better; rather, a balance is key. Just like the universe and the balance of Yin and Yang, the human body can only function normally and healthily when it maintains a state of equilibrium.

While the term "metabolism" is widely used in Western medicine, it does not exist in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The TCM terms that describe the same functions of metabolism and imbalance in the human body are: spleen and stomach function and qi stagnation.

The Eight Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are: Cold, Heat, Deficiency, Excess, Yin, Yang, Exterior, and Interior. What Western medicine calls metabolic abnormalities, or metabolic imbalances, is, from a TCM perspective, a manifestation of an excess or deficiency of Yin or Yang in the exterior and interior. A person experiencing excessive heart fire, internal deficiency and aversion to cold, insufficient vital energy, kidney Yin deficiency, or alternating chills and fever are all considered to have metabolic abnormalities. Therefore, metabolic abnormalities involve the Eight Principles of TCM diagnosis and the entire body's meridians and internal organs, making it a considerable field of study.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the spleen and stomach are the foundation of postnatal health and the source of qi and blood production. When the spleen and stomach are strong, food can be digested effectively, one can work without fatigue, and one has abundant vital energy, leading to longevity.

The so-called transformation and operation mainly includes two aspects:

First, the transformation and transportation of essential substances. The spleen and stomach absorb nutrients from food and distribute them to the five viscera and six bowels. The "Suwen·Jingmai Bielun" states: "When food enters the stomach, the essence of qi flows and is transported upward to the spleen. The spleen disperses the essence and it returns to the lungs."

Secondly, the spleen and stomach work together with the lungs, kidneys, triple burner, bladder, and other organs to maintain the balance of fluid metabolism in the body. If the spleen is weak and unable to transform and transport fluids, symptoms such as loose stools, heaviness of the body, and edema may occur. The "Suwen·Zhizhen Yaoda Lun" states: "All dampness, swelling, and fullness belong to the spleen."

In simpler terms, digestion and transformation refers to the process by which food, after entering the stomach, is transported and transformed by the spleen to supply nutrients to other organs. When the flow of Qi is obstructed, it can lead to stagnation, which in turn generates heat and toxins, as well as blood stasis and obstruction of the meridians, resulting in symptoms such as dampness, edema, phlegm, food stagnation, and blood stasis.