Balanced metabolism: a key factor in weight loss and weight management
Why is it that many people can lose weight, but once at their goal, immediately start gaining it all back and then some? How is it that even those who have had weight loss surgery can with time gain some or much of the weight back? There are many reasons, including a rapid return to unhealthy eating habits, but one explanation is that without a balanced metabolism, it’s challenging to attain and maintain a healthy weight.
What is a balanced metabolism?
In brief, having a balanced metabolism refers to “the state in which the intake or production of a substance equals its elimination”[i]. In other words, the energy (i.e. food) going in to the body equals the energy being expended so that weight can be maintained. The simplicity of this concept, however, is misleading, which is why metabolism is often not well understood.
One common misunderstanding is that there is a narrow dividing line between weight loss and weight gain: that just a few more calories eaten than what is needed will eventually lead to weight gain and just a few less will lead to weight loss.
In reality, it doesn’t work like that. When the whole of diet and lifestyle is considered, the zone between weight loss and weight gain is much wider, which is actually good news since it means there’s not much use in obsessing over small variations of food intake in order to prevent gaining weight.
This is because aside from fat, there are other areas that spare calories can be diverted to, including protein growth (i.e. muscle), “glycogen gain” (energy storage), tissue repair and “non-exercise activity thermogenesis” (i.e. fidgeting).
But it’s not all good news. For those who find they can gain weight easily, some of these other mechanisms may not function properly. Turns out that enzymes and hormones play a significant role in regulating metabolism. Enzymes are responsible for creating chemical reactions, hormones are chemical messengers that interact with various control systems of the body. If enzymes and hormones are not produced in sufficient quantities, the body’s metabolism is likely to be out of balance. Among other things, this can be caused by lack of sleep, excessive consumption of caffeine, and eating too much processed food. Adequate production of enzymes and hormones is dependent on eating foods that include the building blocks (or nutrients) that are needed for the body to make them.
Establishing a balanced metabolism while losing weight: insulin management and personalization
For many, losing weight can be successful using one of the many approaches and regimes available. And once the goal weight is achieved, the weight stays off, at least for a while. For these fortunate people, a balanced metabolism can be attained with little intention or effort.
But for others, including some who have had weight loss surgery, the weight returns quickly, and an out-of-balance metabolism can be the culprit. This is partly because losing weight is not automatically associated with the right nutritional intake that provides the building blocks for sufficient enzyme and hormone production.
Possibly the most important of the hormones contributing to a balanced metabolism is insulin. “Insulin resistance” is the main precursor to Type 2 Diabetes, which is strongly correlated with obesity and can be present “more than 20 years before its diagnosis”[ii]. Unfortunately, lab tests used to indicate insulin resistance, the main predictor of future diabetes, are complex and not yet standard in clinical settings. So people can have insulin resistance for a long time before they are diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. This is why insulin management needs to be one component of programs designed to help people lose weight and maintain an optimum weight afterwards.
The need to address insulin management is the reason why several one-size-fits-all low-carbohydrate diets have emerged in recent years. Healthy fats along with the right kind of carbohydrates (i.e. not processed) are required in order for the body to produce hormones, which help establish a balanced metabolism. Again, many can lose weight on these kinds of standardized low-carb diets and keep the weight off… but not everyone.
Those who just can’t lose weight, even when following well-designed one-size-fits-all low-carb diets, may need a program that is individualized to their specific needs. There are several advantages to personalized nutrition. One is that it can address the wide variations in metabolism from one individual to the next. Another is that it can be tailored to specific chronic health conditions that tend to be associated with being overweight such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, a combination of all of these. (For more on personalized nutrition, see the article “A personalized approach to weight management”).
The Metabolic Balance® program
One example of a program that effectively incorporates a personalized approach and directly addresses insulin management is the Metabolic Balance® program. Developed in Germany and based on 20 years of clinical experience, this individualized nutrition program provides the specific nutrients in the right proportions so as to enable sufficient production of enzymes and hormones that can lead to a balanced metabolism.
The program begins with 36 blood tests that, along with body measurements and personal case history, are the basis of an individual nutrition plan that is divided into four phases. The first preparation phase is only two days. This is followed by Phase 2, consisting of a plan based on food lists for each major nutritional category (meat, fish, dairy, vegetables, fruit, etc.). If weight loss is the main goal, Phase 2 is followed until close to goal weight. Phase 3 is a transitional period where food lists are expanded and new foods are experimented with. Finally, Phase 4 is “the rest of your life”: the ultimate aim of personalized nutrition, which is to maintain optimal health and a healthy weight over a lifetime.
A study involving 524 participants published in 2010 found that one year after starting the Metabolic Balance® program, metabolic syndrome (the combination of chronic conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes) had declined by 76% and average weight loss was about 16 lbs[iii]. This is significant because these are long-term-- not immediate-- improvements.
If you would like to learn more about how to achieve a balanced metabolism through the Metabolic balance® personalized nutrition program, which I am certified to coach, call me for a free 15-minute consultation or schedule one on the online scheduler.
[i] Shah, M and W Mitch “Metabolic Balance”, in Kimmel, P and M Rosenberg (eds.) Chronic Renal Disease (2020): Elsevier https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/metabolic-balance
[ii] Diabetologia. "Diabetes may begin more than 20 years before diagnosis." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 October 2018. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181004192202.htm
[iii] Meffert, C and N Gerdes (2010) “Program adherence and effectiveness of a commercial nutrition program: the Metabolic Balance study” Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism 2010 Dec 21: 197656 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3010672/