Post #277,250
1/3/07 1:42:05 AM
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Questions about metabolism
I'm trying to interpret an article in the Post Dispatch about how metabolic rate tends to drop as a female gets older, and this seems to change how the body behaves metabolically.
I grasp loosely that a metabolic rate is (in layman's terms) how fast the body converts food into usable energy. But after that it starts sounding like a bad math story problem.
So here are my questions if anyone can help? Thanks!
1) What does the ratio of fat to lean tissue mean?
2) What is a simple sugar?
3) What is 85 percent of the maximum heart rate? What constitutes maximum?
4) If your heart tends to beat faster, does that then become the maximum heart rate you should use? (Mine tends to race).
5) What does it mean when they say, "a decrease in metabolic rates". Does it mean the food is converted more slowly, or that it creates less energy and slows the body, or both?
6) And how does the body "behave" metabolically? What does that mean in layman's terms?
Thanks in advance for any assistance in understanding this issue.
Brenda
"When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life." -- By Geoffrey F. Abert
****************************
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind, don't matter - and those who matter, don't mind." -- By Dr. Seuss
***********************************
"Sometimes it takes a whole lot more strength to walk away than to stand there and fight." -- By the character of John Abbott: said on Young & Restless on 5/19/06
*********************************
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Post #277,251
1/3/07 2:03:01 AM
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Metabolic rate usually refers to . . .
. . the rate at which energy is consumed. In other words, if your metabolic rate decreases you can get fat on less food because you're not burning it as fast.
"Simple sugars" are sugars that can't be broken down into even simpler sugars. The stuff in the sugar bowl is an example. That probably doesn't help a lot.
Ratio of fat to lean is simple. Say two guys the same height each have 30 pounds of fat, but one of 'em is an athlete with plenty of muscle tissue and the other guy is a scrawny couch potato. The athlete has a much better ratio.
I'm not going to make any attempt to guess what they mean by maximum heart rate.
[link|http://www.aaxnet.com|AAx]
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Post #277,252
1/3/07 2:12:22 AM
1/3/07 2:13:54 AM
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Thanks, more info. :)
The whole phrase regarding maximum heart rate is as follows:
"Exercise at 85 percent of the maximum heart rate (to be most effective)."
Maybe that can help.
John thought maybe an example of a simple sugar was syrup? I sort of understand what you are saying, that sugar cubes, for example, can't be broken down more, but I'm not sure what else is in that class, and it suggests cutting down on intake of simple sugars to help.
I'm trying to determine if a decreased metabolic rate is what is causing my waist to gain inches even if it isn't gaining pounds (which it isn't). And this article explains it as a metabolic process, so I'm trying to understand what that process is and if I can do anything about it if it has decreased.
The article explains that the "ratio of fat to lean tissue shifts and the fat storage starts favoring the upper body over the hips and thighs, and even women who don't actually gain weight may still gain inches at the hips."
So if I can change anything about my diet to help it out, or figure out what they mean about exercising at a percent of your heart rate, I would like to try.
Thanks!
Brenda
"When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life." -- By Geoffrey F. Abert
****************************
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind, don't matter - and those who matter, don't mind." -- By Dr. Seuss
***********************************
"Sometimes it takes a whole lot more strength to walk away than to stand there and fight." -- By the character of John Abbott: said on Young & Restless on 5/19/06
*********************************
Edited by Nightowl
Jan. 3, 2007, 02:13:54 AM EST
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Post #277,331
1/3/07 9:08:58 PM
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Wikipedia is your friend.
[link|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_sugar|Simple sugar] Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates. They consist of one sugar and are usually colorless, water-soluble, crystalline solids. Some monosaccharides have a sweet taste. Examples of monosaccharides include glucose (dextrose), fructose, galactose, and ribose. Monosaccharides are the building blocks of disaccharides like sucrose (common sugar) and polysaccharides (such as cellulose and starch). Further, each carbon atom that supports a hydroxyl group (except for the first and last) is chiral, giving rise to a number of isomeric forms all with the same chemical formula. For instance, galactose and glucose are both aldohexoses, but they have different chemical and physical properties. Wade. "Don't give up!"
[link|http://staticsan.livejournal.com/|blog] · [link|http://yceran.org/|website]
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Post #277,347
1/3/07 10:45:28 PM
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Hmmm
I still don't know how to apply all those terms to things I actually eat. But I guess it's a start.
Since syrup isn't coloress it must not be a simple sugar then. That's about the most sugary thing I eat regularly.
Brenda
"When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life." -- By Geoffrey F. Abert
****************************
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind, don't matter - and those who matter, don't mind." -- By Dr. Seuss
***********************************
"Sometimes it takes a whole lot more strength to walk away than to stand there and fight." -- By the character of John Abbott: said on Young & Restless on 5/19/06
*********************************
|
Post #277,348
1/3/07 10:45:30 PM
1/3/07 10:45:54 PM
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double post - ignore.
"When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life." -- By Geoffrey F. Abert
****************************
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind, don't matter - and those who matter, don't mind." -- By Dr. Seuss
***********************************
"Sometimes it takes a whole lot more strength to walk away than to stand there and fight." -- By the character of John Abbott: said on Young & Restless on 5/19/06
*********************************
Edited by Nightowl
Jan. 3, 2007, 10:45:54 PM EST
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Post #277,274
1/3/07 10:31:00 AM
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slowing metabolism in older women/men means the following
if you dont eat less you get fat. Your body doesnt burn fuel as efficiently as when you were younger
thanx,
bill
Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 51 years. meep
reach me at [link|mailto:bill.oxley@cox.net|mailto:bill.oxley@cox.net]
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Post #277,276
1/3/07 10:58:13 AM
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Hmm... Actually, isn't it the other way around?
If you get fatter while eating the same amount, doesn't that mean your body is now "burning fuel" *more* efficiently? Before, you used up all the energy; now, you have to spare (and it becomes a spare, around your midriff)... That means you're getting *more* mileage out of every cal^H^H^HJoule in your food.
Too bad efficiency is not what we *want*, in this case...
[link|mailto:MyUserId@MyISP.CountryCode|Christian R. Conrad]
(I live in Finland, and my e-mail in-box is at the Saunalahti company.)
Ah, the Germans: Masters of Convoluted Simplification. — [link|http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=1603|Jehovah]
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Post #277,280
1/3/07 11:35:03 AM
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Actually not.
It doesn't mean food is being "burned" efficiently, it's being efficiently converted into a form convenient for long term storage. It's all being stashed away for use while lost in the mountains, interned in a concentration camp or some other common occurence.
[link|http://www.aaxnet.com|AAx]
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Post #277,296
1/3/07 3:20:14 PM
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Actually yes.
Some of it is "being efficiently converted into a form convenient for long term storage", yes, where before it wasn't. Before it was *all* used up for day-to-day "burning", and now you're getting by with "burning" LESS of it for, presumably, the same effective energy output by your body (assuming you didn't suddenly become a heck of a lot more of a couch potato).
That means *the rest of it*, the portion that *is* "burned", must apparently be being burned MORE efficiently than it was being when you *didn't* have any "fuel" left over to convert and store -- the same energy output, only USING LESS "fuel", so (given the same fuel intake) you get some "fuel" left over to "efficiently convert into a form convenient for long term storage".
You'd sure hafta explain to me again, in very very small words, how *using less "fuel"* to maintain the same daily output can be a sign of anything other than a MORE efficient "burning process".
(If you still feel like arguing, please ponder the definition of efficiency first.)
[link|mailto:MyUserId@MyISP.CountryCode|Christian R. Conrad]
(I live in Finland, and my e-mail in-box is at the Saunalahti company.)
Ah, the Germans: Masters of Convoluted Simplification. — [link|http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=1603|Jehovah]
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Post #277,328
1/3/07 8:59:07 PM
1/3/07 9:07:33 PM
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I'm not sure it's at all that simple.
We know that if you do less activity, then there is less energy spent from ingested food. The excess must be excreted or stored - often both.
Since metabolism refers to all chemical processes involved in converting food to usable activity, if a slowdown occurs, then food is digested slower and less efficiently, usable energy is extracted less quickly, energy is expended less efficiently, and so on. I imagine that depending on where the efficiencies are comparitively lowest would control how a slower metabolims manifests. Getting fatter easier could be one result. Needing to eat more is another. Requiring more rest-room visits could be another.
Wade.
"Don't give up!"
[link|http://staticsan.livejournal.com/|blog] · [link|http://yceran.org/|website]
Edited by static
Jan. 3, 2007, 09:07:33 PM EST
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Post #277,281
1/3/07 11:46:18 AM
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Consider this...
<<< 4) If your heart tends to beat faster, does that then become the maximum heart rate you should use? (Mine tends to race).>>>
Sounds to me like Atrial Tachycardia.
[...]
"The name may escape you, but it's a condition that's estimated to affect as much as 40 percent of the U.S. population. And if you're among them, its an experience you'll never forget: Your heart rate suddenly shoots upward to 220 beats a minute, and it feels like it won't slow down. You feel flushed and have body chills. You may also feel nauseated and dizzy and be almost overwhelmed by a sense of panic and doom."
[...]
" Take it easy. "if you can control the stress and anxiety in your life, you're drastically cutting your risk of suffering an attack," according to Michael Crawford, M.D., chief of cardiology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque and former chairman of the American Heart Association's council on clinical cardiology. Not surprisingly, studies show that PAT strikes hard-driving, Type A personalities who are easily touched off. So if that's your style, try taking things a bit slower."
So, take it easy. It seems to be related to anxiety.
There's lots of links out there, but here's the one the above quotes are from:
[link|http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/48/154.cfm|http://www.mothernat.../Books/48/154.cfm]
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Post #277,345
1/3/07 10:43:19 PM
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Oops, I didn't explain enough I guess
I know why my heart races, it races whenever I have a panic reaction and go into fight flight mode. It doesn't race continually all the time.
My point was that if I need to exercise at a percentage of the heart rate, should I use non-fight flight speed?
I think I'll ask my doctor that question, maybe he'll have an answer.
Brenda
"When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life." -- By Geoffrey F. Abert
****************************
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind, don't matter - and those who matter, don't mind." -- By Dr. Seuss
***********************************
"Sometimes it takes a whole lot more strength to walk away than to stand there and fight." -- By the character of John Abbott: said on Young & Restless on 5/19/06
*********************************
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