Metabolism: Does a Sluggish Metabolism Cause Weight Gain?

We hear the word “metabolism” frequently. And, if yours is “sluggish”, it likely impacts you daily. Although we have a general sense of what metabolism is and how it affects us, few people can accurately define it. Metabolism can be thought of as the body’s chemical processes that allow 3 crucial aspects of life to occur:

  1. Energy for body activity and body heat to stay warm
  2. Body functions for basic life to occur (like breathing and digestion)
  3. Body structure production and maintenance (brain, bones, muscles, hair, etc)

These areas of metabolism have in common a demand for an energy source, i.e. calories! If any one of these 3 aspects of metabolism is impaired or sluggish, negative consequences are inevitable, often including weight gain!

Calories & Weight Control: 3 Keys to “Manage The 1%”

Calories (the measure of energy contained in food) are the ONLY source of power for humans. In fact, calories energize human metabolism and human function in all its glory. Whether building muscle and bone, thinking thoughts, growing hair, or fighting disease-causing viruses and bacteria, only calories can meet our energy needs.

3 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight (And None of Them Are Willpower)

Don’t Blame Your Lack of Willpower for Your Troubles at the Scale

by Emily Farris, Kansas City Enhance Health & Wellness Magazine, Jan-Feb 2011

Download the article as a printable PDF or view the article layout online.

HELP!“If only I wouldn’t have had that first French fry…”
“If only I didn’t like pasta so much…”
“If only I could resist the chocolate croissant at the coffee shop every day…”

If any of those statements sound familiar, you’ve probably blamed your willpower, or lack thereof, for excess weight at some point in your life. But Dr. Rick Tague, M.P.H. and founder of the Center for Nutrition and Preventative Medicine in Leawood and Topeka, Kansas, would tell you to stop being so hard on yourself. In fact, he says willpower has very little, if nothing, to do with weight.