Over the years I have had the pleasure and satisfaction of helping many individuals significantly boost their metabolisms. With the mainstream media continually harping the mantra, “ as you age your metabolism slows”, it’s not surprising that most of the individuals that I encounter have already resigned themselves to the notion of being powerless over the metabolic ravages of time. Therefore, it’s especially satisfying whenever I can help individuals with such a mind set, struggling to either lose weight or gain muscle, by showing them that they no longer have to be a victim of their own metabolism and time. I literally show them how to convert their metabolisms from their enemy to their friend.
A few weeks ago I wrote about just such a client, David, whose metabolism was in the tank at -15% below normal when he first came to see me. Within 10 weeks we were able to return his metabolism to above normal (+2%…a whopping increase of a 317 cal/day!) . (David’s story)
So what then, you might ask, could possibly be more satisfying to a guy like me than helping an individual such as David pull himself out of metabolic suppression to eventually realize his fitness goals? Why helping two individuals (a couple) simultaneously do the exact same thing of course!
Francein and Brant came to see me at MetabAcheck in November 2011. They were both already quite active and would be considered fit by most standards. But they wisely wanted to be proactive in their personal health and fitness maintenance and decided to have their metabolisms checked in order to establish a documented baseline and possibly identify any abnormalities that they might be able to improve upon.
Upon testing, they were surprised to learn that they were both slightly below normal. Brant had a resting metabolic rate (rmr) of 2160 cal/day which was -5% below normal for his age, height, and weight. Likewise, Francein had a resting metabolic rate of 1339 cal/day which was -4% below normal for her age, height, and weight. These below normal readings were especially concerning to me since they both exercised regularly and therefore should not have metabolisms slower than average Americans who exercise rarely at best.
Based on their tests, they both joined TweakMyProgram and were put on an eating plan aimed at boosting their metabolisms back above normal where they belonged. One month later they were retested to confirm the effectiveness of the program and their efforts. Within 4 weeks both had succeeded in bringing their metabolism back above normal to +2%. Brant’s new rmr was now 2290 cal/day (an increase of 130 cal/day) and Francein’s new rmr was now 1411 cal/day (an increase of 72 cal/day)!
Having successfully pulled them simultaneously out of suppression, my next task on the agenda was to help them both raise their metabolisms to their true potential. Over the next 5 months Brant and Francein, despite their busy schedules, still made time to follow the program. Most importantly, they faithfully followed my program instructions. This probably explains why despite many weeks where they were not able to work out as much as they had hoped, or eat as well as they had planned, they were still able to both make phenomenal progress. By educating themselves, they were making progress without even having to think about it (the difference between a true lifestyle change and a fad diet).
Earlier this month (5/12/12) we retested them once again to gauge their overall progress. Brant’s new rmr was now 2808 cal/day (an increase of 648 cal/day), with a comparison to normal of +23%!! Francein’s new rmr was now 1598 cal/day (an increase of 259 cal/day), with an equally impressive comparison to normal of +12%!!
Now let’s just put this in perspective for a second here folks. Collectively this couple raised their metabolic comparison to normal by a whopping 44% in just 6 months….+28% for Brant (5+23) and +16% for Francein (4+12). Cumulatively, they are now burning an additional 907 calories, each and every day, that they were not burning six months ago when they walked into my office. That’s 331,055 calories total over the next year!!! Over the course of a year that’s enough to burn the equivalent of 95 pounds of pure fat or 285 pints of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey Ice Cream or 613 Big Macs or 2283 cans of Budweiser….well you get the picture.
Bottom line, having successfully boosted their metabolisms, Brant and Francein not only enjoy much more flexibility in their eating and exercise habits, but they are also healthier and significantly more resilient to any future weight gain as they age. Way to go you two!