Is High Metabolism good?

In a world full of fad dieting having a high metabolism is often considered a blessing. Very often I hear clients wishing for a high metabolism so they can eat and drink what they want without worrying about gaining weight. What most people don’t know is a high metabolism can have many health effects aside from just making someone thin.

Your body is constantly using energy to function, whether you are exercising or even just reading a book on the couch. Your body uses energy even whilst sleeping to keep your heart beating, maintain respiration, and rest and repair the body.

So where does the energy come from? The ultimate source comes from the food that you eat, which then gets broken down into different chemicals and nutrients during the digestion process and converted into energy.

Metabolism is simply the conversion of food into energy through a chemical in the human body. Your metabolism determines how your body uses that energy to maintain normal functioning. It is basically the engine that keeps us alive.

Each of us has a unique biochemistry and physical makeup which means some of us burn slow, fast and even super fast. Many different factors can influence your metabolic rate, such as sex, weight, hormone function, age, and physical activity levels.

If you have a ​high metabolism​, or a fast-metabolic rate, it means your body uses energy (or burns calories) more rapidly than someone with a slower metabolism.

Here are some signs that you may have a high metabolism

• You have difficulty gaining weight or keeping weight on, even though you eat regularly.
• You are often hungry or have an insatiable appetite, even after eating meals or snacks.
• You have an irregular menstrual cycle
• You may need to urinate frequently because your body’s processing speed is increased.
• You have a high body temperature, even when you are resting.

You are susceptible to several health problems such as irregular heartbeat, mood problems, difficulty gaining weight, blood sugar issues and even hyperthyroidism. Not being able to hold enough pounds can weaken your immune system, leave you feeling constantly tired, and cause your bones to become fragile, putting you at risk of osteoporosis

When a person has hyperthyroidism, the thyroid gland is producing too much of the hormone thyroxine. This can accelerate your bodies metabolism causing weight loss and irregular heartbeat.

Individuals with high metabolism commonly experience problems with excessive sweating. This condition has a direct effect on blood sugar levels. Low blood sugar can lead to dizziness, irritability, irregular heartbeat and excessive sweating. When the body converts food to energy too quickly, this means there are more times during the day when a person’s blood sugar levels dip. Maintaining these levels is important for almost everyone, although those whose metabolism is fast often have more difficulty taking time out of the day to eat as often as they should.

People with a high metabolism convert food much more quickly than the average individual. The higher a person’s metabolism is, the more calories they need to maintain or even gain weight. This often translates into eating more food than the average person. While eating more is not a health issue in itself, from my experience as a nutritionist more often than not it means a person is eating less healthy foods than a person who has to limit his caloric intake.

Those of you with high metabolisms also need to be mindful of what you eat, because consuming too many refined or fried foods, found in candy, processed foods or sugary drinks​, can have negative effects on your health.  These unhealthy foods, often high in fat, can cause cardiovascular issues later in life as well as increase one’s risk for diabetes and high cholesterol. This will do you far more harm than good. If you gain fat rather than lean body mass you could end up with a cholesterol problem. Make sure you are eating nutritious meals to reduce the risk of binge eating these unhealthy foods.

Try to increase your calorie intake by eating more frequently, having larger meals, and choosing foods with natural sugars that are found in whole grains or fruit.

Make sure you’re eating regularly and often. ​Eat at least three full meals per day, with snacks in between.  It’s also important to be mindful of how many calories you’re burning in a day, and make sure that you aren’t burning more calories than you consume.

It’s not impossible to gain weight with a ​fast metabolism, but ​you need to eat healthy foods that are higher in calories. Try incorporating the following foods into your diet:

Nuts and seeds

Carbohydrate-rich foods like whole-grain pasta, bread, and rice

Protein-rich foods, including legumes

Natural high-sugar foods like fruit

Upping your calorie intake with energy-dense foods and getting adequate protein. As a rule of thumb, you should consume more calories than your body burns every day. Up your intake by around 300 to 500 calories a day. If you are finding it hard to get more calories at each meal, try breaking them down into multiple snacks and meals. Aim to have 3 meals and 3 snacks each day. This will make it easier to consume those extra calories without making yourself feel sick. Aim to have a balanced diet loaded with fresh vegetables and fruit, healthy lean protein, beans, fiber, and fluids, as well as more energy-dense foods.

High-energy foods that pack a lot of calories into each mouthful are perfect for someone trying to gain weight. These foods are typically easy to snack on or add to your existing meals to up the calories in a healthy manner. Good energy-dense sources include foods like beans, dried fruits, eggs, nuts, and peanut butter. Here are some ideas for you to try:

• Dried fruits added to your oats
• Eggs, poached or boiled, with wholegrain toast
• Yogurt
• Peanut butter on rye toast
• Nut butters to replace regular butter
• Flax and chia seeds added to whey protein shakes
• Hummus and pita
• Wholewheat crackers with cheese
• Jacket potatoes
• Pumpernickel, rye, and oat bran bread

Some people may wish they had a faster metabolism because they think that having a fast metabolism will help them lose weight. On the other hand, people with a high metabolism might feel frustrated if they want to gain weight and ask themselves, “​why is my metabolism so fast?​” Let this be a reminder that the grass is not always greener on the other side! Embrace the uniqueness of your own body, and remember that health comes in every size.

It is clear that high metabolism is considered an advantage by many but the reality is that it comes with many risks. Therefore, it is essential to maintain a healthy metabolic rate to lead a healthy lifestyle.