As a biohacker I tested my metabolism and metabolic health daily for over 6 months and this is what I found. I played with mainly my macronutrient ratios (fats, protein, carbs) in my testing but realize that micronutrients can play a role in affecting metabolism as well.
Before we dive into my results, let’s first define metabolism, metabolic rate and metabolic flexibility so that when I share the results of my biohacking experiment with you they will make a bit more sense.
If you want to skip all that you can simply scroll down to the video below and watch the results of my experiment. Enjoy!
What is Metabolism?
Metabolism refers to all the chemical reactions that occur within the cells of your body to maintain life. These reactions are responsible for converting the food you eat into energy. Metabolism is crucial for sustaining basic bodily functions like breathing, digestion, circulation, and cell repair.
Metabolism is often broken down into two categories:
- Catabolism: The breakdown of molecules to release energy.
- Anabolism: The building up of compounds, such as proteins and cells, which uses energy.
In short, metabolism governs how your body handles the energy from food and transforms it into vital functions.
What is Metabolic Rate?
Metabolic rate refers to the speed at which your body burns energy. It determines how efficiently your body converts calories into energy for various functions, from breathing and thinking to physical activity and repair.
There are three primary components to metabolic rate:
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): This is the energy your body uses at rest, and it accounts for about 60-70% of your daily calorie expenditure.
- Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): This is the energy used to digest, absorb, and process the food you eat.
- Physical Activity: This is the energy expended during any movement, including exercise and daily activities.
Factors like age, genetics, muscle mass, and hormone levels influence your metabolic rate. For instance, people with more muscle mass typically have a higher metabolic rate because muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain than fat tissue.
What is Metabolic Flexibility?
Metabolic flexibility refers to your body’s ability to efficiently switch between burning carbohydrates and fats for energy, depending on what is available. In an optimal state, when carbohydrates (glucose) are abundant, such as after a meal, the body burns glucose. When glucose levels are low, such as during fasting or exercise, the body transitions to burning fat for fuel.
A person with good metabolic flexibility can easily switch between these two fuel sources, while someone with poor metabolic flexibility might struggle to do so, often leading to fatigue, cravings, or difficulty losing weight.
Why is Metabolic Flexibility Important?
- Improved Energy Efficiency: With metabolic flexibility, your body can better manage energy demands, avoiding crashes or dips in energy.
- Better Weight Management: It allows your body to burn fat efficiently when carbohydrate levels are low, which is key for fat loss and maintaining a healthy weight.
- Enhanced Health: Improved metabolic flexibility is linked to better blood sugar control, reduced inflammation, and lower risk of chronic diseases like diabetes.
How to Improve Metabolic Flexibility
- Intermittent Fasting: Periods of fasting encourage the body to shift from burning glucose to burning fat, enhancing flexibility.
- Exercise: Both aerobic and resistance training improve your ability to burn fat and increase insulin sensitivity.
- Balanced Diet: Incorporating healthy fats, lean proteins, and a variety of carbohydrates can train your body to use different fuel sources efficiently.
- Stress Management: Chronic stress can impair your body’s ability to switch between fuel sources, so practices like meditation and deep breathing can help.
Metabolic flexibility plays a significant role in overall metabolic health, energy levels, and long-term weight management.
My 6 Month Metabolism Experiment:
The goal of the experiment was to improve my fat burning capacity. My metabolism is average, so so. I lean towards carb dependent because I had carbs in the morning for quite literally the first 30 or so years of my life. Only in the last 5 years have I really started to adjust more to protein based breakfast to start the day.
Here are the results of my experiment:
The experiment was fun, and I do plan on diving deeper into metabolic health. So subscribe to the healthy wild free newsletter at HealthyWildFree.com/free if you have not already to stay updated with any current health findings.
What’s The Worst Thing For Metabolic Health?
My biggest drop in fat burning overnight was when I had a few glasses of wine. My metabolism the night before was at 55/45 fat burning to carb burning, pretty good overall. Leaning more on the fat burning side which is better. The next day however my fat burning to carb burning ratio was 5% fat burning and 95% carb burning. In other words 5/95.
I believe that it’s safe to assume that any alcohol is the worst thing for your metabolic health as it hits the liver (your master metabolism organ) more than anything. You could also add any sugary soda’s or energy drinks to the list. Essentially, any sugar in liquid form that hits your pancreas hard and fast as well as your liver.
What’s The Best Thing For Metabolic Health?
I have played with my macronutrient levels quite a bit. More protein, more fat, less carbs, timing the carbs differently, so on and so forth. The biggest thing that stuck with me was the difference I’d see in my metabolism overnight when I took organ meats, specifically Organ Complex from Paleovalley (they are 15% off at this link right now). The reason for this is because this formula contains the highest amount of liver per serving. 2,700 MG per serving, with heart and kidney organs as well. Your liver is your master metabolism organ. I would routinely see 20-35% (in this range) fat metabolism improvement overnight simply by taking their recommended dosage. That’s a big change overnight, to be burning 25% more fat with the right nutrients.
I believe that the paleovalley organ complex formula is best because of the liver ratio being highest, and also much higher than competing brands like heart & soil for example.
Click here to visit Paleovalley and get 15% off your organ complex purchase.
Click Here to learn more about the Lumen Metabolism testing device and to get $100 off your order!
