Metabolism

How your body actually uses energy, explained without the hype. Here you’ll find articles on calorie burn, body size and energy needs, metabolic adaptation during weight loss and the myths around “fast” and “slow” metabolism, all checked against current research.

Container of creatine monohydrate on a kitchen counter.
Metabolism

Creatine Helped Middle-Aged Dieters Add Muscle While the Fat Came Off

Erin WalkerComments Off on Creatine Helped Middle-Aged Dieters Add Muscle While the Fat Came Off

Weight loss sounds simple when the goal is just to make the number on the scale smaller. What I think about more now is what that weight actually consists of. I would be pretty frustrated to lose 15 pounds, feel pleased with the scale, and later find out that more of that loss came from […]
Metabolism

When You Can Build Muscle in a Calorie Deficit and When You Usually Can’t

Erin WalkerComments Off on When You Can Build Muscle in a Calorie Deficit and When You Usually Can’t

If you’re eating fewer calories than you burn, building muscle sounds impossible. I used to see it that way too: cut to lose fat, eat more to gain muscle, pick one goal at a time. The more I read, the less tidy that became. You can build muscle in a calorie deficit, especially if you’re […]

Man runs on a treadmill during a gym workout.
Metabolism

Did You Know Bigger Bodies Burn More Calories, Not Fewer?

Erin WalkerComments Off on Did You Know Bigger Bodies Burn More Calories, Not Fewer?

Once, I thought that carrying extra weight must mean your metabolism was somehow doing less work. It sounded logical at the time. If someone gains weight easily or struggles to lose it, surely they must be burning fewer calories than a smaller person, right? That is not usually how it works. A larger body generally […]