Metabolism Testing?

Where can I get it done? And what do they do?

My doctor doesn't do it (I still go to a pediatric clinic and they don't do that kind of stuff, I guess!) and I just have no idea how to go about finding a good place.

Thanks for any help =)

Original Post by gadzooks:

A couple years back when I joined Bally Total Fitness, they had a complimentary package that included a metabolism test.  Basically you put a device in your mouth and breathe as your normally would for about a minute, and from that they calculate how much you normally burn in a day.

I got mine done at my gym (by a trainer that was specially certified on the machine), and I have to say I don't believe that alone is an adequate assessment.  To begin I was told not to exercise starting the day before the testing (meaning if the test is on a Monday the last day you can do anything is Saturday and you should try to stay away from anything to exerting even then).  The reason for that is if you have any buildup of lactic acid (from working out) the test won't be accurate.  Next you can't eat anything at least 12 hours before the test, that can also mess up the results.  

When you actually get there you sit in a dark quiet room and put on the breathing mask for about 5 minutes to get an accurate count.  Then your body fat % is measured and you are allowed to eat something.  Next you go on a cardio machine, usually either elliptical or treadmill and pretty much build up to your maximum exertion (with a heart rate monitor on so they can determine your best heart rate for exercise) for several minutes until they get all the info they need.  I got a really nice workup (RMR, fat % to carb % burnt at different heart rate levels, a calorie plan, etc.) with an exercise plan for about $250, they did a thorough and excellent job.  My opinion would be if you are going to spend the money to get this done, don't skimp!  Go all out.

Hey, It sounds like people have answered your question, but I thought I would chime in.  My question is why do you want your metabolism checked? Do you have symptoms of hypo or hyper thyroidism? These would be consistent weight gain/loss, body aches, joint pain, headaches, tired all the time, etc.

I had asked my doctor for diet pills because no matter what I did I just kept gaining weight. She sent me for a blood test to check my metabolism and we found that I have hypothyroidism. I don't know why your doctor would not be able to do this test because people of all ages have thyroid problems. Unless of course this is not the test your were looking for and thus my reply is moot.

Good luck!

Well I am not going to answer this for everyone, but as for my reasoning for taking the test goes, I am in recovery from anorexia and I wanted to get a stable number of what I should be eating in order to gain/maintain my weight. After really screwing with my metabolism I changed my metabolic rate (lowered) and so I was gaining on so little and wondering why.

As far as hypothroidism, I don't have that. I was just curious!

I got mine done after I read a blurb about it in Women's Health magazine. I googled it and the testing place was right next door to my office building! Also, I was tired of using estimates from web sites and I wanted a real number to work with so I could eat the appropriate amount of food. I also added on a nutritional consult because I had wanted to have one for a while. So the whole package was appealing.

Original Post by positivelinny:

she said someone read with 700 at their resting rate and that was an anorexic of ten years.

whoa whoa--ten years? and 700? can that be right?

 

like.. i'm currently struggling with recovery; i've been anorexic for around a year, currently eating 900 calories, walking 6 miles a day and not losing a thing. the walking must burn at least 200, so is it possible that my BMR is even lower than 700? i'm really confused now, because i don't see how i could possibly have the BMR of an anorexic of ten years.

Original Post by garnet18:

Original Post by positivelinny:

she said someone read with 700 at their resting rate and that was an anorexic of ten years.

whoa whoa--ten years? and 700? can that be right?

 

like.. i'm currently struggling with recovery; i've been anorexic for around a year, currently eating 900 calories, walking 6 miles a day and not losing a thing. the walking must burn at least 200, so is it possible that my BMR is even lower than 700? i'm really confused now, because i don't see how i could possibly have the BMR of an anorexic of ten years.

 After having eating around 800 calories for about 5 months, when I was like 135 pounds in the beginning of last year, 800 became by BMR. I know this because I wasn't losing a thing either. Apparently the time it takes for bodies to adjust [and "plateau", if you will"] varies widely--and mine happens to be in the "quickly" range (:

oooops double post

To answer the question as to why I want this...

I am very active sometimes but not all the time, and so I never know what activity level to choose for calculators.  Even if I did, I still don't trust online calculators since everyone is different.  I'd like to get my specific numbers so I know about how much I can maintain on (then I won't feel guilty/nervous eating more, if that's what my body is needing!) 

I guess I would just feel a lot more comfortable having it personlized.  I would also like to know if I've damaged my metabolism by the extreme dieting I have done in the past.  I would think it would be higher because I'm very muscular, but then I'm unsure because of my dieting history...

I have to question the disparity between what the metabolism test reports and what people "think" is their BMR based on the starvation mode myth. My theory is that the test is correct (very rarely will a BMR drop below 1000) and that you still ARE burning more than you think you are in so-called "starvation mode". Your body cannot shut itself off completely. You won't GAIN weight eating 400/600/800 calories, but you may lose weight at such a slow pace that it no longer seems like your "diet" is working. Also, I do think you retain water easier on such a low caloric intake, meaning a lot of the "gain" people often report isn't real.

 

Revolution3 - you claim your BMR must have been 800 at some point. I wonder if you had it tested then, if it actually would have come out at that number? For some reason, I highly doubt it. It probably was around 1300-1500 even then.