Weight Loss: your DOCTOR’S role in stoking your metabolism

How do I know I have a slow metabolism?

This is one of the most common questions I get, and it’s the key reason I like my clients to get some basic tests before they embark on the Fast Metabolism Diet, to see just how out of balance they are. The tests aren’t necessary to benefit from the Fast Metabolism Diet, but they can help you to understand exactly where you are and how far you need to go.

I recommend these lab tests with a caveat: they are just one part of that peek into the window of the house that is your body. Imagine you’re shopping for a new home. One day, you see a cool house, and you wonder if you should call the Realtor and get a tour of the inside. Before you bother to make the call, maybe you sneak into the yard and take a peek through the window. You see a beautiful living room with vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors, and lots of light. Great! But you can’t view the whole house. The upstairs might be completely trashed, with squatters and rats and graffiti on the walls. Or, the upstairs might be fine. You can’t tell, because you can’t see everything. You can’t learn everything about your health from lab tests, but you can get a preliminary picture.

Also, keep in mind that even if all your tests look great, if you are overweight, out of shape, and eat a poor diet, then your body is doing the very strenuous job of maintaining normal body chemistry under adverse circumstances. I’ve had patients come to see me, and they show me their labs and they say, “Look, everything is normal. I’m fine! The doctor sent me on my way.” I can’t help saying, “But look! You aren’t fine! Just look!”

It’s so frustrating when you are overweight and your doctor tells you, “Your numbers are great, you’re fine; see you next year.” Some of my clients tell me how angry this makes them. “Are you looking at me?” they want to yell. “Do you not see me? I am manifesting metabolic dysfunction on my ass!” And they are. So just remember: labs are a peek in the window, but they aren’t everything because you don’t need a measurable disease to have a slow metabolism. Also, you can have significant symptoms and fall in the “normal” range. You might have perfect labs and a trashed metabolism. If you have more than 10 pounds to lose, your metabolism isn’t what it could be.

So why bother to test at all? Because some basic tests can alert you to health problems you might not know about, or might tell you that you’re doing pretty well and you really only need a little kick in the pants. Labs aren’t the whole picture, but they can provide you and your doctor with some helpful hints.

And speaking of your doctor, this is the time to partner with a doctor who is open to your efforts to lose weight and boost your metabolism, if you don’t already have one. There are many great doctors out there. I’m in a unique setting in my offices because I work with some of the most amazing doctors every day, and I have access to a lab right in my clinic. This might not be so easy for you. If your doctor balks at doing tests, tell him or her that your nutritionist requested them. Some labs will now do tests for patients without a physician referral, so that’s another option, if it’s available to you. None of the tests I mention below are particularly expensive or unusual.