Ask Rocco: How to Perk up a Slow Metabolism
One woman complains of a metabolism so slow she compares it to a dead turtle. Rocco gives her some advice that will turn this tortoise into a hare.

Question: Rocco, what can you do if you're on medication that slows down your metabolism to pretty much a dead turtle? For the last six months, I have worked out six days a week, three days a week with a personal trainer doing weight training and three days a week doing cardio. I saw some improvement, but not enough to show all the work I really did. I should have been a size six after all the workouts and healthy eating. My trainer couldn't explain it either. I plan on going to a seminar that addresses this situation, but what can I do in the mean time?
- Gina

Answer: I have to tell you, a dead turtle is, well, dead and doesn’t have a metabolism. I think we humans still have something that resembles a metabolism, even though it may not feel like it. If the medication you’re taking is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), the answer is no!  There is pretty much nothing you can do about the weight gain. Some of the research that’s out there suggests that the weight gain is not fat but water. The medications trigger a hormone that is considered an anti-diuretic or water-retaining hormone. The problem is no matter how much exercise you do you can’t burn water. If you can’t get off the medication, I suggest you try to build as much muscle as you can to be able to handle the extra baggage.  How much were you paying your trainer, anyway? 

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Rocco Castellano
		About the author:
		Rocco Castellano is a contributor for Cincy Chic as well as the co-founder of askROCCO Media, which provides boot camps, seminars, media content and online fitness services at askROCCO.com . He is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine and has written askROCCO Uncensored v1 available at bookstores everywhere. To submit your fitness question click here.

Last update: 25-06-2007 21:36

Published in : Magazine Items, Health