You Don’t Have a Slow Metabolism

The truth is, you aren’t exercising enough and eating too much food.

Believe it or not, your metabolism stays consistent from ages 20-60.

What changed over time was not your metabolism but your lifestyle.

In high school, I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain weight! I also played sports year-round and went to a big high school where I walked 5-10k steps per day to get to my classes.

In this blog post, we will dispel the metabolism myth, show you how the difference in your lifestyle between high school and your adult working years and tell you how you can take back control of your weight, your energy, and your health.

1. What Your Basal Metabolic Rate Actually Is

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest just to stay alive. This includes: breathing, repairing cells, digesting food, and regulating temperature.

Our InBody scanner calculates your BMR using a combination of:

• Lean muscle mass
• Body fat mass
• Total body water
• Age, height, weight

It gives us a surprisingly accurate picture of how many calories your body burns naturally without exercise.

Here’s the part most people don’t know:
Research shows that metabolic rate stays remarkably stable between ages 20 and 60.
It doesn’t suddenly slow down when you hit 30 and It doesn’t fall off a cliff at 40.

The only exception is if there’s an underlying medical condition (which is rare).

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about what changed from high school to where you are now.

2. What Actually Changed 10 Years After High School

Think back to your teenage years- you were probably moving constantly, playing sports and walking from class to class.

For me personally, my high school was huge. I’d easily get 5,000+ steps a day just walking between classes. Add in sports, PE, weight training, lunchtime movement, and hanging out with friends outside… you were moving all day long too!

Now, let’s fast forward 10 years.

You went from:

• Walking all day
• Playing sports
• Being active without thinking about it

To:

• Sitting 8–12 hours per day sitting behind a screen
• Driving for 1-2, if not more hours per day
• Having little to no built-in activity

The thing that changed was not your metabolism – but your lifestyle.

3. The Two Biggest Factors That Caused Weight Gain After High School

1. You’re sitting more than you used to

Most adults now work sedentary jobs. That means 8+ hours with minimal movement, fewer breaks, and far fewer steps.

2. You’re not exercising consistently

Life gets busier with work, family, and social obligations. Suddenly exercise becomes optional instead of built into your lifestyle.

The result over time: you burn fewer calories daily, your muscle mass slowly decreases, and your body becomes less efficient at processing food.

What You Can Do To Take Your Health Back

You probably can’t quit your job and change careers today, but you can control your diet and exercise right away.

1. Exercise

Get into the gym 5 days per week if you can.
Focus on:

• Strength training with back squats, deadlifts, presses, power cleans, and snatches
• Perform full-body, functional movements like burpees, rowing, and thrusters
• Conditioning 2–3x/week

Building muscle will help you increase your basal metabolic rate and with a consistent, challenging exercise routine you will burn more calories.

2. Diet

You don’t have to count macros or weigh food.
First, focus on:

• Protein at every meal (30-50g)
• Fruits and veggies for carbs instead of rice, bread, potatoes and pasta
• Minimizing sugar, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods

Ultra-processed foods are high in calories and are one of the biggest drivers of weight gain.

If you move more and improve your diet, you will feel and look better, guaranteed.

5. What Parents Can Do: Start Em’ Young!

One of the most powerful things parents can do is involve their kids in sports early.

Kids who grow up playing sports, moving daily, and learning the value of daily movement will become adults who won’t struggle to stay active.

As a parent, it’s up to you to help instill healthy habits in your kids.