Metabolism Myths We All Believe: Are You Falling for These Too?

How often have you been fed lies when it comes to matters related to weight management? Even if these aren’t intentional- sometimes well-meaning advice can inadvertently propagate myths.

This happens a lot as it relates to metabolism. In this blog post, we’ll address the most common falsehoods so that you can dispel them the next time you hear them being preached.

Myth: Metabolism Is Solely Determined by Genetics

There's a persistent myth that your metabolic rate is solely determined by your genes. While it's true that genetics play a role in metabolic rate, this isn't the whole story. Your metabolism represents the sum of every biochemical process that occurs within your body, converting food into the energy necessary for everything from breathing to exercising. 

Several factors, beyond your genetic code, substantially influence your metabolic rate. Your lifestyle choices, such as diet, exercise, and even sleep patterns, all significantly impact how efficiently your body burns calories. 

Adopting a diet rich in whole foods, low in processed sugars, and balanced in macronutrients can help optimize metabolic health. Regular exercise, particularly strength training, is crucial because building muscle mass can increase your resting metabolic rate. 

You might not realize it, but even how you structure your daily routine affects your metabolism. For instance, staying hydrated is essential because water is involved in nearly every cell function, including metabolism. Drinking plenty of water can ensure these processes run smoothly. Furthermore, you can give your metabolism a small boost by spreading meals throughout your day, thus maintaining a steady energy supply and avoiding the spikes and crashes associated with irregular eating patterns.

One aspect often overlooked is the impact of stress. Elevated stress levels can lead to an increase in cortisol, a hormone that, when chronically high, can cause your body to store more fat, particularly around the midsection, and decrease muscle mass, adversely affecting your metabolic rate. Learning to manage stress through mindfulness practices, like yoga or meditation, and ensuring you take time for relaxation can help maintain a healthier metabolic state.

Lastly, it is worth noting that various underlying health conditions, such as thyroid disorders, can profoundly affect metabolism. Hypothyroidism, for example, can slow your metabolism, making weight management more challenging. Regular medical check-ups are essential to identify and treat such conditions early.

Myth: Thin People Have Higher Metabolisms

You might think that thin people naturally have higher metabolisms, effortlessly burning calories while others struggle with weight. However, this is a common myth that oversimplifies how the body works. Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. 

While it's true that metabolic rates can vary from person to person, being thin doesn't automatically mean you have a higher metabolism. In fact, some thin individuals may have slower metabolisms but maintain their weight through other factors like diet and activity levels.

Muscle mass actually plays a significant role in determining metabolic rate. Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue does. If you're someone who engages in regular strength training and has built muscle mass, your body will burn more calories even when you're not active. 

Conversely, a thin person who has less muscle mass may have a lower resting metabolic rate. It's not body size alone but body composition that affects how many calories you burn throughout the day.

Your daily activities and lifestyle choices heavily influence your metabolism, too. You might find that staying active throughout the day—taking the stairs, walking instead of driving, or simply standing more—can increase the number of calories you burn. 

This non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) can vary widely between individuals and isn't necessarily connected to how thin or heavy someone is. Thin people might unconsciously move more, fidget, or engage in activities that increase their daily calorie expenditure without realizing it.

Myth: Skipping Meals Slows Down Your Metabolism

It’s a tightly held notion that skipping meals will slow down your metabolism, making it harder to lose weight. This idea suggests that if you don't eat regularly, your body goes into "starvation mode," conserving energy and burning fewer calories. 

However, this is largely a myth. While your metabolism does respond to changes in your eating patterns, skipping meals occasionally doesn't have a significant impact on your metabolic rate.

When you skip a meal, your body doesn't immediately panic and start hoarding calories. In fact, short-term fasting is generally accepted as beneficial. 

Your body begins to tap into stored energy reserves, like glycogen and fat, to keep you functioning. This process doesn't slow your metabolism; instead, it keeps your energy levels stable until your next meal. 

It's only after prolonged periods of severe calorie restriction—think days or weeks without adequate nutrition—that your metabolism may slow down as a protective mechanism.

You might find it interesting that practices like intermittent fasting have gained popularity for their potential health benefits, including weight management and improved metabolic health. Intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting, and for many people, it doesn't negatively affect metabolism. In some cases, it may even enhance metabolic flexibility, allowing your body to switch more efficiently between burning carbohydrates and fats for energy.

However, skipping meals without a plan can lead to other issues. You might experience increased hunger later in the day, which can result in overeating or making less healthy food choices. 

If you skip breakfast, for example, you might be so hungry by lunchtime that you opt for quick, high-calorie options rather than something nutritious. This can offset any potential calorie deficit from skipping the meal in the first place.

Consistently missing meals can also affect your energy levels and mood. You may notice that you're more fatigued or irritable when you don't eat regularly. This is because your body relies on a steady supply of nutrients to maintain optimal functioning. Skipping meals can lead to dips in blood sugar, which might make you feel sluggish or anxious. Keeping your blood sugar stable by eating balanced meals can help you feel more energetic and focused throughout the day.

You should also consider how meal skipping affects muscle mass. When you don't consume enough calories over an extended period, your body may start to break down muscle tissue for energy. 

Since muscle mass influences your resting metabolic rate—the number of calories your body burns at rest—losing muscle can slow down your metabolism over time. Ensuring you get enough protein and engaging in regular strength training can help preserve muscle mass, supporting a healthy metabolism.

Myth: Drinking Ice-Cold Water Burns More Calories

When you stop to think of it, this myth sounds more like an old wives’ tale. The idea around this belief  is that your body has to work harder to warm the cold water up to your core temperature, thereby increasing calorie expenditure. While this sounds appealing, the reality is that the number of additional calories you burn by drinking ice-cold water is negligible at best and doesn't contribute meaningfully to weight loss.

When you consume cold water, your body indeed uses energy to heat it to match your internal temperature, a process known as thermogenesis. However, the energy required for this heating process is quite small. 

For instance, if you drink an eight-ounce (about 240 milliliters) glass of ice-cold water at 0°C (32°F), your body needs to raise the water's temperature to approximately 37°C (98.6°F). Using the formula for calculating energy (calories required = mass × temperature change × specific heat capacity), you find that this amounts to roughly 8.75 dietary Calories per glass. 

Even if you drink several glasses throughout the day, the total extra calories burned are negligible compared to your overall daily energy expenditure.

It’s also easy to think that every little bit helps when it comes to burning calories, but relying on ice-cold water as a weight loss strategy isn't effective. The small number of calories burned doesn't significantly impact your metabolism or contribute to fat loss. 

You're better served by focusing on more impactful methods, such as engaging in regular physical activity, building muscle mass through strength training, and adopting a balanced diet rich in whole foods.

Myth: You Can't Change Your Metabolism

You might believe that your metabolism is set in stone, an unchangeable aspect of your biology that dictates how your body uses energy. This common myth suggests that no matter what you do, you can't alter your metabolic rate. 

However, the truth is that you have more control over your metabolism than you might think. By making certain lifestyle adjustments, you can influence how efficiently your body burns calories and processes nutrients.

One of the most effective ways to boost your metabolism is through building muscle mass. Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue does. By incorporating strength training exercises into your routine, you can increase your muscle mass, which in turn elevates your resting metabolic rate. 

Even when you're not working out, your body will continue to burn more calories simply because you have more muscle. This means that activities like lifting weights, using resistance bands, or even bodyweight exercises like push-ups and squats can make a significant difference.

Don't underestimate the power of physical activity in your daily life. Beyond formal exercise, increasing your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) can have a substantial impact. This includes any movement you do during the day that isn't intentional exercise—like walking the dog, gardening, or even fidgeting. 

Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther from the store, or standing while you work are simple ways to increase your daily calorie burn. These small changes can collectively elevate your metabolism over time.

Hydration is another key factor you might not consider. Drinking enough water is vital for optimal metabolic function. Even mild dehydration can slow down your metabolism. By ensuring you drink water regularly throughout the day, you support your body's natural processes, including calorie burning.

Quality sleep is essential, too, for maintaining a healthy metabolism. When you don't get enough rest, your body struggles to regulate hormones that control appetite and energy use. Lack of sleep can lead to increased levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and decreased levels of leptin, which signals fullness. 

This hormonal imbalance can cause you to eat more and may slow down your metabolism. Prioritizing seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night can help keep these hormones in check and support metabolic health.

Your body's hormonal balance significantly affects metabolic rate, and certain lifestyle choices can influence this balance. For example, insulin resistance can develop from a diet high in processed sugars and refined carbohydrates, leading to metabolic slowdown. By choosing whole grains, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats, you can improve insulin sensitivity and support a more efficient metabolism.

Even your environment can play a role. Exposure to cold temperatures can activate brown fat, a type of fat tissue that burns calories to generate heat. While this doesn't mean you need to subject yourself to uncomfortable conditions, understanding that your surroundings can influence metabolic processes is valuable.

These are just a few ways that you can actually manipulate your metabolic rate in an effort to increase it.  Add Lean; our flagship weight support supplement to help accelerate thermogenesis and calorie burning to make the process of attaining your goal a little less difficult.

Myth: Eating After 8 PM Causes Weight Gain

You should avoid eating after 8 PM or some similar “cutoff time” if you want to lose weight or avoid gaining it. At least that’s what my neighbor says! It’s a common belief that eating late at night causes your body to store more fat, but this is actually a myth. 

The truth is, it’s not about the time you eat but rather the total amount and quality of the calories you consume throughout the day. Your body's metabolism doesn’t suddenly shut down when the clock strikes 8 PM, nor does it magically process food differently at night.

Weight gain occurs when you eat more calories than your body needs to maintain its weight, regardless of the time you eat those calories. If your late-night meals cause you to exceed your daily energy expenditure, then yes, you could gain weight. But if you’re staying within your calorie needs, eating after 8 PM won’t make a difference. For example, if you eat a light breakfast, a moderate lunch, and then a slightly bigger dinner later in the evening, your body will still process that food in line with your total calorie balance over the day—not based on the time it was consumed.

However, you might notice that late-night eating is often associated with less healthy food choices. Let’s face it, when you’re snacking late at night, it’s easy to reach for chips, sweets, or other calorie-dense, nutrient-poor options rather than something balanced and wholesome. These types of foods can contribute to overeating and weight gain, not because of when you eat them, but because they add up in calories quickly. If your late-night snacks are mostly impulsive, comfort-driven eating rather than true hunger, this could increase your chances of consuming more calories than your body needs.

You also have to consider how eating late might affect your digestion and sleep. If you eat a large, heavy meal right before bed, your body will be actively working to digest it while you sleep, which could lead to discomfort or lower sleep quality. It’s not the timing of the meal itself that’s the issue, but rather how it interferes with your ability to get restful sleep—something that’s critical if you’re trying to maintain or lose weight.

For many people, late-night eating is more about habit than hunger. You might find yourself snacking out of boredom, stress, or as part of your evening routine. If this sounds familiar, try checking in with yourself before you grab a snack. 

Are you actually hungry, or is it just a craving or emotional impulse? If you are hungry, opt for something light and nutritious, like a small handful of nuts, Greek yogurt, or a piece of fruit, rather than reaching for processed snacks loaded with added sugar or fat.

The time of day you eat matters far less than how your meals fit into your overall lifestyle. 

Myth: Cardio Is Best For Increasing Your Metabolism

It’s probably beaten into your skull by now—that cardio is the ultimate key to revving up your metabolism and torching calories. While cardio is an excellent form of exercise for heart health, endurance, and burning calories during the activity itself, it’s not necessarily the best way to spike your metabolism or create long-term changes in how your body burns energy. 

In fact, focusing solely on cardio may even lead to diminishing returns if you're not pairing it with other essential factors like strength training and proper nutrition.

When you do cardio, your metabolism does increase temporarily. As your heart rate elevates and your body exerts effort, it burns calories to fuel the activity. This is why cardio workouts like running, cycling, or intense aerobic classes are popular among people trying to lose weight. However, once you finish your cardio session and your heart rate returns to normal, your metabolism quickly goes back to its baseline level. 

This concept is known as the "afterburn effect," or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). It’s true that cardio does create some level of afterburn, meaning your body continues burning calories in the hours after your workout, but this effect is relatively short-lived and significantly less pronounced compared to other types of exercise, like resistance training.

On the flip side, strength training offers a more significant and lasting impact on your metabolism. When you lift weights or do other resistance movements, you’re not just burning calories during the workout—you’re building muscle. And this is key because muscle tissue is metabolically active, meaning it burns more calories at rest than fat tissue does. The more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate (RMR). 

This means that while a 30-minute cardio session may burn more immediate calories than a 30-minute weightlifting session, the long-term benefit of increased muscle mass gives strength training the edge when it comes to increasing your overall metabolic rate.

Another thing to consider is how your body adapts to cardio over time. If you always do the same type of cardio workout—like running at the same pace for the same length of time—your body becomes more efficient at performing that activity. Efficiency might sound like a good thing, but in this case, it means your body uses fewer calories to do the same workout as time goes on. 

In other words, you burn less energy doing the same amount of cardio as you get fitter. This can make cardio somewhat less effective for long-term calorie burn and metabolic boosts unless you continually challenge yourself with higher intensity or varied workouts.

That’s not to say you should ditch cardio altogether—it’s an important component of a balanced fitness routine. However, if your goal is to spike your metabolism and keep it elevated, focusing exclusively on cardio might not be the best strategy. Instead, prioritize a combination of strength training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and lower-intensity cardio to create a more effective and balanced approach to fitness. 

Myth: Age Always Slows Your Metabolism Down 

You might have heard people blame their age for the "extra pounds" or for their apparent inability to eat the way they used to. But while there is some truth to the idea that age can affect your metabolism, it's widely misunderstood. The good news? A slower metabolism isn’t an unavoidable part of aging—there’s far more under your control than you may think.  

First of all, your metabolism doesn’t automatically decline as soon as you hit your 30s, 40s, or even 50s. Research has shown that for much of your life—essentially until your 60s—your metabolism stays relatively stable. In fact, most of the so-called metabolic "decline" has less to do with your age and more to do with lifestyle changes and muscle loss. 

As you get older, you might become less active, and without realizing it, you may start moving less throughout the day. This lack of activity lowers the number of calories you burn because your body simply doesn’t require as much energy to function if you’re sedentary. 

What’s more, if you aren’t engaging in regular strength training, you slowly lose muscle mass over time, a condition called sarcopenia. Since muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does, less muscle means fewer calories burned—your resting metabolism takes a hit.

Maintaining your metabolism as you age is completely possible. One of the best ways to prevent metabolic decline is to just prioritize building and maintaining muscle. Strength training isn’t just for bodybuilders—it’s for anyone who wants to stay strong, active, and energetic as the years go by. 

Lifting weights, performing resistance exercises, or even incorporating bodyweight exercises like push-ups and squats into your routine can help combat muscle loss and keep your metabolism humming. When you build muscle, you raise your resting metabolic rate, which means you’ll burn more calories even when you’re lounging on the couch.

Finally, your nutrition plays a bigger role than age itself. If you’re consuming enough protein, your body has an easier time preserving and building muscle, which—as you now know—is integral for keeping your metabolism steady. 

So, while age-related changes in your body are real, a slowing metabolism doesn't have to be one of them. 

Myth: Women Will Always Have A Slower Metabolism

Here’s another area where the gender disparity exists- if you let it. After all, it’s easy to look around and assume men seem to eat more, burn calories faster, and lose weight more easily. But the truth is a little more nuanced than this blanket statement.

While there are physiological differences between men and women when it comes to metabolism, the idea that women are doomed to have a “slow” metabolism simply because of their gender is mostly a myth—and understanding why can help you feel more empowered about your body and your health.

The main difference in metabolism between men and women comes down to body composition, not some fundamental flaw in the female metabolism. On average, men tend to have more muscle mass than women do, and muscle is metabolically active tissue. 

This means that the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you burn—both at rest and during physical activity. In contrast, women do tend to naturally carry a higher percentage of body fat, which, while essential for overall health (especially for reproductive health), doesn’t burn as many calories as muscle does. 

So, yes, men may often have a slightly higher resting metabolic rate (RMR), but this isn’t because their metabolism is inherently faster—it’s simply because of the amount of muscle they typically have.

The good news: muscle mass is something you can actively change. If you’re a woman and you’re worried about metabolism, think of it this way—you’re not at a permanent disadvantage. Building muscle through strength training can boost your metabolism, helping you burn more calories even when you’re not exercising. 

The idea that women can’t—or shouldn’t—lift weights is long outdated. Resistance training isn’t just about “bulking up”; for women, it’s a powerful tool for increasing calorie burn, improving overall health, and balancing out the supposed metabolic advantage men might have.

Hormonal differences do also play a part, however. For example, testosterone—the hormone typically more dominant in men—supports muscle growth and maintenance, which in turn aids metabolism. 

On the other hand, estrogen predisposes women to store more fat, particularly in preparation for childbearing years. While this hormonal balance can make it appear as though women face an uphill battle metabolically, it’s important to note that hormones are only one piece of the equation. Your diet, exercise habits, and overall activity level have just as much—if not more—influence on your metabolism.

You should also keep in mind that metabolism isn’t a one-size-fits-all equation. While gender can influence metabolic function, factors like your age, genetics, overall body composition, and daily habits play a much larger role. If it feels like your metabolism is lagging behind, the answer isn’t to blame being a woman—it’s to focus on manageable, meaningful changes. Moving more, keeping active throughout your day, incorporating strength training, and eating enough protein are far more important to your metabolic health than gender differences ever will be. 

Myth: Sleep Has No Impact on Metabolism

It’s easy to assume that sleep doesn’t play a big role in your metabolism. After all, when you’re asleep, your body isn’t moving much, and you’re not burning calories the same way you do during exercise or even regular daily activities, right? 

However, the idea that sleep has no impact on your metabolism is one of the biggest misconceptions out there. In reality, how much and how well you sleep can directly influence your body’s ability to maintain a healthy metabolism—and skipping out on quality rest can make it much harder to achieve your health and fitness goals.

When you sleep, your body isn’t just “shutting down.” Sleep is an incredibly active state where your body regulates essential processes, including hormone production, tissue repair, and cellular energy balance. 

One of the key ways sleep impacts your metabolism is through its effect on two important hormones: leptin and ghrelin. These hormones control hunger and appetite—leptin helps suppress hunger, while ghrelin increases it. When you don’t get enough sleep, your leptin levels drop, and ghrelin levels rise, making you feel hungrier than usual. This imbalance can lead to overeating and disrupt your efforts to maintain or lose weight.

Sleep deprivation also triggers increased levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Elevated cortisol levels can slow down your metabolism, encourage fat storage (especially around the belly), and make your cells less responsive to insulin, a condition known as insulin resistance. Over time, these changes can lead to weight gain and even raise your risk for more serious issues like type 2 diabetes. So even if you’re exercising regularly and eating well, not sleeping enough can undermine all your hard work by interfering with your body’s natural metabolic functions.

Another critical connection between sleep and metabolism is how it impacts energy balance. Think about how you feel after a lousy night of sleep—your energy is drained, your mind is foggy, and you’re far less likely to feel motivated. This lack of energy doesn’t just make your workouts harder to get through; it also reduces the number of calories you burn during the day because you’re less active overall. Even small changes add up—if you’re moving less and craving high-calorie foods (thanks to that hormone imbalance), it creates a recipe for metabolic dysfunction over time. 

On top of that, poor sleep disrupts your circadian rhythm, the natural 24-hour cycle your body follows to regulate sleep, wakefulness, and metabolism. If your circadian rhythm is thrown off—due to inconsistent sleep habits, late nights with little rest, or even staying glued to screens before bed—your metabolism can become less efficient. This makes it harder for your body to process food, convert energy, and maintain a healthy weight. 

If you want to support your metabolism, think of sleep as non-negotiable. It’s not just about how many hours you spend lying in bed—it’s also about getting consistent, high-quality rest that lets your body recover and regulate itself. Prioritizing a proper sleep schedule can be just as important as your fitness routine or diet for achieving a healthy metabolism and overall balance.  

If the intention is there, but it’s just difficult to get to sleep, give our safe non-habit forming sleep aide Dreamzzz a try, you could fix your problems in a jiffy!

Final Words

Your metabolism isn't broken, regardless of what anyone says. The claims are largely misconceptions that can be busted with a little investigation. Now get out there, but your metabolism to work and achieve the body you desire.