There are many myths in the health world, and one that may be the most hassle to people attempting to lose or maintain weight is the theory that eating smaller, more frequent meals will raise your metabolism.

Metabolism is simply the chemical and physical properties in your body that build and destroy tissue and release energy, thus creating heat through thermogenesis. Our metabolism increases and we burn more calories when we are exerting ourselves, such as walking to class, studying (your brain uses a lot of energy), or exercising. When at rest we burn slightly less calories, but they are still expended.

The theory is that many small, frequent meals will keep your metabolism going strong. However, it has been shown in controlled settings, that when you match caloric and macronutrient (protein, carbohydrate and fat) intake, the metabolic difference in many smaller meals compared to few large meals is practically zero. There is not going to be any change in thermogenic differences. It is important to remember when dieting to lose weight that when you eat, it takes a lot of energy to digest the food. That is the reason why starving yourself, skipping meals, and cutting back on too many calories will not so simply result in weight loss. Larger meals will have a larger thermogenic effect compared to the smaller meals, but it will equal out over the course of a day. We are not cows necessarily meant to be grazing all day. Do not tease yourself with that little 100 calorie pack, if you are hungry go ahead and eat a meal.

There is also a myth that our metabolism slows down as we age. Well unfortunately you can tell your parents that age has very little to do with it! Increases in body fat through life are a trend that has been shown to be a function of inactivity and loss of muscle, not simply a lowering of the metabolic rate. A study at the University of Minnesota found that the energy requirements of fat-free body mass were nearly constant among age and sex. It did not matter if the subject was a 20-year-old male or 60-year-old female; everyone burned about the same amount of calories per pound of lean mass at rest.

So why then, do we gain weight as we age? A big factor is that as we age, our muscle mass decreases. This results in a loss of metabolism since muscle is active tissue requiring oxygen. This may be the largest factor in a lowering metabolism.

Also, nearly as influential is the fact that as we age we seem to become less active (which attributes to the muscle loss). Maybe you get an 8 to 5 desk job that’s a lot less walking around than you are likely doing now between classes and home. People work eight or nine hours, five days a week and may not feel like going for a run or swim after work anymore. I visited walking.about.com and found that if I were to keep the same caloric intake but go from a moderately active lifestyle to a sedentary lifestyle, my basil metabolic rate would decrease by about 200 calories each day, which would result in a gain of 18 pounds over a year!

It becomes fairly obvious then, that to keep that metabolism up you need to follow the example of the 70-year-old gentleman playing basketball at 6 a.m. at the Wellness Center. That activity will help hold onto your lean muscle mass and burn calories, along with many other physical and mental benefits. If you are happy with where you are at diet-wise, then keep at it if it’s working. However there is no need to force yourself into consuming smaller meals if weight loss is a goal of yours. A healthy eating pattern along with exercise is the best path to follow for a fit body.

Kyle Kranz is a senior nutrition major at SDSU. Contact him at kjkranz@jacks.sdstate.edu.

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The freshman 15 is typically referred to as the weight one puts on during their freshman year of college– something that we are all warned about. I have found that there are four distinct stages to the freshman 15.

1) Denial8212;”I haven’t gained 15 pounds! What are you talking about? I have only put on 13.75 pounds. That’s nowhere near 15. Why don’t you go and check your math again Grandma. What’s that you say? You want me to weigh myself right now? Okay, fine I will and when I do I will be accepting your apology . . . and a dozen icebox cookies. “

2) Blame8212;”Your scale says 17 pounds, but I know that isn’t right. It’s your scale’s fault. It’s not accurate.”

3) New Pants Phase8212;”You know what Grandma, I don’t have sit here and take this from you. I don’t even want your icebox cookies. I need to get out of here. I am going pants shopping at Sears. No Grandma, I don’t need new pants. I want new pants because these ones have a defective waistline. On second thought, I will take some cookies for the road.”

4) Acceptance8212;”Okay. So maybe I did put on over 15 pounds in the last semester. But, that doesn’t mean elastic waist Dockers aren’t in this season. I wonder where the food court is. I could really go for a pretzel.”

The freshman 15 is something completely avoidable. Before graduating high school you could lose 15 pounds, so when you put on the freshman 15 it’s more like you’re working your way up to your normal weight. A lot of people make use of the wonderful facility on campus known as the Wellness Center. This place is great. It’s like the Noah’s Arc of gyms. There are just about two of every kind of machine. There is never a line for a treadmill or an elliptical (IDEA ALERT: A workout video starring Taylor Lautner’s abs. The title? “Twilight: Elliptical”). Eat in moderation. Grandma’s icebox cookies may have won the blue ribbon at the Koochiching County Fair in 1945, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat a dozen of them.

Chances are you are a lot like me, a die-hard foodie. I am such a fan of food that at a recent football game someone mistook me for the host of “Man vs. Food”(I didn’t correct him at first, I gave him my autograph and had him buy me a burger). I used to watch the Food Network a lot until they came out with their “50 States 50 Burgers” article and didn’t name Nick’s as the best burger in South Dakota. (In their defense the burger they named has bacon ground in with the beef8212;I haven’t had it yet, but I dream about it once a month). But being a foodie doesn’t mean you have to gain weight.

I recently went in for my decennium physical. After getting my weight and checking my other vitals, I glanced over at my chart and noticed something disturbing. Under the weight category, the nurse had circled the sad face. For those of you who are not familiar with medicalese, sad face is the proper medical term for obese. Yes, my fellow students, I am an obese American. You would never guess it by looking at me but it’s true.

This column is supposed to be about the experiences of college life, and the freshman 15 is certainly one of those experiences. I have no plans on putting on 15 more pounds just to satisfy the demands of my editors. I have decided to take the freshman 15 in another direction. I plan on losing some weight this year. As I write this I weigh a sultry 213 pounds. It is my goal to lose at least 15 pounds by graduation. I am doing this for a couple of reasons. First, I want to live a long and happy life. Second, and probably most important, I am sick of buying new pants. Elastic waist Dockers might be in this fall, but I cannot pull them off.

I will keep you all updated on my progress.

Tony Reiss is a non-traditional student majoring in economics. Contact Tony at anthony.reiss@jacks.sdstate.edu.