The Metabolism Manual 📖
Understanding the Engine of your Body.
Hey, it’s Jodii!
Is your metabolism actually “slow”? Or just misunderstood?
If your energy is low, your digestion feels off, and your weight isn’t budging…
If your hunger, mood, and cravings feel all over the place…
If you’re trying to stay consistent, but nothing seems to be working — and you don’t even know where to start…
You’re not alone — and you’re not broken.
I wrote this guide to help you understand what’s happening beneath the surface — and why your metabolism might be the key to feeling like yourself again.
We’ll cover how it actually works, what causes it to adapt or slow down, and what you can do to start building a metabolism that works with you — not against you so that you can feel your best self again.
By the end, if this clicks — you’ll see exactly how to take the next step, whether that’s joining my upcoming masterclass or getting personalized support.
Most people assume their metabolism is either “fast” or “slow.”
Like it’s a factory setting you were born with — or a switch that got flipped somewhere along the way, and now you have no idea how to turn it back on.
Maybe it used to run just fine, but lately? It feels like the engine light is on. You’re pressing the gas… and your body just won’t go.
But your metabolism isn’t a speed — it’s an energy system. One that’s constantly responding to the inputs you give it:
The type of fuel you run on.
How often you challenge it.
How well you rest.
How much stress it’s under.
When those signals get misaligned — or you’re running on empty — the system starts to misfire.
🚨 Warning lights come on.
⚠️ Your body starts sending signals, quietly asking for help.
You might notice…
You wake up tired, even after a full night’s sleep
You rely on caffeine or snacks just to stay functional
Your cravings feel louder — and harder to manage
You feel puffy, inflamed, like your body’s holding on to everything
Your weight never seems to move in the right direction
You’re either cold all the time or overheating easily
You’re bloated more often than not
Even the thought of working out feels exhausting
You feel disconnected from your body — like something’s off, but you can’t quite name it
Your metabolism isn’t broken — it’s just been running in the wrong gear, with the wrong fuel.
It doesn’t need fixing. It needs support, the right fuel — and a better instruction manual.
🔍 What Is Your Metabolism, Really?
Your metabolism is your body’s engine.
It’s the system responsible for converting food into usable fuel — not just for workouts or weight loss, but for everything your body does to stay alive and functioning.
Every time you breathe, blink, move, think, heal, or digest — your metabolism is running.
It powers:
💓 Your heart beating
🧠 Your brain firing
💨 Your lungs breathing
🥦 Your digestion and nutrient absorption
🦴 Your hormones and immune system
🛠 Muscle repair and recovery
🌡 Body temperature regulation
💤 Sleep, stress response, and energy production
It’s working 24/7, even when you’re resting.
So when it’s out of sync, it’s not just about weight — it affects how you feel.
Your energy. Your mood. Your hunger. Your sleep. Your recovery. Your quality of life.
A slow, sluggish, or stressed metabolism doesn’t just burn fewer calories — it drags everything down with it.
➕➗ Why Losing Weight Isn’t a Simple Math Problem
If weight loss were just a math equation, it’d be easy.
You’ve heard it before:
“Eat less, move more.”
“Just create a calorie deficit.”
That might work at first — but your body isn’t a calculator.
It’s a survival system. And it’s built to protect you.
⚙️ What Actually Makes Up Your Metabolism?
Think of your metabolism like the total output of your body’s engine.
There are four key components:
🔧 1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Your BMR is the minimum amount of energy your body needs to function at rest.
This includes things like:
Breathing
Circulating blood
Regulating temperature
Keeping your brain and organs functioning
🧠 BMR = 60–70% of your total daily energy burn
It’s influenced by:
Age
Sex
Height & weight
Lean body mass
And while it doesn’t change drastically day-to-day, it does shift over time — especially with muscle loss or long-term calorie restriction.
📌 BMR is your baseline — the foundation your entire metabolism is built on.
Let’s look at a key BMR factor: muscle vs. fat.
🧱 Fat mass burns ~2–3 calories per pound/day
💪 Lean muscle burns ~5–7 calories per pound/day
Two people might be the same weight and gender — but the one with more muscle will burn hundreds more calories daily, simply due to body composition.
Muscle is your biggest metabolic advantage:
✅ Increases resting energy burn
✅ Improves blood sugar and insulin response
✅ Enhances your ability to use stored energy
More muscle = a stronger, more efficient engine.
But — it doesn’t happen overnight. Muscle takes time to build, which is why BMR changes slowly.
🔥 2. The Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)
TEF is the energy used to digest and absorb food. Different macronutrients require different amounts of energy to break down:
Protein: 20–30% of calories burned through digestion
Carbs: 5–10% depending on complexity
Fat: 2–3% — easiest to digest, lowest burn
This means that higher-protein diets can slightly increase metabolism — just by increasing the energy cost of eating.
🚶🏼♀️ 3. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)
NEAT = all the movement you do outside of workouts:
Walking
Cleaning
Cooking
Fidgeting
Playing with pets/kids
Pacing while on a call
NEAT is hugely variable — and can burn more calories than workouts in some people.
Someone who never exercises but moves all day may burn more than someone who trains hard, then sits still the rest of the day.
It’s subtle but powerful metabolic support.
🏋️♀️ 4. Intentional Exercise
Exercise burns energy by:
Powering muscle contractions
Regulating heat and sweat
Breaking down fuel
Increasing heart rate and oxygen delivery
Repairing and rebuilding muscle afterward
But not all workouts impact metabolism the same way...
🫀 Cardio vs. Resistance Training
Cardiovascular Training:
✅ Burns more calories during the session
✅ Helps increase daily energy burn
✅ Boosts heart health and fat utilization
❌ Doesn’t build muscle significantly
❌ Adaptation reduces calorie burn over time
❌ Minimal post-workout burn
Resistance Training:
✅ Builds lean muscle (↑ BMR long term)
✅ Increases post-workout calorie burn (24–48 hrs)
✅ Improves blood sugar and insulin sensitivity
✅ Preserves metabolism during fat loss
❌ Lower calorie burn during workouts
❌ May increase hunger due to repair demands
❌ Requires consistency and progressive overload
🧬 Metabolic Adaptation: Why Your Body Fights Back
Your metabolism is built for survival — not fat loss.
It’s designed to keep you alive, not get you lean.
So when energy is low and stress is high, your body does exactly what it’s supposed to do:
It adapts. It starts conserving fuel. It turns down the dial on how much energy you burn — even if you’re still training hard or eating “clean.”
That’s why fat loss can feel easy at first… until it doesn’t.
At first, your calorie deficit + added workouts create noticeable results.
But over time, your body gets more efficient:
You burn fewer calories from the same workouts
You move less without realizing it
Hunger increases
Recovery slows
Your body holds on to energy instead of burning it
And since metabolism = multiple systems (digestion, movement, even fidgeting), your body adapts across the board:
🔻 TEF drops — because you’re eating less
🔻 NEAT drops — because you're subconsciously moving less
🔻 Exercise output drops — low fuel = less intensity
🔻 Muscle maintenance suffers — lowering your BMR further
Even your workouts adapt:
The same HIIT class that crushed you a month ago? Now it barely taxes your system. The more efficient your body becomes, the less fuel it burns.
This is why pushing harder doesn’t always work.
Because your metabolism isn’t broken — it’s doing what it was built to do:
🛡 Conserve
🔒 Protect
🔁 Adapt
🔄 How do we stop metabolic adaptation?
We train smarter — not harder.
🏋️♀️ Lift weights consistently (to protect your lean muscle)
🍗 Eat enough protein (to recover + preserve tissue)
❌ Don’t slash calories aggressively (slow, steady cuts are better)
🧃 Use refeeds or diet breaks to give your system relief
🧘♀️ Manage stress (chronic stress = constant fuel conservation)
🔁 Periodize your nutrition like your training (fat loss, maintenance, performance phases)
⚙️ Build metabolic flexibility so your engine doesn’t panic every time fuel changes
🔋 The Ultimate Fuel Switch: Metabolic Flexibility
When your metabolism is flexible, it can switch gears depending on what your body needs.
Think of it like a hybrid car:
⛽️ Fats = gasoline — burns slower but goes the distance
🔋 Carbs = electricity — fast, efficient, but needs constant recharging
Your body should be able to move between both fuels easily.
During rest or walking → burn fat
During sprints, lifting, stress → burn carbs
Between meals → shift as needed
But most people are stuck in carb-dependence:
Crashing between meals
Constant caffeine use
Intense sugar cravings
Poor fat-burning capacity
This isn’t a willpower issue.
It’s a fuel system issue.
🧠 Metabolic Flexibility = Adaptability.
More stable energy
Fewer cravings
Better blood sugar control
A metabolism that doesn’t freak out when life gets busy
🔩 How to Improve Metabolic Flexibility
💪 Strength Train
Muscle = better carb handling and higher resting metabolic rate.
🚶♀️ Fasted or Pre-Meal Low-Intensity Movement
Walking before meals improves insulin sensitivity and fat oxidation.
⚖️ Strategic Carb & Fat Cycling
More carbs on high-intensity days
More fat on rest days
Fuel for the day, not despite the day.
🍬 Balance Blood Sugar
Ditch refined carbs, increase fiber, stabilize insulin.
🏃♀️ Train in Both Aerobic & Anaerobic Zones
Aerobic (walking, steady cardio) → fat-burning
Anaerobic (lifting, sprints) → carb-burning
Toggle both = metabolic flexibility gains.
🔋 Support Mitochondrial Function
Your cells’ engines — the better they work, the more fuel you can burn (and the less you crash).
Train, nourish, recover. Repeat.
🏁 Ready to Shift Into Metabolic Mastery?
Join the Live Metabolic Reset Masterclass
Your metabolism isn’t broken.
It just needs better inputs — and smarter strategies.
When you understand how it works, how to fuel it, and how to train in alignment with it, everything gets easier.
No more guessing. No more “why isn’t this working?”
Just real clarity — and real change.
📅 Live Masterclass: Sunday, June 8
💻 $99 | Only 10 Spots Available
🧬 What You’ll Learn:
🚗 Metabolism 101: The engine of your body
📊 BMR & Total Daily Energy Expenditure
⚖️ Calories In vs. Calories Out — the real equation
🧬 Anabolism vs. Catabolism: both sides of metabolism
🧱 Muscle’s role in metabolic health
⛔️ Why your body fights back (metabolic adaptation)
🗺 How to phase fat loss (and avoid burnout)
🔄 How to build metabolic flexibility
🌿 Lifestyle tools for long-term support
💥 Take It Further: 5-Week Metabolic Reset Coaching
🗓 Starts Monday, June 16 | 💸 $499
(Your $99 masterclass fee is credited toward coaching)
In the Masterclass, you’ll learn the science 🧠
In 1:1 Coaching, we apply it — to your body, your lifestyle, your results. 🎯
What’s Included:
🧬 Discovery Week
Deep-dive intake, lifestyle audit, and full metabolic history review
💪 Custom Workouts
Tailored to your lifestyle, energy system, and equipment (home or gym)
🥗 Individual Nutrition Strategy
No generic meal plans — just intelligent macro guidance, timing, and education
📞 Weekly Coaching + Zoom Calls
Live feedback, adjustments, and deep learning
📱 Direct Text Support
Real-time accountability (because life doesn’t wait for check-ins)
📊 Biodata Review
Sleep, stress, cravings, digestion, performance — all tracked & used for weekly tweaks
🔄 Ongoing Adjustments
Your plan evolves as you do. No guessing.
🧠 Metabolic Education Access
So you understand why it works — and keep those results long after