Reasearch Proposal
Does nutrition really affect one’s body as much as it is preached? Or does it all come down to your genetic structure? This to me is very intriguing. I have friends that drink 5+ sodas a day, eat pasta for every meal and stay healthy and also don’t gain a pound. Is weight gain, or loss, attached more so to stress? Or is it really what you’re eating? I have always been very curious about nutrition and how it truly makes your body function at a young age because of being an athlete at such a young age and especially now as I get older. I wonder, is there a way to actually speed up or slow down your metabolism? Every day I hear eat 3 meals and two snacks daily, your body needs fuel but now I hear about “Intermittent fasting” and how that way of eating actually is being proved to be healthier for you but requires you to intake no calories for hours after you have woken in order to eat more calories later in the day. Why is it so much easier for some men to build muscle mass and so difficult for others? These all are lingering questions but the main one stands. Does nutrition really affect one’s body as much as it is preached, or does it just come down to your DNA structure.
I chose this topic because coming from a very sickly family, I always found health interesting. My parents both have diabetes along with my grandparents on both sides, my mother had thyroid which has made it hard for her to lose weight for as long as I can remember. My family always being so sick and watching my mother struggle with her weight always made me question health and how it truly affects your body. Growing up as a dancer and eventually getting on my high school dance team I constantly heard girls complain about their appearance and weight. At 14 years old all of my friends were uncomfortable with their bodies and wanting to be smaller. I vividly remember getting measured in front of the entire squad for uniform fittings, although I was never big I also wasn’t tiny like everyone wanted to be. I began to grow self-conscious about it as well, I noticed how some girls on the team were constantly eating unhealthy snacks and meals but were measuring a 24” waist and had tiny muscular legs/ It was never fair to me that some people got to stay small no matter how much exercise they did or how much food they consumed. At a very young age I learned what it felt like to be different and be uncomfortable in your own skin. I never thought it was fair that some people were just born with lightning metabolism and others were not. This is what really got me into health and fitness, I began to work out more and take care of myself the older I got and I always was learning and curious about new things regarding ones health.
This made me come up with my research question. “Is there a way to speed up or slow down your metabolism?” It is something I have always questioned. Is it truly possible to amp your metabolism or is it something your just born with? After so many long hours at the gym and constantly dancing, eating chicken and veggies. I began to see slow changes this was very hard for me because I worked so hard and everything seemed to be happing so very slowly for me.
For this essay I expect to use many online resources as there are tons of health and fitness websites and magazines I can read and find. Over the years I’ve learned so much about working out and eating healthy. I am excited to find out if research and studies have been done regarding the subject of one’s metabolism and if so what were the results. Many doctors and personal trainers post their information online and have done interviews over health and fitness. I expect to use these sources to prove whether or not you’re metabolism can truly be sped up.
I know this is something everyone struggles with time to time and getting information on it is really exciting for me because not only will it help me be informed and grow, it might also help other people who I cross with the same questions. I love helping people get to where they want to be and see themselves in a few months, I work in a meal prep restaurant and am constantly being questioned about weight loss and metabolisms, this will help me be better informed and stay motivated to continue to push and crush my goals.