Do THIS to Boost Your Metabolism, Lose Fat, & Feel Better Now With Dr. William Li

0:00Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast.

0:09Are you ready? Good. Because the person that you're about to meet today was so popular the last time he appeared on the Mel Robbins podcast. We were talking about burning fat and weight loss. Well, let me tell you something. You crashed my inbox begging for more incredible research from him. So now the world-renowned Dr. William Lee is back to unpack the science of metabolism. Whether you're looking to lose weight, burn fat, or just be healthier, or maybe you're trying to manage a medical condition, Dr. Lee is here in our Boston studios and he has everything that you need to know to take control of your health and jumpstart your metabolism.

0:50He's also going to address the four major myths about metabolism. These are things that you believe that are just not true. I believe them too. And after this conversation today, my jaw on the floor. Dr. Lee has the science, the research, and the simple steps to help you unlock the power of your metabolism. Yes, you can make it better. Yes, you can feel more energized. And yes, even you can have a faster metabolism using the research you're going to learn today.

1:31Hey, it's your friend Mel Robbins. I'm so fired up that you're here. You can hear it in my voice. Now, it's always an honor to be able to spend some time with you and to be together. And if you're brand new, I just want to take a moment and welcome you to the Mel Robbins Podcast family. And because you hit play on this episode, here's what I know about you. You're the type of person who values your time, and you're also interested in learning about ways that you can improve your life, you can improve your health, and you can improve the life of those people that you love and care about. And this is one of those conversations that has information that every single person that you care about needs to hear.

2:08So I want to thank you in advance for sharing this and for taking the time to listen to this, because this episode is going to change how you think about your health, and more importantly, it's going to empower you to make some changes that improve your health. And today we're going to dive headfirst into the science of metabolism with the extraordinary Dr. William Lee. Now, before we jump into all the amazing science and the things you're about to learn, I just want to tell you a little bit about the incredible Dr. William Lee. Dr. Lee is a world-renowned physician and scientist, and he's also the founder and president of the Angiogenesis Foundation here in Boston, where he's educated over 40 ,000 physicians and is working to provide cutting-edge research on how food can help heal and prevent diseases.

2:54Dr. Lee's work has impacted more than 50 million people worldwide and has led to the prevention, treatment, and even reversal of diseases spanning cancer, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. He has over 100 scientific publications in leading medical journals and textbooks and has published two best-selling books. He's also served on the faculties at Tufts, Dartmouth, and Harvard Medical School. And I'm just thrilled that he found the time to come over here to our Boston studios and be able to share everything that he knows about metabolism with you and me. So please help me welcome the amazing Dr.

3:28William Lee to the Mel Robbins podcast. Dr. Lee, I'm so excited that you're here. And the way that I wanted to start is, could you tell the person that's listening how they could experience life differently if they take to heart everything that you're about to teach us about the science of metabolism? and they put that to use in their life today. Your body's metabolism is your energy source. And if you want more energy in your life, what you want to do is tap into what's already hardwired into you in order to unleash that energy. And everybody can do it no matter where you are in your health journey, no matter what type of struggles you've had previously in order to be able to lose weight and be able to achieve better health.

4:13Wow. Well, about a third of our listeners have set a goal to either lose weight or to start a new diet. And I would love to know how to leverage my metabolism to be healthier, to be in better shape. But what does metabolism mean? Because maybe when you say metabolism, I'm thinking something else. Let's start there. What does metabolism actually mean? Okay. So if you go to Google, when you look at metabolism, they'll give you a chemistry definition, a science definition of it. It's the sum of all the chemical reactions in your body, blah, blah, blah, to give you energy. I like to think about it in a much simpler way.

4:53Okay. Metabolism is how your body gets energy and burns down energy, just like if you were a car. Okay? So think about it. I mean, most of us have driven a car that uses gas. And, you know, when you're driving a car, which relies on fuel to actually drive forward, you were just sitting in the driver's seat, going about your way, thinking about how to get to point A to point B. You're not thinking about the fuel. And that's basically how we operate with our metabolism. We just keep going, doing our thing. We've got the checklist. We've got to go shopping. We've got to go pick up the kids from school or whatever.

5:27Okay. We don't think about our metabolism, but like a car, which requires fuel, when the fuel gauge goes towards empty, suddenly, if you're sitting in your car, all of a sudden you're like, where do I find that filling station? Right. I got to get some gas. Yes. Okay. Same deal in your body. When your energy runs low, suddenly you got to get fuel. And it turns out the fuel that we use for a car, which is gasoline, petrol, depending on where you live. If you actually look at what happens in the body, the fuel for our body is our food. Yeah. We call gasoline in gallons or liters, depending on where you live, food, the measures in calories.

6:05So it's very simple. When we eat food, we're actually putting in fuel into our bodies. All right. And we call them calories. Don't get confused about the word calorie. There's a lot of misunderstanding about that. It's just fuel. Now, in the car, you're pulling by the filling station. You're taking out the nozzle. You're filling up the tank in your car with fuel. It fills up to the top and now it goes click. And now no more fuel will come out. Thank goodness. Yep. And you put the nozzle back on the pump, get back in your car. Now you're not even thinking about the fuel anymore. Right. You're on your way.

6:39Yep. In our body, the same deal. We sit down, we're looking, our fuel's running low. Our body says, go find some fuel. We sit, go to the dinner table, go to a restaurant, go get delivery, food delivery. Or stand in front of the fridge and open it up or pull out the drawer and put your hand on the chips. Wherever. With me last night. It's your choice. And this matters. This matters a lot. And I'm going to tell you, this is how you derail your metabolism. So this is actually the unlock what you just said is about the choice that you can make when you need fuel. All right. You can put good quality fuel into your body or poor quality fuel.

7:13So think about it. Pull your car up to the filling station. and you got a choice of three or four different kinds of gasoline you're going to put into your fuel tank. Now, most people will tell you, put the best quality fuel you can into the tank. Yep. But you know, all of us, you know, I'm running a little low on cash this month. And so what do you do? You go out and like, I'm going to put some of that cheap stuff in there. Right. You know what? You fill up your car with a tank full of cheap gas once in a while. You're not going to know the difference. But if you do that every single time, you go fill up your tank day in and day out, week after week, month after month, I guarantee you, your car's not going to run as well or as long as somebody who really takes care of their car by putting higher quality fuel into their car.

7:57And by the way, beyond the quality of the fuel, that person who's choosing, making that choice is probably also taking better care of their car in general. And that's exactly what happens to our body. When we're actually needing fuel, we go for food, we reach for choice, just like at the fuel tank. And what we know is that if you actually choose higher quality fuel for your body, it's actually going to be a lot better for you in the long run. Dr. Lee, what are the misconceptions when it comes to the topic of metabolism? Well, I love the fact that you are inviting me to myth bust because there's so much myth when it comes to weight loss and metabolism.

8:37And everyone thinks they know a lot about metabolism, but there are a lot of myths about it that everyone needs to find out because we've all heard of them, right? So you basically say, well, everyone's metabolism is different. It's the roll of the dice. My sister's skinny as a stick and she can eat anything. And I've been fighting with weight my whole life and I have to be careful with food. That's one myth or one idea. Well, hold on. Let me just stop you right there. So are you saying, Dr. Lee, that it's not true that everybody's metabolism is different? Not true. We're all born with the same metabolism because our metabolism is like the operating system of a computer.

9:20So, Mel, if you went to the computer store and I went to a different computer store, we bought the same model of laptop. Out of the box, plug it in, charge it up, start it. Operating system would be the same. You hear the same sound and then the screen would come on the same way. That's how we're born. We're born with the same kidneys, the same eyesight, the same brain function, the same ability to move our tongue. What makes us think metabolism is different? Well, I guess because I've just always thought that some people have a metabolism that's faster and some people have a metabolism that's slower.

9:55And I mean, is that true? It's not true. So let's come back and talk about that myth based on a research study that was done. So that's one myth. Okay. The second myth is that when you've got teenagers and they are growing up and they're eating two or three dinners and bouncing off the walls, you're thinking that in their adolescence, their metabolism is going sky high. Yes. Right? Because they're feeding themselves, they're packed with energy. That's also a myth. Not true. You're kidding. I remember my mom saying to me when I was a teenager, oh, you better enjoy that, you know, hamburger now because it's going to not be, you know, you're not going to be able to eat.

10:34like that when you get older. And I've said that to my kids. That's not true. Not true. Third thing, that's a myth. We all think that when we reach middle age, 40, 50 and beyond, our metabolism is going to automatically slow down. And we all dread that kind of portion of our lives. We're saying, you know what? I'm not going to fit in these clothes anymore. I just got to get used to it. You look at other people and you go, well, they must be entering their middle age. And you sort of just have this culture of like giving up with your former body relationship. And you're like, my metabolism shot now, I'm going to gain weight, I'm not going to fit into the clothes anymore.

11:15Also a myth. Fourth myth is that when our metabolism is slow, that that's why we gain body fat. Okay. Not true. Then why do we gain body fat? Different reasons why we gain body fat, but it turns out the truth is that it's our body fat that slows our metabolism, not the other way around. Oh my God. Okay, so I just want to make sure that I am digesting, no pun intended, the things that you've come right out of the gate and said, which is we're all born with a metabolism that works the same way. Yep. That the idea that some people have a fast or a slow metabolism and that's just what you got and that's what you're stuck with is not true.

11:59The fact that your metabolism is faster when you're younger and slower when you're older, also not true. Correct. Holy cow. And what are you going to teach us today? Because I'm assuming, like now I'm like, dude, how do I get my metabolism to get cranking? All right. So let's go at this because I think that, you know, for the people who are listening and watching this, you know, it's good to know that the breakthroughs actually give you power. And here's what it is. we are all born with our metabolism hardwired in our body, just like an operating system of your computer. Okay. Our metabolism, we come out of the womb exactly packaged to work in exactly the same way.

12:42It is what happens afterwards that starts to change. But a recent study that was done a couple of years ago by Herman Ponzer at Duke University that he collaborated with 90 other researchers. This is a big research study. It was the largest study of human metabolism across the entire lifespan ever done. Okay. And it was done with just a drink of water. What does that mean? Well, what he was trying to do is to figure out, if you take a look at people from two days old, newborn, to 90 plus years old, what does your metabolism look like? And how does it change over the course of your life? So how did he study everybody in exactly the same way?

13:27This was across 20 different countries, 90 researchers, 20 countries, 6 ,000 people from two days old to 90 plus years old. The most ambitious landmark study in metabolism ever. Okay. Okay. This is how we know that those myths are actually myths. Okay, but how did he measure it with a glass of water? You're way smarter than me, Dr. Lee, so you got to explain this to me. I'll tell you. So, now water, most people know is H2O, right? The H is a hydrogen, the O is the oxygen. And what the researchers were able to do is to tweak the hydrogen and tweak the oxygen so that when you drank the water, you could measure the breath, the blood, the urine, the sweat.

14:11And you can actually calculate what the metabolism actually was. All right? Simple way of actually measuring metabolism applied across 20 countries and 6 ,000 people across the lifespan. So when they actually got the results of this study, initially, it looked exactly like the myth. Everybody's metabolism was all over the map. Which I would expect. Which you would have expected. Right. But we now live in the era of machine learning, artificial intelligence. Like we can use computers to really crank data. Okay. So here's what they did. they said i wonder if we corrected the results of this study of metabolism by adjusting the metabolism to what the individual's body size is personalizing it okay okay so by mass more than so they knew the they knew the gender they knew the height and they knew the body weight and they could actually figure out well how much excess body fat did this individual have and subtract out from the results of the metabolism, the effect of excess body fat.

15:21Okay. So when they did that, so 6 ,000 people subtract out the effect of excess body fat. I'll tell you, Mel, it was like pulling the cloak off the statue of David for the first time. They discovered that human metabolism across a lifetime follows only four phases. Okay. What are they? We're all born in the phase. Phase one, we're all born the same way. Phase one is from day zero to one year old. Human metabolism goes skyrockets higher, higher, higher, 50 % higher than the adult level of metabolism. So one year old is firing up their jets big time. They have to because they got to grow fast. Totally.

16:02Okay. But I'll tell you what it tells us. It tells us whatever we're exposing them to in that first year of life, we better think about that. the microplastics, the whoobies, the pacifiers, the binkies. What are we putting into this metabolic engine, jet engine? So phase one is zero to one years old. Phase two is from one year old to 20 years old. This is that time where the teenagers are bouncing off the wall, eating two or three dinners, right? And you would think that their metabolism is going up, but this research shows that between the ages of one year old and 20 years old, metabolism going down, down, down, down, down to adult levels.

16:43Okay. So the teenager is getting bigger, but the metabolism is slowing down. Okay. Now, and this is the mic drop discovery. All right. So for anybody who's watching this, like you're going to want to rewind and listen to this again. This research discovered between the third phase is between the age of 20 and 60, right the time when you think that, you know, your waistline is going to expand and you're going to gain all this weight. It turns out that when you remove the effect of excess body fat, our hardwiring for metabolism between the age of 20 and 60 is rock solid, flat as an ocean on a calm day.

17:21It does not change. And what that means is that the way that we're hardwired is that 60 can be the new 20 when it comes to your metabolism if you follow what your body wants to do. Wow. I'm going to come back to this because obviously people's weight changes and their size changes. but there's a reason for that. And the fourth phase, the final phase, is from 60 to 90 years old. Guess what happens to metabolism? It does start to slow down a bit. I mean, come on, you deserve it, 60 to 90, but only by 17%. By the time you're 90 years old, your metabolism's only 17 % slower than when it was at 60.

17:57And 60 should be rock solid at 20. I have a couple things, though, that I want to repeat back just to make sure that I understand this. So phase one, zero to one, through the roof. Phase two, one to 20. It's actually coming down to hit adult levels, which is what you're in from phase three, which is 20 to 60. And you're going to tell us the factors that can impact your metabolism. But if we remove those factors, your metabolism underneath the hood is hardwired to just work as well as the healthiest person you've ever seen your age. And then the fourth phase is 60 to 90, and it only comes down 17%, which basically means you're still cooking with a great engine.

18:45And I guess where I think maybe we should start as we start to unpack not only the myths you've just dropped a bomb on, but also how we unlock this exciting research, because I can tell you're very excited about it. And what do we need to understand about just the science of metabolism? Because I think your message is really hopeful and it's very empowering because you're basically, through the research, reminding all of us, listen, your body is designed to burn fat. Your body is designed to burn through fuel. If you understand the science, then you're going to look at the topic of losing weight for overall health in a very different way because you can tap into your metabolism.

19:30Yeah. So our metabolism is hardwired in our body, just like in a laptop, the operating system is hardwired out of the box. It's going to be firing up and our metabolism is designed to store energy and it stores it into our body fat and it burns energy just to allow us to do ordinary things. You don't have to run a marathon to burn energy. I mean, that'll burn a lot of energy, but doing the laundry, washing the dishes, walking up a bunch of steps, making the bed, that also burns energy. Okay. Talking on the phone burns energy. Moving your fingers to scroll down your social feed burns energy. But it's not getting rid of the visceral fat that, you know, none of us really want.

20:10Right. So movement of any sort will actually burn some energy. So So I'm trying to make sure people understand that any kind of movement is a good start. By the way, studies have actually shown that even fidgeting, you know, shaky the leg, tap, tap, tap. All right. Those actually rev up your metabolism as well by burning down some energy. But nothing substitutes from a burn perspective, from actually really getting into motion. Because when you're burning down, when you need fuel to burn, it's like driving really fast on the highway. you're going to burn down the fuel in your tank a little bit more.

20:46And that fuel is really the energy stored in body fat. So what are some of the great ways to actually burn down body fat? Going for a walk for 30 minutes, anybody can do. Going for a run, if you can do it, if your knees are good, I would consider doing that. Swimming, great way to actually burn down extra body fat. It doesn't put too much stress on your bones or your muscles. Dancing is a great way to actually burn body fat as well. So the amount you intake food, the quality of the fuel that you're actually putting into your body, the amount of fuel you're putting in your body is one side of the equation and you can control that.

21:24So that's super good news because, yeah, just cut down a little bit. And then burning it, burning down the fuel that's been accumulated. Now, some people say, well, look, I have a really big body and I haven't been able to lose this fat. it's not going to happen overnight because guess what? You have been accumulating those extra tanks on your pickup truck for a long time, those extra cans of gasoline that you fuel, you've been piling up for a long time. It's going to take some time to burn it down. You got to be patient. So whenever you see these things like lose X number of pounds in two weeks or 10 days, if you can do that, all right, it won't be sustainable.

22:03You're looking for sustainable, healthy fat burn. You know, on this topic, it would probably be helpful if you could just explain what fat is. Because it's a, like, I think it's something that we talk about in culture, and then we get upset at ourselves over when it starts accumulating. But as a medical doctor and a researcher and an expert on metabolism, what is fat? All right. So fat is a substance that we all recognize and maybe recoil from hearing like, I don't want to don't too much fat, you know, you want to cut it off on your plate and put it onto the side. But I can tell you fat is one of the most important tissues in your body.

22:45And in fact, it forms within weeks after your dad's sperm met your mom's egg and you were just a ball of cells, your fat formed before you had a face, before you had a waist, before you had thighs, you had body fat forming. And here's how it's really interesting about how fat forms. The first organ that forms are your blood vessels because everything needs a blood supply. So again, you're just a ball of cells, a few days old, starting to be a few weeks. The first organ that forms is your circulation. Second organ that forms are your nerves because every organ needs an electrical system. Think about building a house.

23:22You gotta start with the basics, right? You need the circulation, You need an electrical system, a nervous system. Third tissue that forms, body fat. And body fat forms around the blood vessels. Okay, no face. There's no arms. There's no thigh. Okay, there's no waistline. It forms around the blood vessels like bubble wrap does. And the question you ask is exactly the interesting question. Why does fat grow around blood vessels very early in life? Because fat winds up becoming the fuel tank. and you want the fuel tank to be near where the fuel is. When you eat food, you're eating fuel, the fuel goes into your blood vessels, and how do you store the fuel from your blood vessels into the fuel tank?

24:04It's right there, right next to the blood vessels. That's why the fat started forming very early on in that configuration. Wow. Are fat cells like all the other cells, or how are they different? They can stretch and expand. They fill up with the energy from food. All right. They can expand 300 percent. So they can expand 300 percent in size. They can expand three times in their size. So a regular fat cell you can't see with the naked eye. Under a microscope, you could see it. But I'm telling you, and this is why when fat expands, when you're loading it with fuel, which is the food that we eat, which is the energy that we actually need.

24:44I mean, think about it. Our body is designed to find fuel, put the fuel into our body by eating it, storing it, stores it in our fuel tank, which is our fat. And then when you're ready to burn the fat, it takes the fuel from the fuel tank, just like your car, and runs it through the engine so you can actually burn it down. It's very simple. That's what metabolism is. It's a very simple way to think about it. That is unreal. I just love listening to you. And I almost hate to say this, but I got to hit the pause button and give our extraordinary sponsors a chance to say a few words. And while you're taking a listen to our amazing sponsors who are bringing you Dr.

25:21William Lee and all this extraordinary information at zero cost, share this with people that you care about because we all deserve to have the benefit of this research at our fingertips and in our lives. and don't go anywhere because we got so much more to dig into and we're going to be waiting for you after a very short break. So stay with me.

25:48Welcome back. It's your friend Mel Robbins. And today you and I are getting to learn the science and the research around how we can boost our metabolism from the extraordinary Dr. William Lee. So Dr. Lee, I'm thinking about my two daughters. I know that my daughter will not be upset that I shared this because we wrote about it in the Let Them Theory book. And one of the first myths that you talked about is that underneath our body type and underneath how much fat we have or how little fat we have, everybody's metabolism works the same. And everybody's metabolism is capable of rewiring. And when somebody like my daughter Sawyer hears that, and she for her entire lifetime has looked at her younger sister and been like, it's not fair.