BREAKING NEWS EXPLAINED: Your Metabolism Isn't "Capped" — What the New Study REALLY Shows

Optimal Protein Podcast with Vanessa Spina

Vanessa Spina

Fitness, Health & Fitness, Nutrition

4.5 • 758 Ratings

🗓️ 12 December 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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For nearly a decade, many of us have believed that calorie burn eventually plateaus—that once you move enough, your body quietly compensates and stops burning more energy. That belief has shaped how we diet, how we train, and even whether we bother moving more at all.

But a brand-new 2025 human study challenges that idea in a way that could completely change how you approach fat loss, daily movement, and exercise.

In this Friday recap episode of the Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa breaks down the study behind the headlines and explains—in plain English—what the data actually shows, what most people misunderstood, and how to use this information to get better fat-loss results without eating less or training harder.

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In this episode, you'll discover:

Why a new 2025 human study found no true metabolic "cap" in weight-stable, real-world conditions
The key detail that separates this research from older metabolism models—and why exercise was misunderstood
Why your steps and workouts genuinely increase total daily calorie burn
Why muscle—not hormones—is the primary driver of metabolic rate during fat loss
Why extreme dieting and "earning food" backfire—and what actually supports sustainable fat loss

Study Referenced:

Howard et al., 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) — Physical activity and total daily energy expenditure in weight-stable adults

👉 https://www.pnas.org

Vanessa discusses how red light therapy supports mitochondrial health, muscle recovery, circulation, and skin health as part of an evidence-based approach to fat loss and metabolic optimization. Explore the Tone LUX red light therapy collection at 👉 Use code HOLIDAY25 for 25% off HERE

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Free high-protein keto guide: The Keto Reset eBook

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🎙 The content in this podcast is for informational purposes only and not nutritional or medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making major dietary or lifestyle changes.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Optimal Protein Podcast. I'm Vanessa Spina. Hello, my friends. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm your host
0:08.0	Vanessa. And I am so excited for today's episode because today we are doing a recap of Monday's interview with Dr. Kristen Howard.
0:17.1	And she just published a new groundbreaking study on the way that our body's metabolic rate works
0:25.5	in response to exercise. Now, Monday's episode was fascinating, but it was a bit complex. And I had to do
0:33.3	quite a bit of research before the episode to familiarize myself with a lot of the terminology
0:38.3	that we talked about in the episode because a lot of it was new to me. And sometimes for these
0:43.5	kinds of episodes, I do a primer episode. This time I did not. So today's episode you can think of
0:49.0	as a recap, but also a primer because we're going to break down what this brand new study
0:54.0	means for you,
0:56.4	what it means for your body recomposition, for your fat loss, your step counts, your workouts.
1:02.2	We're going to unpack it all in a simple, easy to understand way.
1:07.3	So I can't wait to get into today's episode.
1:10.2	I love breaking down brand new,
1:12.7	exciting research and talking about what it now means for all of us in actionable, quantifiable way.
1:21.1	So I can't wait to get into today's episode. And we are going to jump right in after this
1:25.8	quick break. Friends, if you've been curious about red light therapy or you've seen me or other people
1:31.9	using red light therapy panels, I want to take a moment to share why I love these devices so
1:37.5	much and why the science behind them is so compelling.
1:41.2	So red light therapy is one of the most well-studied, non-invasive tools that we have
1:46.7	for skin health, beauty, and cellular rejuvenation. Numerous clinical studies show that specific
1:52.8	wavelengths of red and near-infrared light can increase collagen and elastin production, help improve
1:59.6	the firmness of skin, reduce fine lines and wrinkles,
	...

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