Testing Your Metabolism:
The Missing Piece in Weight Management with John Wright
How understanding your metabolism can change the way you approach weight loss forever
“You wouldn’t take your car to the mechanic and have it weighed. You’d test how its engine performs. That’s what metabolic testing does for your body.” — John Wright
⚙️ Why We’ve Been Looking at Weight the Wrong Way
For decades, most weight management has revolved around one number: the scale. But as John Wright, co-founder of Metabolic Health Solutions (MHS), explains, that number tells you nothing about how your body actually works.
In this episode of the Australian Weight Loss Surgery Podcast, host Jacqui Lewis and John dive into how metabolic testing provides insight into your unique physiology — revealing whether your body burns more fat or carbohydrates, how efficiently it converts food into energy, and what that means for long-term weight management.
🔬 What Is Metabolic Testing (and Why It Matters)
Metabolic testing measures how your body uses oxygen (O₂) and produces carbon dioxide (CO₂) — two key indicators of how efficiently your cells are burning fuel.
John’s company uses ECAL technology, a portable device that measures these gases to determine your metabolic rate and fuel utilization ratio. In other words, it tells you:
How efficiently your body burns fat vs carbohydrates
Whether you’re under-fueling or over-fueling
How stress, sleep, and hormones affect your metabolism
“We use oxygen to extract energy from food. About 86–90% of the fat you lose leaves your body through your breath — not sweat or waste.”
📌 Fact Check: A 2014 study in BMJ confirmed that the majority of fat lost from the body (around 84%) exits through exhaled CO₂ — a fact that surprises even health professionals.
🧠 Where Does Fat Actually Go?
If you’ve ever wondered what happens to fat when you lose weight, here’s the science: most of it doesn’t “burn off” — it’s breathed out.
When fat is metabolized, it’s broken down into carbon dioxide and water. The CO₂ leaves through your lungs, while water exits through breath, sweat, and urine.
That means your breath tells the story of your metabolism — and ECAL testing helps capture that data to show exactly what’s happening inside.
💪 Muscle: Your Metabolic Superpower
One of the biggest takeaways from John’s work is the importance of muscle mass. Up to 40% of your metabolic rate comes from muscle, meaning the more lean tissue you preserve, the stronger your metabolism stays.
“If you’re carrying extra weight, you’re already strong. You’re doing your own resistance training every day. The key is to lose fat, not muscle.”
📌 Fact Check: Research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that muscle loss during rapid weight loss reduces resting metabolism — one reason many people experience plateaus or rebound gain.
That’s why protein intake, resistance exercise, and recovery are non-negotiable in any healthy weight management plan.
🏃 Movement vs Exercise: Why Both Matter
John distinguishes between movement and exercise — both critical, but not the same.
Movement includes non-exercise activity like walking, chores, and fidgeting — which can make up a large portion of daily energy burn.
Exercise is structured activity aimed at improving fitness.
Personalized data from metabolic testing helps individuals balance both effectively, ensuring energy expenditure matches nutrition and recovery.
📊 Why Personalized Data Beats Guesswork
Most people rely on diet trends or generic calorie calculators that don’t reflect individual differences in metabolism.
Indirect calorimetry removes that guesswork by showing how your body actually uses energy.
When patients can see their metabolic data, adherence improves. As John says:
“Once you give people data about themselves, they stop guessing and start making informed decisions.”
🌍 Beyond the Clinic: Data Meets Technology
MHS’s work goes beyond testing. Their METS_iQ platform combines clinical data with digital tools to help personalize nutrition, training, and even GLP-1 optimization — ensuring that medical treatments align with a patient’s real-time metabolism.
It’s precision healthcare for weight management — combining evidence-based science with accessible technology.
🎧 Listen to the Full Episode
“Testing Your Metabolism: The Missing Piece in Weight Management”
Hosted by Jacqui Lewis on the Australian Weight Loss Surgery Podcast
Listen Now: Click here
Check John Wright and Metabolic Health Solutions here:
✨ Final Takeaway
Your metabolism isn’t a mystery — it’s measurable.
By testing rather than guessing, you can uncover how your body truly functions and tailor your nutrition, exercise, and recovery for long-term success.
“When you understand your metabolism, the number on the scale stops being the full story — and real progress finally begins.”
Sources:
Meerman, R., & Brown, A. (2014). When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go? BMJ, 349:g7257.
Speakman, J. R. (2013). The relationship between muscle mass and resting energy expenditure. Advances in Nutrition.
Donnelly, J. E., et al. (2014). Muscle mass preservation and metabolic adaptation during weight loss. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
