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Do you always blame your weight gain issues on slow metabolism? Does every thin person make you wish that your metabolism was as fast as his or hers? We hate to burst your bubble, but slow metabolism does not lead to weight gain. Weight gain leads to slow metabolism.
What is Metabolism?
Metabolism is a series of biochemical processes that supports different bodily functions by converting what you eat and drink into energy and other metabolic by-products. Metabolism provides the body with energy for daily functions like digestion, response to the external environment, healing injuries, growth, reproduction and maintenance. Some of these are ‘hidden’ functions (breathing, blood circulation, and hormonal processes) that are active even when we’re not. Simply put metabolism helps your body burn calories and produce energy. And yes, successful weight management is strongly connected to a healthy metabolic rate.
So How Does Metabolism Affect My Weight?
Unfortunately, it’s your weight that affects metabolism. MedicalNewsToday clears the air: It is a common belief that slim people have a “high metabolism” while overweight/obese people have a “low metabolism”. This is very rarely the case. Studies carried out in North America and Western Europe have invariably shown that slow metabolism, or underlying conditions, such as hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) are very uncommon reasons for most cases of obesity. Quite simply – most overweight people do not have an underlying condition caused by a slow metabolic rate. The weight gain is mainly due to an energy imbalance.
This energy imbalance essentially means that you’re eating more than your body’s metabolic rate requires supporting daily functions. Factors like gender – men store lesser fat than women, and age – metabolism tends to slow down as you grow older, do affect metabolism. However, other factors like the body’s muscle to fat ratio and aerobic activity also play an important role in affecting metabolic rates. Therefore, if your basal metabolic rate accounts for 60-75% of the calories you burn every day (Mayoclinic), then surely the other 40-25% is in your good hands.
Best Practises to Maintain a Healthy Metabolic Rate:
It keeps coming back to diet and exercise, but the truth is that weight gain does come from an excess of unused and stored calories. Each gram of fat stored in the body adds approximately 9 calories to your body’s calorie stores. Compare this to the mere 4 calories each gram of muscle contributes while supporting the body with power and endurance.
Here’s looking at how you can help your body’s metabolic rate to achieve optimum levels of performance:
Sleep: The chemicals that control your body’s metabolism come from the Endocrine system. When you don’t get enough sleep it changes the way this system works. This affects how your body regulates blood sugar levels and stores energy, thus slowing down your metabolic rate.
Age: Metabolism slows down as we grow older, leading to weight gain. We can combat this by being physically active when we’re young. As you hit your late 30s and 40s, your body’s muscle mass will act as a protective shield against slowing metabolism. Strength training is a proven method for warding off slow metabolism in old age.
Do not skip meals: By skipping meals you’re pretty much telling your body that you don’t know when the next meal’s coming. This slows your metabolism down, as your body tries to compensate for a lack of nutrients by conserving and saving energy. And if you aren’t physically active then conserved energy = fat storage.
Exercise: Since metabolism is influenced by your body’s muscle-fat composition, exercise helps your metabolic rate on two accounts – (1) Aerobic exercise helps boost the number of calories your body burns above and beyond a resting or basal metabolic rate. (2) More muscle = higher metabolism. Muscle burns more calories even when you’re resting.
Eat sensibly: It’s not so much about what you eat, but how much you eat. Sure. But the quality of the food you consume will only benefit you in the long run. Whether low fat foods are better than high fat foods (when both types consumed remain within required calorie range) is still debatable. But junk food, trans-fats, and high sugar foods do tend to have a negative effect on your body’s fat storage processes.
Following all of the above and still gaining weight? Get your Thyroid function checked: Since it is the Thyroid that releases hormones required for metabolism, when it slows down – your metabolic rate slows down too. But, as mentioned earlier, this is extremely rare. Besides, if your Thyroid malfunctions, chances are you’re dealing with a lot more than just a few extra kilos.
The bottom-line about metabolism and how it affects weight maintenance is that there are no shortcuts. There’s no such thing as a magical metabolic system that steps in and makes all those extra calories disappear. Better weight management through a healthy diet and exercise routine, along with sufficient sleep and regular meal timings, remains the best way to boost your body’s biochemical processes, even metabolism, to optimal levels. In other words, what most of our parents taught us when we were kids – is actually true.
Moral of the story, eat, sleep and exercise well, this is the secret to a normal metabolism.
We would like you to look through the books / DVD’s available on Metabolism and get the shipped to you right away so you can understand it better, so them now.
Increase Metabolism: Subliminal Weight Loss CD
Powerzone-Ultimate Metabolism Boosting Workout
Increase Metabolism and Lose Weight Fast, Guided Meditation and Affirmations (Sleep Learning System, Pt. 1)
Increase Metabolism and Lose Weight Fast, Guided Meditation and Affirmations (Sleep Learning System, Pt. 2)
The Metabolism Miracle: 3 Easy Steps to Regain Control of Your Weight . . . Permanently
The Fast Metabolism Diet: Eat More Food and Lose More Weight