Many people think that it’s so difficult to lose weight. However, with proper discipline, courage and willpower, losing those extra kilos is not as hard as it appears. Just remind yourself of the ultimate goal every single day and things will come naturally.

But on the other hand, many people still gain weight despite toiling workouts and strict diet plan. This could happen because of metabolism. Let know what is metabolism and how does it affects weight of a person.

Metabolism

The term metabolism refers to various biochemical processes that a human’s body needs to convert food into energy. These biochemical processes include breathing, resting, digesting foods, circulating blood, delivering nutrients to cells, adjusting the hormone levels and even responsible for growth and repair of cells.

For all this, we need calories that come from our food. The body uses calories to perform these functions and the number of calories used during this process is known as basal metabolic rate (BMR). Basal metabolic rate is the most important component of the total metabolic rate.

How weight gain is connected to metabolism?

You might blame metabolism for your weight gain. But it’s a natural process and your body needs several mechanisms to regulate various processes, meeting your individual needs. Call it unfortunate or something else, weight gain is a complex process related to several factors including genetics, diet composition, hormone makeup and various other things.

Slow metabolism means you will slightly be on heavier side of the weight while people with fast metabolism will be slimmer. This is one key reason why older people have low muscle mass and high amount of fat. However, by knowing your basal metabolic rate, you can control your weight right to some extent.

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How should I determine my basal metabolic rate?

There are various ways one can determine the exact basal metabolic rate. While the best way to get accurate numbers is through lab test, some health clubs also offer metabolic testing. If you don’t want to go through these options, there are online calculators you can use.

The most commonly used method to know basal metabolic rate is through Mifflin - St Jeor equation which needs some math. Here is the formula for both men and women:

Men

BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) - 5 × age (y) + 5

Women

BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) - 5 × age (y) - 161

The total metabolic rate is the combination of basal metabolic rate and other processes such as eating and daily physical activity.

Why some people have slow metabolic rate?

You might have asked this question to yourself that why my metabolism is fast or slow than the others. The fact is, each individual’s metabolic rate is different and there are several factors which are responsible for this:

• Age – As we age, the metabolism slows down.
• Gender – Men have higher metabolism as compared to women.
• Body size – The bigger the body size you have, the more the calories you burn.
• Food consumption – Not eating enough slows down metabolism.
• Caffeine intake – Caffeine or other such stimulant may increase metabolism.
• Hormones – Imbalance in thyroid hormones may increase or decrease metabolism.
• Pregnancy – Pregnant women have faster metabolism as placenta, fetus and uterus, all needs energy to work accordingly.
• Body temperature – Exposure to extreme temperatures increases metabolism.
• Activity level – Daily physical movement either through standing, walking or exercising burn more calories.

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Can I alter my metabolism to lose weight?

Yes, there are several things in your metabolism you are able to change while some other things are beyond your reach. For instance, you can’t change factors such as age and gender. However, you can do modification in below factors which can help you lose weight:

1. Exercise – When we exercise, we burn more calories as compared to daily normal movements. Either you choose low impact workout or strength training, the harder option you choose, the more you burn calories.
2. Daily movement – Some people don’t have time to exercise. For them, moving throughout the day can work wonder as increase in movement can boost metabolism. Choosing simple tasks from walking to gardening, stair climbing and daily household work can help you burn more calories.
3. Muscle building – Improving the body composition can be a significant tool to burn more calories and hence, lose weight. The best way to do this is to choose strength training at home or at the gym. Strength workout will burn more calories even if your body is resting.
4. Consuming right amount of calories – Too much calorie intake will add extra weight to your body. On the flipside, consuming low calories can cause metabolism to decelerate. So, in order to maintain a healthy metabolism and weight, right amount of calories is needed.

Metabolism changes from day to day. Learning how to manage healthy metabolism regularly is the key to weight loss. Moreover, if you suspect you have fast or slow metabolism, you can check with your doctor to make sure you don’t have any underlying condition. He or she will also guide you to the best exercise and diet plan for losing weight.