Nutrients and foods affect different people differently.  We are all unique.  Some of us can drink milk without any adverse consequences.  Others are completely lactose intolerant and a glass of milk can cause stomach cramping and running trips to the bathroom.  Some of us can drink caffeine all day and it won’t affect our sleep while others of us just look at coffee and are up all night.  These differences make weight loss tricky.  Every diet will work for someone but it will not work for everyone.

Your metabolism does affect how you burn calories.  And in order to lose weight more calories must be burned than consumed.  Let’s learn about metabolism.

 

What is metabolism?

Metabolism is the process that changes food calories into the energy your body needs to function.  This energy allows us to think, grow and move.  The body is doing thousands of these reactions all the time.  Even when your body is at rest it is breathing, digesting, adjusting hormones, circulating blood and repairing cells.

Metabolism is the process that turns proteins into amino acids, fats into fatty acids and turns carbohydrates into simple sugars.  These new energy sources are absorbed into the blood and carried to cells throughout the body to be used as sources of energy.

If more energy is created than is needed this extra energy is stored by the body for later as fat cells.

Metabolism is a complicated process.  It is more than just the way we gain or lose weight.

 

What does your metabolism do?

Your metabolism operates your basic body functions:

  • Respiration – Breathing
  • Blood Circulation
  • Food Digestion
  • Growth
  • Cell Repair

 

What factors determine my metabolism?

Age – For most people your metabolism slows after the age of 40.

Gender – Men generally have a higher metabolic rate than women.

Genetics

Muscle Mass – Muscles burn calories.  That is why strength building exercises are important and should not be avoided.  Don’t worry you can have good muscle structure and not look like a body builder.

Physical Activity – How active are you?

 

What is Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)?

Your body needs a minimum number of calories just to function.  This number of calories is different for everyone.  This minimum number of calories to keep respiration and digestion etc going is called the Basal Metabolic Rate.

60% to 70% of the calories you ingest are needed just to maintain your body’s systems.

Your metabolism is tied to calorie consumption to some degree.  Someone with a fast metabolism burns more calories even at rest.  If you have a slow metabolism you need fewer calories to keep your body operating.

There is not always a correlation between weight and metabolism.  An overweight person can have a fast metabolism and they are overweight because they are still taking in more calories than they are burning.

To determine your BMR click here to go to Health Surgeon’s Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator!

 

How can I boost my metabolism?

  • Exercise
  • Build Muscle – Muscles Burn Calories
  • Caffeine
  • Don’t Skip Meals – Calorie restriction slows your metabolism.
  • Small Healthy Snacks Between Meals
  • Increase Water Intake
  • Eat Spicy Foods
  • Eat Protein.  Proteins are harder to digest.  Therefore they burn more calories in the digestion process.

 

Your metabolism does play a roll in weight management.  However you must consider other things as well.  How many calories you are consuming and how many calories you are burning.

Staying at a healthy weight is important to reduce health risks and allow you the ability to do the activities you enjoy.  To find a healthy weight range for you use Health Surgeon’s Ideal Weight Calculator.

 

Try Health Surgeon’s Calories Burned Calculator to find out how many calories you are burning doing over 100 different activities!

 

 


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