Ssshhhh! The Secret to Losing Weight is High Metabolic Rate

25-09-2017   |   Posted By: Chhavi   |   9137 View(s)

We cannot deny the fact that metabolic rate affects our weight. Many people blame their slow metabolism for increased weight. But the question is ‘Does metabolism really affects weight?’Well, Yes, it does! It is true that your metabolism is linked to weight gain. But, that doesn’t mean that excess weight gain is always due to slow metabolism.

It is a proven fact that your metabolism affects the basic energy needs of your body, but your weight is determined by your eating habits along with how much time you devote to physical activity as well. So, next time you jump to the conclusion that you are gaining weight because your metabolism is slow- Wait! There can be other causes too for your weight gain.

What is Metabolism?

Metabolism or metabolic rate is simply the rate at which your body uses energy and expends calories. It contains a series of chemical reactions in a human body that create and break down energy necessary for life.

Your metabolism is partly genetic and largely outside of your control. It is difficult to say that you can change your metabolism or not. Sure, there are some ways to boost metabolism, but changing it altogether is a matter of considerable debate. Those who have inherited a high metabolism are just lucky because they can eat a lot more than others and will still not gain weight.

On the other hand, those who have inherited a slow metabolism are not so lucky because if they overeat even a little bit, they will gain pounds.

So, does it mean that if you boost your metabolism, you will lose weight easily? Well, you can but it’s not that simple! Metabolism is one of the factors for weight gain or weight loss, but it’s not the biggest factor. Your weight loss primarily depends on your body’s daily energy balance, i.e. how many calories you are consuming every day v/s how many you are burning. And it is true that a high metabolic rate means that you will burn calories easily.

There are several ways your body burns calories, including:

1. Basal Metabolic Rate

Your body can burn calories through the energy required to perform the basic life-sustaining functions at rest. This phenomenon is known as Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your BMR is partly determined by your genes.

BMR, i.e. Basal Metabolic Rate is the total number of calories that are required by your body to perform basic functions such as breathing, cell production, ion transport, nutrient processing and so on.

There are various factors which determine your individual basal metabolism, such as:

• The Size and Composition of your Body- This fact is backed by science that people who have more muscle or are larger burn more calories, even at rest.
• Sex- Your sex also determines your BMR. Various theories prove that men usually have less body fat and more muscle than women of the same age and weight. What does it mean? It simply means that men burn more calories than women.
• Age- Age is another important determinant of your BMR. As you grow older, the amount of muscle in your body dees and fat accounts for most of your weight, which eventually slows down calorie burning.

Also Read: Relation between Calories and the Metabolism Rate

2. Food processing (Thermogenesis)

The process of digesting, absorbing, transporting and then storing the food that you consume also takes calories. When you eat carbohydrates and protein, then about 10 percent of the calories are used during the digestion and absorption of the foods and nutrients.

3. Exercise

Another way your body burns calories is physical activity. Physical exercise such as walking,  jogging, playing basketball and any other movement accounts for the rest of the calories that are burned by your body each day. If you exercise more, you will burn more calories, and if you are not involved in any physical activity, then your body won’t burn many calories.

Also Read: Best Cardio Exercises to Stay Healthy & Fit

Metabolism and Weight Gain

You must not always blame your metabolism for weight gain. It is because metabolism is a natural process, and your body plays its part very well in regulating your metabolism to meet your individual needs. There are very few rare cases where you gain weight excessively due to a medical problem that slows metabolism, such as underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).

Weight gain is a result of many factors including genetic makeup, diet composition, hormonal controls, sleep, stress and physical activity. It is true that you put on weight when you eat more calories than you burn or burn fewer calories than you consume. And that is why you should try to increase your metabolism because Remember what I told you above? A high metabolism means more calories burned.

In order to boost metabolism, you should eat healthy foods such as Almonds, Beans, Berries, Dark Chocolate, fruits, apple cider vinegar, chia seeds and so on. Also, you must exercise for at least 30 minutes every day to give a kick to your metabolism.

So, it can be concluded that everyone can lose weight when they burn up more calories than they consume. If you want to shed pounds, then the best thing to do is create an energy deficit. This can be easily done by eating fewer calories or burning an increased number of calories through physical activity or both.

And to burn more calories quickly and more efficiently, it is important to boost metabolism. So, it can be said that metabolism plays a significant role in weight loss, but one must consider other factors too when they put on weight and don’t just blame slow metabolism for it.