What Is Metabolism?

The majority of people feel their metabolic rate is fixed and cannot be changed. While some aspects that determine your metabolic rate are fixed (your age and gender, for example), as you will soon discover, there are many things you can control that influence your metabolism.

The key is to maximize the aspect of your metabolism that is flexible; this ensures you triumph over the weight-loss battle once and for all. Aspects that can influence the rate at which your metabolism functions include:

Age – Your metabolism actually slows about 5% per decade.
Gender – Men’s bodies naturally contain more muscles. Muscle is far more metabolically active in comparison to fat. Thus, it is indeed harder for women to lose weight vs. men.
Genetic differences – Two individuals can have the same weight and fat content but have different body types, which result in different metabolic rates.
Hormones – Hormones control many of the body’s main chemical processes and therefore can influence metabolism.
Lifestyle – A sedentary lifestyle can dramatically slow metabolism.
Under active thyroid – The thyroid gland is a small organ at the base of your neck. One of the thyroid’s roles is to produce hormones that influence your metabolism. When these hormones are in short supply, you have a condition called hypothyroidism. In addition to an inability to lose weight, fatigue, depression, dry skin, coarse hair and an intolerance to cold, there are other symptoms that can accompany hypothryoidism. Although, there can be several reasons why some indiviudals’ metabolism is slower than others’, thyroid problems are not usually to blame. A simple blood test by your medical doctor can help to detect if your thryoid is an underlying issue.
Skipping meals
Chronic dieting
A diet high in sugars and high glycemic-index carbohydrates
Dehydration – Lack of water can slow metabolism.
Stress – When your body is stressed or in a chronic low-grade stage of emergency called “fight or flight response,” you will over-secrete a stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol secretion stimulates fat cells in the ab- domen to increase in size and encourages fat storage. Excess abdominal weight is a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Your metabolism can be likened to that of an engine. It uses food as the fuel to run your body. Similar to an engine, your metabolism can be sped up or slowed down. There are three aspects that make up your total metabolic engine.
1. Basal metabolism – This accounts for approximately 60 to 65 percent of your metabolic engine. In a nutshell your basal metabolism amounts to the calories burned daily to keep you alive and provide basic energy for life support. In other words, if you were to lie around in bed all day long, you would still need these calories to provide basic bodily functions. An individual with more lean body mass will have a higher basal metabolic rate (BMR) than a person with a higher body fat percentage, even if he weighs exactly the same amount. Why? Because his body needs more energy to support and sustain his muscles.

2. Physical activity – Approximately 25% of calories burned go to movement and physical activity. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, burning 30 to 50 more calories than fat per pound per day.

3. Thermic effect of food – About 10 percent of calories are spent processing the food you eat. For example, if you eat 2000 calories a day, you should be burning 200 calories a day through the process of digestion. As you can see, the elastic part of your metabolism comes down to activity and food. In addition, by focusing on these flexible aspects through proper food choices and exercising, your BMR can be increased, resulting in more calories burned everyday.

written by admin on June 1, 2010 at 11:11 am

66 Responses to “What Is Metabolism?”

  1. I was very fantastic why i not see your blog before i will come back.

  2. thanks to your ideas , i’d adore to adhere to your weblog as usually as i can. good day

  3. Nick Ellie says:

    interesting blog. It would be great if you can provide more. Thank you

  4. I found your site via google. Thanks for the post. I will bookmark it for future reference. Thanks!

  5. Sergio De Gambling says:

    You are a very creative blogger, and I absolutely enjoy reading your posts.

  6. Kallie Bejar says:

    I admire ur job!

  7. Never heard of this before, but thanks for opening up my eyes.

  8. hi, thank for this latest information. Therefore, I would like to ask for your permission to add some of this information in my blog. Of course, I will provide a link to your blog, as a source of my quoted information.

  9. admin says:

    @How to read faster
    Please go ahead. Thank you.

  10. polarffour says:

    Aw, this was a really quality post. In theory I’d like to write like this also – taking time and real effort to make a good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and never seem to get anything done… Regards…

  11. insurancebuild says:

    I read your blog just now.You blog is very useful to me.I bookmark your blog!:D

  12. Allofmp3 says:

    I just couldnt leave your website before letting you know that we really enjoyed the useful information you offer to your visitors… Will be back often to check up on new posts

  13. pozycjonowanie says:

    Super site, and nice text.

  14. Shayari says:

    I can imagine the serious work it must have been required to research for this post.All what i can say is just keep Publishing such post we all love it.And just to bring something to your notice,I have seen several blog providng your blog as source for this information.

  15. cozymbtshoes says:

    very good information you write it very clean. I’m very lucky to get this information from

    you.

  16. tweetsattackreview says:

    Great Blog! Saved it to my Bookmarks..

  17. mbt fuaba says:

    great information you write it very clean. I am very lucky to get this tips from you.

  18. farabaugh says:

    hi there, i just found your site on yahoo, and i would like to say that you write interestingly well via your web portal. i am truly impressed by the method that you write, and the subject is excellent. in any case, i would also like to acknowledge whether you would like to exchange links with my blog? i will be to the great extent than happy to reciprocate and put your link off in the link exchange area. waiting for your reply, i would like to convey my appreciation and gooday!

  19. Bickle1208 says:

    Thanks for the advice.

  20. JayceJoseph says:

    This page is a great technique to get through to others. Congratulations on a work well done. I am expecting your next entry.

  21. wootwoot12 says:

    Excellent post. I’ve always been intrigued by this. Are you active on any forums or blogs?

  22. Ivan Oleksa says:

    Wow I have read your article and by the way I found you website on Bing and I think after I read somepost on you website especially this one I have my own opinion about what should I comment on the next conversation with my friends, maybe tomorrow I will tell my familyabout this one and get debate.

  23. Blackett58 says:

    Good job on the site.

  24. Katia Zeolla says:

    Some of the points of this blog post happen to be good however had me asking, did they seriously indicate that? One thing I have to point out is certainly your authoring abilities are very great and I would be coming back again for any new post you come up with, you may well have a brand-new supporter. I bookmarked your main web page for personal reference.

  25. jzhn12763 says:

    Great information. You write it very clean. I am very lucky to get these tips from you.

  26. Dudzic says:

    Fantastic ! Are you going to keep writing articles? I was pleased to read this article

  27. zmarszczki says:

    Thanks for this great post – I will be sure to check out your blog more often

  28. earthcool says:

    Great info! I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

  29. polarfour says:

    Been looking for this article for long time ago and finally found here. thanks for sharing this post. appreciate!

  30. sukienki says:

    Ok, how would i add your rss feed to my reader, sorry this is all new stuff for me so please be patient with me, thanks. Smile

  31. admin says:

    @sukienki RSS is currently not activated. Will let you know when it’s up. Cheers.

  32. admin says:

    @sukienki RSS is activated. You can now access it via your usual RSS reader. Alternatively, the feed URL is http://www.losethatsparetyre.com/feed/

  33. Baumli says:

    Nice being going to your blog once again, it has been months for me. Nicely this content that i’ve been waited for so long. I need this piece of writing to comprehensive my assignment inside college, and it has exact same subject together with your article. Thanks, good share.

  34. Doradca kredytowy says:

    Great blog, thanks a lot for the awesome posts!

  35. chuoexie says:

    This is an interesting article. Thanks for sharing.

  36. AZ says:

    Great Blog here!! Keep up the good work. I have found it to be very informative, Thanks for all the help :)

  37. Doradztwo kredytowe says:

    Keep posting stuff like this i really like it

  38. drogeria says:

    As a Newbie, I am always searching online for articles that can help me. Thank you

  39. sukienka says:

    This was a great blog entry. Please continue to post great content like this!

  40. Jarred Pruner says:

    Hey,i come here from google search,and i saw your article,i think it is good,and i will always come here.

  41. sukienka says:

    Thank you for the great information. I look forward to seeing more articles and what else you have to offer!

  42. Sweadner says:

    I’d recommend this because it’s actually readable. Unusual — sad but true.

  43. Hip Hop says:

    I think this site’s format is done pretty good.

  44. aboo says:

    I was searching Google for something totally different, but found this page and i’m glad i did, thank you, good read.

  45. krakow says:

    I was searching Google for something totally different, but found this page and i’m glad i did, thank you, good read.

  46. Russell Shrawder says:

    Thanks this made for intresting reading. I love your wordpress theme, i often come back here and i dont know why. I just seriously like your site lol…

  47. Ramelli says:

    Please let me know if you’re looking for a writer for your blog. You have some really good articles and I think I would be a good asset.

  48. Pangilinan says:

    Very good resources. Wish I could get more information like this by other people! Thanks!

  49. Westlie says:

    I really appreciate what you post.

  50. Sartoris says:

    Nice being going to your blog once again, it has been months for me. Nicely this content that i’ve been waited for so long. I need this piece of writing to comprehensive my assignment inside college, and it has exact same subject together with your article. Thanks, good share.