I had always believed in the unfairness of weight gain. Disappointed by my weight loss efforts I was convinced that the ‘Weight God’ had a skewed system. What else could explain, how I was gaining weight eating like a sparrow while my friend ‘a-die-hard’ foodie who loves to hog anything that is eatable, didn’t gain a pound. Isn’t it unfair that I always had to plan, examine and analyze anything that I put in my mouth while she just gobbled up in anything that held her fancy?
Like me most of us are puzzled, frustrated due to this disparity that is caused by a phenomenon called as metabolism. In simple words, metabolism refers to the amount of energy that the body burns to maintain itself. In all activities such as eating, digestion, respiration even while sleeping, you body is busy burning calories. In some, the metabolism system is efficient or fast so much of the calories that are consumed are quickly burned away while in other, the metabolism is inefficient or sluggish so they have difficulty putting off weight.
Muscles and Metabolism
Those who have a good percentage of muscles in the body have a faster metabolism because muscles burn about 73 more calories per kilo gram than fat. If you have a good percentage of muscle mass then your body burns energy even when it is resting which makes you thinner even without much activity.
Thyroid and Metabolism
Thyroid gland, present near Adam’s apple is responsible for determining the metabolism rate of the person. Those who suffer from hypothyroidism have slow sluggish metabolism that causes fatigue, weakness and weight gain. Even cutting down food intake does not solve the problem as the body then starts hoarding the calories. Hyperthyroidism on the other hand is caused due to hyper active thyroid gland that leads to weight loss.
So, those who do not lose weight after all efforts should undergo thyroid tests.
What slows down metabolism?
Less Muscle mass- Muscles burn calories so people who lose weight the wrong way or who naturally have a less muscle mass, have a slow metabolism.
Gender- Men have a greater percentage of muscle mass than women thus they have a higher metabolic rate.
Age – Above the age of 30, your body loses 1% percent of muscle mass every year thus reducing your overall metabolic rate.
Here are some ways to increase your metabolism
Eat frequent meals: When you eat frequent about 6 small meals in a day, you have a steady blood sugar level which gives you energy and it is easier for the body to burn off small doses of calories. Also, when you starve, the body goes into the starvation mode where it tries to preserve whatever calories are consumed, thus leading to weight gain.
Remember eat light, whole grain snacks or foods that are fiber rich with complex carbohydrates.
Don’t skip meals: Again, skipping meals makes the body believe that food is in scarcity thus it tries to store calories thus making you feel sluggish and weak and gaining you extra calories.
Clearly starving is not the way to go, embrace a healthier way to lose weight than skipping meals!
Have a heavy breakfast: Having a heavy breakfast gives you energy to go through the day and the calories that you eat are used for maintain the body through bodily functions so you will have a healthy body and an active metabolism rate.
Eat more in the earlier part of the day: Since you are active in the day and do nothing much at night, it is vital that most of the chunk of your calories come during the day. Even your body mechanism is at its best in the day so it is easier to digest food and burn calories in the day than at night.
Muscle training: Muscle or strength training is an activity aimed at strengthening the muscles. Lifting weights is the most preferred way to build muscles. Muscle training increases the muscle mass of the body thus increases the metabolism of the body.
While muscle training you must not aim to burn calories instantly but build muscles that will burn calories all the time. You should aim for 2 hours of strength training in a week.
Aerobic activity: Aerobic activities are those physical activities that help the distribution and consumption of oxygen in the body while increasing the heart rate. The benefit of aerobic rate is twofold, not only do you burn plenty of calories while performing the activity but you also increase your metabolic rate for upto 12 hours after the exercises.
Some common aerobic activities are walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, tennis etc. It is advisable to 30 minutes of aerobic activity 5 days a week.
Water: Water is required by the body to carry out the necessary bodily functions thus a body deprived of water will not have an active metabolism rate. Thus drinking water frequently aids the body to burn off the calories; drinking cold water is believed to be even more beneficial as the body spends more energy warming the cold water.
Eat a balanced diet: Do not isolate one group of foods and binge on other. Do not put yourself off carbohydrates or fats as both are required by the body to function at its best. Good carbohydrates as in fruits, whole wheat products, pulses do not make you gain weight. Similarly good fats i.e. unsaturated fats found in nuts, olive oil, flax seeds and peanut butter are good for you.
Eat frequently, be active have adequate rest and you will surely increase your metabolism to a level that is good for you. Burn calories all the time!!
