Metabolism and Weight Loss.

How you burn calories!

How does your metabolism burns calories?
How does it affects your weight?
There are ways you can burn more calories for greater weight loss.
You likely know your metabolism is linked to your weight. But do you know how?

There is a misconception that a slim person's metabolism is high and an overweight person's metabolism is low.
Your weight is not necessarily directly linked to your metabolism.

Weight is dependent on the balance of total calories consumed versus total calories burned.
When you take in more calories than your body needs, you will gain weight.
Take in less and you will lose weight.

Your metabolism is the engine that burns these calories.

Converting food into energy.
Metabolism is the process by which your body converts food into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories from carbohydrates, fats and proteins are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function.

Even when your body is at rest, it requires energy for the basics. Such as fuel for organs, breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, plus growing and repairing cells.
Calories expended to cover these basic functions are your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Typically, a person's BMR is the largest portion of energy use, representing two-thirds to three-quarters of the calories used each day. Energy needs for these basic functions stay fairly consistent and aren't easily changed.

Physical activity like walking to the store, chasing after your children or your dog and any other movement, accounts for the remainder of calories used. You control the number of calories burned depending on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities.

Weight gain is more likely due to an energy imbalance — consuming more calories than your body burns.
To lose weight, you need to create an energy deficit by eating fewer calories, increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity, or preferably both.

Influences on your calorie needs
If you and everyone else were physically and functionally identical, it would be easy to determine the standard energy needs. But many factors influence calorie requirements, including body size and composition, age, and sex.

Body size and composition. To function properly, a bigger body mass requires more energy (more calories) than does a smaller body mass. Also, muscle burns more calories than fat does. So the more muscle you have in relation to fat, the higher your basal metabolic rate.
Age. As you get older, the amount of muscle tends to decrease and fat accounts for more of your weight. Metabolism also slows naturally with age. Together these changes reduce your calorie needs.

Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than do women of the same age and weight. This is why men generally have a higher basal metabolic rate and burn more calories than women do.