Contents:
- Medical Video: Reignite Your Metabolism
- The body's metabolism is related to body weight
- Does slow metabolism cause fat?
Medical Video: Reignite Your Metabolism
Metabolism is a process in which your body converts what you eat into energy. How your body's metabolism works, certainly affects your body. Some of you who are fat may think that your body's metabolism causes you to become fat. Eat a little, maybe you can increase your weight. However, is this true?
The body's metabolism is related to body weight
Your body's metabolism can indeed affect your weight. This happens because the body's metabolism determines how much food you eat will be converted into energy. If the energy burned by the body amounts to less than the energy that enters, of course you will experience weight gain. Unused energy will be stored by the body into fat.
Your body needs energy, even when you sleep or do nothing. This energy serves as a fuel for bodily functions, such as breathing, blood circulation, and repair of body cells. The amount of energy used for basic functions of the body is known as the basal energy level (basal metablic rate).
There are several factors that affect basal energy levels and metabolism, namely:
- Muscle mass The more muscle tissue you have, the more energy you need, so your metabolism will run faster. Muscles need more energy to function than fat.
- Body size. Fat people tend to need more calories, even when the body is resting. This happens because usually obese people have larger internal organs. So, people who have excess weight will be more likely to have a faster metabolic rate.
- Gender. Men have less body fat and more muscle mass than women. So, men will burn more calories.
- Age. The older the age, the less muscle mass, so the metabolism will run slower and calories will be burned more slowly.
- Descent. It can also affect your body's metabolic rate, can be slower or faster.
Other factors that can also affect your metabolic rate are physical activity, diet, medication, hormonal factors, and environmental factors.
Does slow metabolism cause fat?
When your body's metabolism is slow, it means that your body is slow to burn the energy you need. So, in the end you will accumulate more energy and gain weight. Slow metabolism may cause you to become fat, but this is very rare. It should be underlined that slow metabolism is not the main cause of obesity.
Fat or excessive weight gain will occur if the calories that enter your body from food are more than the calories you spend on activities. It's that simple, the reason why you can get fat or increase your weight. Sometimes, when you eat, you don't realize how many calories have entered your body. Plus, you might rarely do sports or you do too much sedentary activity (too much silence and sitting). As a result, you might be surprised to see your scales.
So, fat is the result of a combination of eating a lot, lacking physical activity, and also heredity. You may blame the slow metabolic factor as a cause of fat or gain weight, but this is very rare. If you feel worried about your slow metabolism and your weight, you should consult your doctor. Problems with metabolism can be associated with certain diseases, such as Cushing's syndrome and hypothyroidism.
