The Part Weight Plays in Metabolism

Metabolism is a term used to describe how the body converts food into energy. It is a physical and chemical process that takes place in the body.

Why is being aware of metabolism important?

Everyone's metabolism is not the same, and functions at a different level. You should always be aware of how your metabolism functions if you are planning your diet. Whether that be to lose fat, gain some muscles, or even just keep your weight maintained. Moreover, you should always monitor your metabolism for change. A change in the function of your metabolism can often be an effective pointer that you are probably developing a health problem, or maybe not eating a healthy diet.

Which health problems potentially affect metabolism.

Although there are many health problems, that potentially affect metabolism rate. I'll be covering three problems that are fairly common: thyroid disease, diabetes, and eating disorders. In the case of diabetes, both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes affect metabolism. Type 2, has a stronger effect though. The high insulin levels, which are common in Type 2 diabetes, often promote fat storage, thus inhibiting fat metabolism. This means, that Type 2 diabetics are often overweight due to insulin resistance. The case is opposite for Type 1 diabetics, who need insulin injections, because they produce little or no insulin, and thus are underweight.

In the case thyroid, there are two conditions of thyroid that affect metabolism. Namely, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. The thyroid gland, is located in the lower front of a human neck, and produces hormones that are considered as essential for metabolic function. If the body does not produce these hormones in a sufficient quantity, the body's metabolism decreases, which in turn, results in a weight gain. However, if the thyroid, produces these hormones in an overly large quantity, chances are that the body's metabolism will increase, thus, effectively leading to weight loss.

Finally, eating disorders, such as bulimia and anorexia, etc, also affect metabolism. Eating disorders usually arise from long and extended periods of low caloric intakes, or in other words, dieting. This low intake of calories, makes the body think that it is starving, and thus, it holds on to its fat stores. Although this is a cause of metabolic disorder, reversing it is easy. By simply increasing the amount of caloric intake via a healthy diet and exercise program, metabolism can be improved easily.

Your metabolism, and its relation to diet and exercise.

In most cases, people strive to lose body weight and fat, through changes in their regular diet. The first step they take, is lowering the caloric intake. However, this has a negative impact on metabolism, which is quite opposite to the one we aim for. When the body does not receive enough calories, it reacts by conserving fat. Thus, making it slower and more difficult to lose weight and cut down on the fat. Things don't stop here. If the low caloric intake continues the body is forced to break down muscle tissue for fuel. This, as people will realize later, can often turn out to be a frustrating situation. And is also very damaging to the metabolism, and often has the opposite results. Muscle being the metabolically active tissue, requires a decent amount of calories to maintain itself. Losing muscle mass, means, that the body will eventually have lower caloric requirement.

If a great amount of muscle mass has been lost, once the normal diet is resumed, the fat will return at a rapid rate, since loss of muscle mass has resulted in lower metabolism. Thus, effectively, all of the long term dieting is put to waste, and this situation is very frustrating. To avoid this kind of scenario, a fat loss diet should include enough calories so muscle is not broken down, while the fat is slowly lost.

The type of diet you eat also has an effect on the metabolism. If the thyroid is to produce the required levels of hormones for metabolic function, the body must intake right foods frequently. Meals with a balance of whole carbohydrates, some fat, and protein are often optimum.

If you want to lose fat, build muscles, or even just maintain the healthy body weight, there are many aspects of metabolism that you need to look at and be aware of. You must be aware of your diet, your exercises, and any existing or potential health problems that you might have. Knowing your body, and its needs is the most important step if you have any fitness goals set.