Before I get into these factors we need to talk about metabolism. You have probably heard the term mentioned before in articles and in programs talking about speeding up your metabolism or doing certain things that can slow down your metabolism.

Well your body converts the foods that you eat into energy this energy runs your body. It is the driving force behind everything from building muscle to digesting food. Think of our bodies as machines that convert food into energy and imagine that some bodies do this better than others. In other words a person who has a high metabolism can convert food to energy more efficiently. A person with a low metabolism does not convert food to energy as well and so much of that energy is lost. In this Guide to Losing Weight we will look at how the 4 factors I mentioned earlier affect metabolism.

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1)  Genes

A persons genes play a big part in just about everything when it comes to your body. People who have obese parents are more likely to have weight problems because of genes. For those who feel that their genes put them at a disadvantage it’s important to understand that there are many things that you can do to offset the affects of genes. A persons genes only determine a tendency towards obesity. Other factors like exercise and proper diet play a much bigger role.

2)  Metabolic Rate

A persons metabolic rate is mostly determined by how active they are. According to doctors every ten years after our early to middle twenties our metabolic rate slows down by around 10%. Some of the reason for this is the fact that as we get older we tend be less active. Since muscle increases metabolism and sitting around accelerates muscle loss over time a persons metabolism slows. Of course more muscle mass makes it easier to lose weight and helps keep it off.

3) Eating Patterns

Much of our tendencies for food and the way we eat comes from the way we were raised and or the culture that we were brought up in. For example

People’s food related habits and cultural expectations are also important determinants of their weight, influencing the types and amounts of foods consumed.

For instance, families favoring high-fat, high calorie food (such as lasagna) served ‘family style’ (so that anyone can take as much as they like) are at greater risk for eating too much food and gaining weight than are families serving smaller portions of lean meats, steamed vegetables and brown rice. Similarly, families who push members to eat, or who keep high fat snacks and deserts handy are at greater risk for weight problems than are families that promote sensible portion sizes and save treats for special occasions.

The speed at which people learn to eat and the consciousness with which they do so are important too. People who eat quickly tend to eat more than people who eat slowly as it takes a few minutes for your stomach to tell your brain it is full. Fast eaters sometimes finish their plates before getting the stomach’s fullness message.

3) Exercise

Exercise is a very important part of any healthy plan to lose weight. Actually its a very important part of healthy living. There are a whole host of problems can came up from not be active.

Exercise is the one of  the things that you control no matter what your genetic background is. The best way to look at exercise is to decide to be active as part of your life. In other words be active for you, not for your weight.

Adding muscle to your frame helps your body to burn fat natrually because muscle is very metabolically active. That means that when you add muscle it raises your metabolism and that makes you burn calories quicker.

Of course you should always go to your doctor for advise before you start any major exercise programs.