Is A Slow Metabolism To Blame For Weight Gain?

I have heard people state that they have a slow metabolism and that was the reason they were overweight.

This got me thinking if there was such a thing as having a slow metabolism so I donned my Sherlock Holmes costume and did some investigating.

Here are my findings:

Yes, there is such a thing as a slow metabolism. But it's rare, and it's usually not what's behind being overweight or obesity — that's usually down to a lack of exercise and a surplus of calories being consumed.

Doesn't it always come down to diet and exercise :-) ??

Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. Even when you're sat watching daytime tv all day, your body needs energy for functions such as breathing, circulating blood and repairing cells.

The number of calories your body uses for these basic functions is known as your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

Several factors determine your basal metabolic rate:

• Your body size and composition. If you're larger or have more muscle mass, you will burn more calories, even at rest. (So overweight people are more likely to have a faster metabolic rate — not a slower one – interesting point, eh?)

• Your sex. If you're a man, you probably have less body fat and more muscle mass than a woman of the same age, so you burn more calories. That's why it's harder for ladies to burn body fat. I'm sorry ladies you always seem to get the bum deal.

• Your age. As you get older, your muscle mass decreases, which slows down the rate at which you burn calories.

Rather than metabolism, factors more likely to contribute to weight gain include:

• Eating too many calories
• Getting too little exercise
• Genetics and family history
• Certain medications
• Unhealthy habits, such as skipping breakfast or not getting enough sleep

Eating too much and living a sedentary lifestyle are the major factors that contribute to weight gain. The good thing is we can do something about these factors.

Unhealthy habits including lack of sleep really mess with your weight loss efforts. A number of my clients have undergone fantastic changes by simply getting an extra hours sleep a night.