| As logical
as it seems that being overweight or obese is associated with
one’s metabolism, it is for the most part an urban legend or myth.
With the exception of people who suffer from an under-active thyroid
gland or hypothyroidism, it is quite uncommon for individuals
to be overweight because of a sluggish metabolic rate. Generally,
hypothyroidism is not a prevalent condition amongst the morbidly
obese and overweight. Nevertheless,
a medical evaluation may determine the contributing factors
behind weight gain. An individual’s basal metabolic rate is
measured according to their lean body mass. In the body, muscle
tissues are supported by burning more calories than are expended
to sustain fat. In other words, muscles burn more calories than
fat does. Moreover, lean body mass is impacted in three ways:
body size, sex and age.
For the most part, overweight people carry
between 20-35 percent of excess weight as lean tissue. For instance,
when an individual packs on the pounds, not only is weight gain
experienced in the body, but fat is increased in lean tissue
so that it can support the fat. Dissimilar to the belief weight
gain lowers the metabolism; the basal metabolic rate is increased
because of the expansion of the lean tissue devised to support
the body's fat.
In the realm of the genders, men usually have
a higher caloric intakes and basal metabolic rates than women
require. It is based on their biological make-up. After adulthood
is reached, the body’s metabolic rate decreases by 2 percent
every 10 years. As the body ages, hormonal levels coupled with
the body’s composition shift. With the diminution of lean muscle
mass, the loss is replaced by fat.
Weight loss begins with gauging one’s body’s
caloric needs. There are a couple of ways to determine an individual’s
sedentary caloric needs. While certain calculations are more
accurate than other formulas, the most precise method for measuring
the basal metabolic rate is used at healthcare facilities. The
measurement is assessed by using a technique that measures the
oxygen consumption. |
