Weight Loss - Metabolic rate

Your individual Metabolic Rate directly effects how well you respond to your weight loss program. Therefore its important to understand what the Metabolic Rate is. When people talk about "Metabolic Rate" they actually mean the Basal Metabolic Rate, which is the minimum energy used by the body to maintain its "basic" functions, this includes all primary functions of human body, including respiratory, heart beat, brain activities etc. It, however, does not include the secondary functions such as muscle movements etc.. Understanding the Basal Metabolic rate is essential as it is responsible for burning upto 70% of the calories for weight loss!

The Basal Metabolic Rate very much depends:

Age
Body's fat versus lean muscle
Genetics
Diet & Weight Loss Lifestyle

How could the Basal Metabolic Rate be increased?

We can not influence 2 of the factors determining the Basal Metabolic Rate, however, we can control the Body fat vs. Lean Muscle, and, the Diet & Lifestyle.

By increasing your lean muscle, you will effectively be increasing your Basal Metabolic Rate. This therefore means, the more you exercise, the easier it'll be for you to burn fat for weight loss, especially during your rest periods. Equally, it is important that you have an active lifestyle and eat little and often. Both these will dramatically increase your Basal Metabolic Rate.

Why some diets fail?

Some weight loss diets are in fact training your body to do the opposite and to store fat. The worst thing for weight loss program is to deny your body of food. This will result in weight loss in short term, but it also means your Basal Metabolic Rate will also be lowered which means that the rate at which you store fat is also greatly increased. As such, it becomes almost impossible to sustain the weight loss and in almost every occasion, people who try to loose weight through limiting of their food intake, will infact eventually end up putting on weight.

Children & Obesity

In simple terms, obesity is caused when the body stores excessive calories. Obesity in civilized countries is reaching epidemic proportions. What is worrying is that the children too are now more obese than ever before in the history of man kind!

Child Obesity and Weight Loss

Calories and Weight Loss

Weight loss depends on the amount of calorie intake. Calories are used by the body to perform its day-to-day functions. However, when the calories taken in is greater than the energy burnt, then the excess calories are stored as fat. The most common reasons for excessive consumption of calories are:

Psychological
Emotional
Lack of knowledge
Habit

calories and weight loss

Weight loss plans

There are a number of VERY dangerous diet plans used to target weight loss. A dangerous, or misleading, diet is one which provides "rapid" result. Remember, in order for a diet to be effective and safe, your body needs time to adjust to the change in your lifestyle. This is because rapid dieting will almost always have health consequences, and in fact research has also shown that as soon as your body adjusts to the diet, you will start to put on weight at even a higher rate than before.

Weight loss diet

Weight Loss plans to be avoided

For legal reasons we are unable to actually name dangerous or misleading weight loss diets, however, the following is a list which should help you identify these diets for yourself.

Any diet that cuts out any essential food groups (Specially carbohydrates!)
Any diet that promises or guarantees fast result
Any diet that involves you drinking only liquid food.
Any diet that involves you buying processed and ready made "food substitutes".

Weight loss diets

Diet

The food you eat is the single most important factor in your weight loss program. Weight loss is only achieved through a healthy diet.

Weight loss diet and health

Exercise

Exercise is vital not only to a safe weight loss plan, but, is also crucial to the general operation and well being of the human body.

Weight loss exercise

Measuring Body Fat

Measuring the Body Fat is a much more accurate way of measuring how your weight loss program is going than using a bathroom scale. The bathroom scales are highly misleading!

Measure Body Fat

Swimming

Swimming is a VERY effective and safe way of burning calories. Its one of the safest ways of exercising as you do not put any excessive force on the joints.

Swimming

Walking

Walking is one of the safest form of exercise as you burn those calories without excessive wear and tear on the joints.

Walking

Pilates and Yoga

Pilates and Yoga are important to any weight loss program as they both encourage good body posture and alignment.

Pilates