Obesity

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Poor Metabolism

52.     Metabolism is the rate at which the body breaks down the nutrients in food to produce energy. Simply put, it is the process by which the body makes and uses energy (calories) for everything from the cellular absorption of nutrients to running a marathon. Everyone has a unique metabolic rate that can affect how quickly he or she loses or gains weight. If your metabolic rate is lower than average, you can gain weight even when dieting.

53.     How much fat you have also depends on your basal (resting) metabolic rate (BMR), which is essentially  the amount of calories you burn when you are sitting still, lying down, doing nothing and just being alive to maintain basic bodily functions, such as heartbeat, breathing, muscle tone etc. BMR numbers can vary from person to person from 1,000 calories a day or more, which is why some people can stuff their faces and still stay slim, while others start storing fat after each meal. Out of the daily requirement of calories for an individual, about 60-70% are consumed in the basal (resting) metabolic state. Thus even slight changes in a persons’ BMR can make a significant difference in his / her calorie requirement over a long period.

Age

54.     The prevalence of obesity increases with age in both sexes. However, age-related increase is generally more pronounced in women, especially during menopause. BMR normally decreases by one percent after age 45 every year for both men and women. For an individual who continues with the same pattern and quantity of food and exercise, the gain in weight is about 5 kg. in 10 years. Therefore, one needs to reduce the calorie intake by 10% for every decade of the life from 45 years of age and add some cardiovascular exercise to his/her daily routine.