To effectively lose weight, we must first correctly understand metabolism

Metabolism, many people often misunderstand this process. Many people think that as they get older, their metabolism will inevitably slow down, which is beyond their control. The facts are not what people think. As we age, the body does change and metabolism suddenly declines, but we are not powerless.

Metabolism is a process by which the body burns calories. It consists of three components: resting metabolic rate, food caloric effect, and metabolism during exercise. Rest metabolism is the energy that the human body needs to consume when it is still to maintain normal functions of the body, such as the energy consumed when breathing and sleeping. For most people, this energy consumption accounts for 60% to 70% of total energy expenditure, which is equivalent to 1450 calories for a 140-pound person. Because the most active part of metabolism is the muscle, and everyone's metabolic rate per unit of lean body mass is the same, a person's metabolism depends largely on a person's lean body mass. Many women have a higher ratio of body fat to lean body mass than men, so women's metabolic rate is generally 5% to 10% lower than men.

After the age of 30, the resting metabolic rate slows down by 2% to 3% every ten years, because muscle mass gradually decreases with age. As long as we persist in strength exercise and maintain our muscles, we can slow down this process.

The thermal effect of food refers to the increase in energy consumption due to eating. During the feeding process, in addition to the calories consumed by actions such as picking vegetables and chewing, the human body also needs to consume additional energy because of the digestion, absorption and metabolic transformation of nutrients in food. If you eat 110 calories of food, 10 of them will be converted into the caloric effect of the food. The caloric effect of food accounts for about 10% of total metabolic energy, and a 140-pound person consumes 240 calories per day that translates into the caloric effect of food.

The metabolism caused by exercise is what people can most control. In modern society, stairs have been replaced by elevators. When you go out and take a bus, you will sit in front of your computer all day long. Exercise time is getting less and less, which has become a common problem for everyone. After facing the computer for a whole day, I couldn't be bothered to move when I got home. It would be weird if I didn't get fat. If you feel that there is less time, increasing the intensity when exercising can also achieve the effect. Jogging for 20 minutes every day is equivalent to walking for an hour.

Those who are fidgeting and active all day long can increase their metabolic energy by 300 to 600 calories per day. The author's eldest son is recognized as being born with the gene of thin people, but in fact he is an active person. When he was a child, he could not sit still for a moment. His parents asked him to sit down at the dining table.

So try to move yourself as much as possible, and your metabolic rate will be twice as high as sitting quietly at home and wandering in the supermarket.

Here is a table of energy burned per hour: chewing 11 calories walking speed 1 mile per hour 119 calories walking speed 2 miles per hour 158 calories walking speed 3 miles per hour 228 calories For people who want to lose weight, don't blindly diet or sit still. Appropriate diet and exercise are the scientific way to lose weight. (Editor in charge: Yang Miao)