Do you feel you put on weight just thinking of food? While some of your friends can eat what they want and not gain a single pound! It is like your metabolism is working against you. Did you know that your metabolism plays a role in how efficiently your body burns calories? However, it is not the only factor involved in maintaining a healthy weight, as we shall see.

What is Metabolism and why is it important?

Metabolism is the minimum amount of energy your body needs while at rest to perform vital functions. This includes energy for brain functioning, cell repair, breathing and digestion. Energy to carry out these functions is obtained from the foods we eat. The least amount of energy needed for these chemical processes to function adequately is called the Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. Depending on genetics, age and lifestyle the BMR uses between 40-70 % of the body's total energy.

The metabolic rate is affected by body size, gender, genes and age.

Body Size: An individual who is overweight will have a higher metabolism, since they require more energy just to maintain their body size. On the other hand, a thin person can have a lower resting metabolism!

Gender: Women have more body fat since they need to sustain physical and physiological changes (pregnancy and lactation). These fat cells do not require much energy for maintenance. This is why the recommended dietary allowance for women is lower.

On the other hand, men have a higher metabolism as they have an increased muscle mass and a lower body fat %. They also require a large amount of calories from food than women to help maintain their muscle mass.

Genes: Genetics plays a role in determining your body type or build, which in turn determines the distribution of muscle and fat in the body. Therefore an individual's metabolism is unique.

Age: The process of ageing results in a lowered muscle mass and an increased amount of fat. This means the BMR tends to become sluggish as one ages.

Is a slow metabolism the root cause for gaining weight?

We may be quick to blame our metabolism for weight gain. While it may seem a slow metabolism is the root (or only) cause, this may not necessarily be true. What we eat plays a role as well. Most people tend to underestimate their caloric intake. We may be eating much more than we need. Especially while eating out, portion sizes are supersized. Not to mention the various promotions offering combos and add on's that fuel this problem. Exercise on a regular basis helps build muscle which in turn increases the BMR.

It is important to strike a balance between our caloric intake and maintaining a healthy metabolic rate. You are not doomed to struggle with weight gain. Making wise choices and lifestyle changes in the right direction helps you stay on top of your game.

These tips can help:

1. Make your metabolism work for you
Think of it as your personal trainer. As we have seen, an individual's metabolism is unique. Eat healthy, portion controlled meals at regular intervals. This activates the process of digestion where enzymes act on food breaking it down to energy. This in turn helps burn calories. The more you burn, the easier it is to shed pounds. Load up on foods rich in fiber like fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains.

2. Eat early
To get your metabolism up and running, it is important not to miss meals. Eat breakfast or your pre work out snack within 30 minutes of waking up. Skipping breakfast lowers metabolism as your body conserves energy. This can lead to starvation eating later on in the day, making you gain weight instead. Eat a healthy source of protein like nuts, skimmed dairy or egg whites to keep you full.

3. Beverages
Coffee and tea can also help to boost metabolism. The caffeine in coffee and cathecins in tea are said to be responsible for this effect. They help boost metabolism, thermogenesis and fat oxidation. Subjects who drank green tea and engaged in regular resistance training had decreased body fat, smaller waist circumference and lowered triglyceride levels. They also experienced an increase in lean body mass and muscle strength.

These beverages should be taken without sugar and other sweeteners. Limit your intake to not more than 2 cups per day and never have these beverages with meals. The tannins present leach nutrients from foods making them unavailable for absorption by the body.

4. To diet or not to diet?
Losing weight by crash or fad dieting is harmful. These diets severely restrict calories which forces the body to reduce the BMR and save energy. Diets that eliminate food groups (for e.g.- Carbohydrates) , result in the body using muscle to provide energy. A lowered muscle mass results in a slower metabolism. It then becomes a lot easier to re-gain body fat after coming off the diet.

5. Get moving
You may not be able to control the speed of your metabolism. But you can control calories burnt with physical activity. Increasing activity levels burns more calories. Make sure to include both aerobic exercises and strength training.

Aerobic exercise:
Aerobic exercise is sometimes known as "cardio"- exercise that requires pumping of oxygenated blood by the heart to deliver oxygen to working muscles. Aerobic exercise stimulates the heart rate and breathing rate to increase in a way that can be sustained for the exercise session.

Aerobic exercise burns calories efficiently. To keep fit, in a week, aim for 150 minutes of activities such as walking, cycling, tennis, jogging and swimming. You can achieve this recommended amount by exercising 45-60 minutes five days a week .To lose weight, you need more than 150 minutes a week and healthy changes to your diet.

Strength training:
It is important to build muscle since muscle tissue burns more calories than fat. Increasing muscle mass will help you lose weight. With the guidance of a fitness trainer or physiotherapist aim for activities that help strengthen all the muscle groups- legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms.

6. Medical conditions and metabolism

Sometimes hormonal diseases can slow a person's metabolism, such as hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid). This can make it hard to lose weight even when one eats healthy and exercises. If your weight does not respond to healthy lifestyle changes over a period of time, seek medical advice and treatment. This can help regulate hormone levels.

Work together with your metabolism and create healthy habits. Fitness and clean eating go a long way in maintaining good health. Continue to monitor changes in your metabolic rate. When you lose weight your metabolic rate may slightly decrease. Do not ingest more calories than you burn, this will help keep the weight constant.

Caution: The weight loss market is flooded with pills and supplements that claim to boost metabolism and help lose weight. Many of these ‘miracle cures' are not approved by the FDA and do not pass stringent quality control checks. Neither are they backed by well documented medical research on human subjects. However attractive a product may seem and the promises it claims, never self-medicate. Always consult a physician before taking supplements of any kind.