What is Metabolism?
Metabolism is the rate at which your body burns up energy.
Often "big bones" and a slow metabolism are blamed for women
being overweight. Yet that is an excuse. Research actually
demonstrates that obese people have a faster metabolism than
thin people.
So how is metabolism measured. Metabolism is measured by
the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This works out the number
of calories you would have spent had you stayed in bed all
day. At a rough estimate a person's BMR is approximately
half a calorie per pound of body weight per hour. If you
weigh 140lbs you can lose up to 70 calories an hour without
doing anything. The greater your weight, the greater your
BMR.
The metabolic rate of fatter women is actually 25% higher
than thinner women. The greater your BMR, the quicker you
can lose weight. A fractional adjustment in your food intake
will help you lose weight. The tragic thing is that when
your weight drops, your BMR gets slower.
Why is the Weight Not Shifting?
So why is it then that chubbier women, with their higher
metabolic rate, find it hard to lose weight I hear you ask
yourself. That's because they fail to recognise when they
are full.
Chunkier women do not call it a day at fewer chips; they
carry on eating when a slimmer woman would have stopped eating
altogether.
Pear or Apple Shaped
Women who have extra weight on the bum and thighs are considered
to be pear shaped. This is considered far less dangerous
than being apple shaped which involves carrying extra weight
on the stomach.
The World Health Organisation stipulates that being apple
shaped can cause serious conditions such as diabetes, high
blood pressure and heart problems.
The above research involved 44,000 middle-aged women who
had provided their waist and hip measurements. None of them
had cancer, stroke or heart disease. Over the following decade,
several hundred women had non-fatal heart attacks or coronary
heart disease. Thus it was discovered that apple-shaped women
are doubly likely to develop heart disease than the majority
of pear-shaped women.
It is common knowledge that a waist circumference of (311/2
inches) signifies a slight health risk. Moreover, a waist
circumference of 341/2 inches shows a much greater risk.
Should you want to check your waist measurement, you can
do so at www.ashwell.uk.com/shape
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