As logical as it seems that being
overweight or obese is associated with one’s metabolism, it is
for the most part an urban legend or myth. With the exception
of people who suffer from an under-active thyroid gland or hypothyroidism,
it is quite uncommon for individuals to be overweight because
of a sluggish metabolic rate. Generally, hypothyroidism is not
a prevalent condition amongst the morbidly obese and overweight.
Nevertheless, a medical evaluation may determine the contributing
factors behind weight gain. An individual’s basal metabolic
rate is measured according to their lean body mass. In the body,
muscle tissues are supported by burning more calories than are
expended to sustain fat. In other words, muscles burn more calories
than fat does. Moreover, lean body mass is impacted in three
ways: body size, sex and age.
For the most part, overweight people carry between 20-35 percent
of excess weight as lean tissue. For instance, when an individual
packs on the pounds, not only is weight gain experienced in
the body, but fat is increased in lean tissue so that it can
support the fat. Dissimilar to the belief weight gain lowers
the metabolism; the basal metabolic rate is increased because
of the expansion of the lean tissue devised to support the body's
fat.
In the realm of the genders, men usually have a higher caloric
intakes and basal metabolic rates than women require. It is
based on their biological make-up. After adulthood is reached,
the body’s metabolic rate decreases by 2 percent every 10 years.
As the body ages, hormonal levels coupled with the body’s composition
shift. With the diminution of lean muscle mass, the loss is
replaced by fat.
