Weight Loss, Metabolism, and Calories

If you have read the article on What is Metabolism then you already have a good idea how metabolism relates to weight loss and how it breaks down the cells and transforms them into energy. This process is called catabolism.

In this article we are going to introduce you to something that you are probably all too familiar with. The calorie is a very important player in the game called weight loss.

Calories

Calories are simply just units of measure. They aren't actually physical things in and of themselves; they are just labels for other things, just like a foot really isn't anything, but it measures the distance between two points.

So what exactly does a calorie measure? The answer to that is simple, it measures energy. So there you have it, the poisonous little calorie, the pest in every dieter's existence, is just a three syllable label for energy.

What is interesting is that the body, despite of its superior intelligence really doesn't do a very good job when it comes to distinguishing good energy from the bad. In actuality, the body doesn't care where the energy comes from. Maybe we should dig a little deeper, because it is very important to understand the whole picture of how to boost your metabolism, especially when we look at our food choices.

When we go into our grocery stores which are chocked with hundreds of different varieties of food, perhaps we all have a fairly clear knowledge of what is good food and what is deemed to be bad or junk food. For example, we don't need an article to remind us that an apple is good for us, and a huge bag of peanut M&M's are not a great choice and is considered a bad food. I am not referring to the taste either; you won't find a lot of people eating a huge bag of M&M's are every day for obvious reasons. So what does this really have to do with calories and energy?

While evaluating our food choices, we know that an apple is a healthy choice of energy but on the other hand something else like a huge bag of M&M's is an unhealthy source of energy, the body doesn't even classify either as good or bad.

I know that this sounds so strange and yet amazing, but the body really doesn't care, it just knows energy is energy. It will take whatever kind of energy it can and it doesn't stop and consider if the foods you are consuming are healthy or not. Our bodies are kind of like a garbage disposal, it just takes whatever you put in your mouth, no matter what it is.

So now you're wondering, if the body doesn't know the difference in the kinds of food I am eating, then how do I gain weight. When our body receives a calorie (energy), it has to do something with that energy. In retrospect, putting all of the nutrients and minerals aside for a minute, if an apple carries 100 calories to the body, it has to accept the 100 calories. The same goes for the big bag of M&M's, those 1000 calories have to be handled within the body.

The body does two things with the energy it receives; it either metabolizes it by anabolism or by catabolism. This means it will either convert the calories (energy) into cells or it will break down the cells and use it for energy. Now are you seeing where calories (energy), metabolism, and weight loss is starting to become more clear and direct?

Whenever there is an excess of energy and the body can't use all of this energy, it will be forced to create cells with the extra energy. It has no choice. This doesn't mean the body wants to but after figuring out that the energy can't be used to do anything (such as help you exercise or digest some food), it has to turn it into cells through anabolism. So the extra cells become the added weight on our bodies. Yikes!

So the whole calorie, metabolism, and weight gain thing is really just about excess energy (calories). When there are too many calories, or when there is too much energy from food, the body transforms those calories into stuff and most of the time it is fat. Although sometimes those extra calories are transformed into muscle and this is a good thing for those of us who are watching our weight or trying to maintain a healthy body fat ratio.

Did you know that muscles require calories to maintain, people who have lots of lean muscle burn calories without actually doing anything; their metabolism burns it for them. This is a primary reason why exercising and building lean muscle is part of an overall program to boost your metabolism, because the more lean muscle's you have, the more places excess calories can go before your body turns them to fat.

Bottom Line About Fat

There are some old wives tales floating around out there that fat cells are permanent. Well I am here to tell you that the wives tale this time is true.

Experts have concluded that the fat cells, once created are there for life. This really isn't bad news to us who could drop a few pounds because even though experts believe they are permanent, they also agree that fat cells can shrink. So even though the number of fat cells in your body remains the same, their size can be reduced.

Summarize

Even though I haven't gone into any medical detail, we have actually covered the key basics about metabolism. In fact we probably now know as much about metabolism as our experts in the field.

Metabolism simply represents a process of numerous processes that convert food into energy. Then this process creates cells it is called anabolism and when it breaks the cells down it is called catabolism.

For those of us trying to lose weight, it is important to experience catabolism, which is converting food into energy that is used to break the cells down. It is also important because it prevents excess energy (calories) from being stored away in the body.

Remember that when the body has too many calories, regardless of healthy or unhealthy foods, it can only do two things. It tries to see if you have any energy needs or it will have to store those calories. It really has no choice, and unless you have lean muscle that is eating up those excess calories, you will be adding fat.

I hope that this article has helped you understand a little more about metabolism.

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