Metabolism

Metabolism is a composition of physical and chemical processes during which food becomes energy and waste. Digested carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are burned in our cells and the energy that is released is measured in calories.

Most food is turned into energy to maintain body functions. The rest of the food becomes valuable building material or gets stored as fat.

The body's fat storing capacity is limitless. The main reason for weight gain is that the person eats takes in more calories than the body is able to burn. During a one-year period, the normal human body can store up to 11 pounds ( 5 kg) of fat.

During physical activity, the muscles of the body can burn up to 90% of the available nutrients.

Stored fat does not burn any nutrients.

The bigger the muscle/fat ratio in the body, the faster the body’s metabolism is. Therefore, if a person exercises less but continues to eat the same amount, stored fat will increase and muscle mass is going to decrease, causing the metabolism to slow down.

A person’s metabolism works better if he eats smaller portions more frequently, such as 6 small meals a day. If two people eat the same amount of food each day, the person who eats smaller portions more often will be the one to burn more calories.