Many people are aware that the metabolism is important in the role of losing weight but are not quite sure how it can help or hinder that process. You could think of your metabolism as your body's engine and your metabolic rate is the rate your body processes the fuel that engine consumes to run itself.

It is a shame that most people that decide they want to lose weight try and eat fewer and fewer calories to the point of hunger. Along with this restricted diet they add in a recreational type of activity such as walking or cycling or something similar in the hope of losing excess body fat.

The combination of a restrictive diet and an incomplete exercise program leads to a process that is the exact opposite to what a person is trying to achieve. It causes muscle tissue loss which sends the body into survival mode lowering the metabolic rate putting the brakes on fat loss. Most people become discouraged, never understanding that what they are missing is muscle-building exercise.

Any self-induced back slide in body composition (muscle/fat ratio) is compounded by the natural aging processes of our bodies. At around 25 to 30 years of age, the body naturally begins to shed muscle tissue unless you work to keep it. This means that even if you maintain a consistent body weight over a twenty year period say from age 30, to age 50, you will have significantly less muscle mass.

As you lose muscle mass, you lose all of the calorie burning and metabolic benefits of that highly active tissue. This combination leads to a "slower metabolism." which has become a favorite excuse for many people's weight gain. "I am gaining weight, but it's not my fault my metabolism has slowed down."

This is exactly the reverse of reality; people are not getting fatter because their metabolisms are slowing down. What is actually happening is their metabolisms are slowing down because they are getting fatter. For every pound of muscle tissue lost, you lose a little piece of your metabolic power.

The solution to this is to do things properly if you want to achieve body fat loss. A proper exercise program that contains at least 60% strength training exercise is number one first on the list requirement. This will keep the metabolism at its highest level during the fat loss process.

The balance of the exercise program should be made up with interval training which is short bursts of activity alternated with rest periods. An example of this would be 8-10 seconds of sprinting then a minute or so of walking repeated up to 12 times.

Next on the list is a properly balanced nutrition plan that supports the exercise program so enough energy is created to work out at a proper level of intensity (degree of difficulty) to get results. This plan should include 5 or 6 small meals spread throughout the day no more than 3 hours apart to keep the metabolism humming.

Each meal should contain a protein source. Choose that first and add a variety of vegetables to that meal. Focus on what you should be eating rather than on what you shouldn't be eating for best results.

Somehow you will need to get your head around the fact that this solution is an ongoing lifetime situation. Your body composition will change unfavorably to a higher level of body fat to muscle ratio unless you work to keep your self in good shape. But surely this price is a small one so that you look so much better, feel so much better and will be so much healthier. Your choice should be easy.