Let’s Talk About Metabolism, Calories and Thermogenesis

There are a lot of terms tossed around when you are talking about weight loss and health. Thermogenesis is one of those terms that you should get familiar with if you want to have greater success in keeping a healthy weight and looking your very best. There are a few compelling reasons for this. But first, you’re probably wondering what thermogenesis actually means.

Every day, you eat a certain number of calories, and you also burn a certain number of calories. The number of calories burned is based on your metabolic rate and your activity level. Your resting metabolic rate (also called “basal metabolic rate”) is the amount of energy that you expend if you’re not doing any activity. In other words, if you slept all day and had not eaten for twelve hours, you would simply need enough energy to maintain the functioning of your vital organs and nothing more.

Most people do more than nothing (shocking, isn’t it?), but to truly succeed at weight loss and maintain a healthy weight, you have to understand the way calories and your metabolism are interconnected. Taking your resting metabolic rate and adding the kind of activity you do on a daily basis, you’ll determine the number of calories you need. Then, you exercise enough to burn more calories, forcing your body to tap into your fat stores for the remainder of the energy you require.

Thermogenesis

Depending on your metabolic rate, you might need to do more activity for your body to look for energy in your fat cells. If you have a fast metabolism, you are able to do very little activity and still burn up most of what you took in, because your body uses those calories. If you have a slow metabolism, more of your calories will turn to fat, and you will have to work out harder and for a longer period of time if you want to lose weight.

And that brings us to thermogenesis. Thermogenesis is the process by which your body’s metabolism takes fat and converts it to heat. When you have a fast metabolism and need more energy than your caloric intake is providing, your body naturally turns to your fat stores for energy. Natural thermogenesis occurs when you are cold; your body shivers to keep you warm, but in doing so, it is also required to find a source of energy to create heat.

You’ve probably heard at some point that you burn calories when you’re cold and shivering. Now you know why.

Stepping On the Metabolic Accelerator

Of course, while shivering is natural, this isn’t the only way to experience thermogenesis. For a minute, consider your metabolic rate to be like a car. The car is plugging along on cruise control at about 60 miles per hour, and it really doesn’t change too much, except on the occasional hill or dip in the road. However, give it a burst of gas and suddenly it roars to life and starts accelerating, breaking free of the cruise control. Your metabolism is just like this. If you want to have a change in your weight, but your metabolism is still plugging along at the same rate, it will be harder to succeed.

Instead of trying desperately to lose weight and not getting the kind of success you want because of a slower metabolism, you can actually induce what is called the “thermogenic effect” or “thermogenic response.” With this, it’s like you just pressed on the accelerator and revived your body.

Your body will suddenly need to burn more calories in order to keep up with your thermogenic state, and you can take advantage of this if you have a healthy exercise and diet regimen. If you are in thermogenesis, the boost can be all you need to feel more energy, burn more calories, and ultimately, lose more weight.
The great news is you can get this response by taking certain supplements like Muscletech Hydroxycut Hardcore, which contains green tea extract