| If you have ever joined with a male friend in a | | | | effect on your metabolism can be quite |
| weight loss programme you may have noticed | | | | significant.Annette has been extraordinarily careful |
| that men are able to lose weight more easily than | | | | about what she eats and hasn't been able to lose |
| women. Life seems cruel sometimes. Men hold a | | | | weight - with good reason. The amount of lean |
| metabolic edge over women because they have | | | | body mass you have is an important factor in |
| more muscle, and muscles are the "workhorses" | | | | determining the rate at which you burn calories. If |
| of the body.Many women who felt slim at 35 | | | | lean body mass drops, metabolism drops.Every |
| years, still weighing the same at 45 hnow consider | | | | pound of muscle a woman loses slashes the |
| themselves "fat". No it probably isn't social | | | | number of calories she burns by as many as 30 |
| conditioning. It is more likely to be the truth and | | | | calories a day. If she loses 10 pounds of muscle |
| they are actually more "fat" than they used to be. | | | | over 3 decades, she could burn 300 fewer |
| The scales are not the only answer to | | | | calories each day, or a whopping 2,100 fewer |
| understanding what's going on in your | | | | calories each week.By the time she celebrates her |
| body.Consider the case of Annette who weighed | | | | 55th birthday, she could have lost as many as 15 |
| 63 kilos at age 35. At that time, 23 percent of | | | | pounds of muscle, and now burn 450 fewer |
| her body consisted of fat. (Experts consider 23 to | | | | calories each and every day.What this means for |
| 33 percent body fat healthy for women ages 40 | | | | Annette--and other women in their forties and |
| to 59). Back then, 15 of Annette's 63 kilos were | | | | fifties--is that maintaining muscle mass is critical as |
| fat. The rest--48 kilos--consisted of bone, muscle, | | | | the birthdays add up. Lean muscle matters |
| water, and internal organs.By the time Annette | | | | because there's so much of it.Calorie-burning |
| reached age 48, her body fat had increased from | | | | muscle accounts for approximately 40 percent of |
| 23 percent to 30 percent, yet her weight had | | | | the body mass of a normal-weight woman--that's |
| remained the same. Her body now contains 20 | | | | 56 pounds for a 140-pound woman like Janet--so |
| kilos of fat, 5 more kilos of fat than at age 35. At | | | | it's a major factor in energy.Here's some good |
| the same time, Annette had lost approximately 5 | | | | news: Because muscle mass is linked directly to |
| pounds of muscle.When women gain fat and lose | | | | metabolic rate, women can give their metabolic |
| muscle, two things happen:Fat isn't as dense as | | | | engines a boost with weight training and other |
| muscle, so any fat gained takes up more space | | | | forms of exercise that builds muscle. Second, with |
| than muscle. Even if you haven't gained weight on | | | | eating the right sources of very lean protein you |
| the scale, your body can appear larger, and your | | | | can encourage muscle development as you |
| clothing size may even increase.Because muscle | | | | exercise.Kim Beardsmore M.B.A. (H.R.M.), B.Sc. |
| burns more calories than fat, your metabolism | | | | (Biochemistry) is an Independent Herbalife |
| slows and you burn fewer calories, which can | | | | Distributor, weight loss coach and creator of the |
| contribute to weight gain if you don't make | | | | online weight loss, health & fitness magazine |
| adjustments in your calorie consumption. Muscle | | | | Weight Loss Health. |
| burns up to 7 times more energy than fat, so the | | | | |