by Diane Quinn

Created on: August 17, 2008   Last Updated: February 25, 2010

Before undertaking a serious weight loss program, a wise dieter will learn how to burn the most calories. Low calorie meals combined with exercises that burn the most calories are a two-handed strategy. When both of these things work in proper balance, anyone is guaranteed to lose weight.

Don't rush off to the gym too quickly until you understand an important word when it comes to the topic of burning calories. That word is "metabolism." There is a misconception about this word because it is often assumed that thin people share a high metabolic rate; whereas, overweight people share a low metabolic race.

Myth buster: Weight is not always directly related to metabolism.

Truth: Weight is determined by the balance of total calories consumed compared to total calories burned. If more calories are consumed than your body needs, or burns, anyone will gain weight. The reverse is true when you lose weight. Therefore, think of metabolism as the fire in your body that burns calories.

Metabolism and Burning Calories

Now that you understand how metabolism works, another fact is that not everyone's metabolism is exactly the same. There are factors that influence metabolism and a body's ability to burn calories.

* Body size: The larger the body mass, the more energy, or calories, are needed to function properly. Also, muscle burns more calories than fat. This means that the higher the muscle percentage, when compared to percentage of fat, the higher the basal metabolic rate in a body.

* Age: The aging process naturally decreases body muscle and can increase the percentage of fat. Another frustrating part of the aging process is that metabolism rates slow down. Both of these changes must be taken into consideration when evaluating calorie requirements.

* Sex: Men and women are built differently for good reasons. Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than do women of the same age and height. This contributes to the general assumption that men have a higher basal metabolic rate and burn more calories than women.

How to Burn More Calories

Metabolic rates are difficult to change. But the change you can make is to increase daily exercise and activity to build muscle tissue and burn more calories.

There are two different types of calorie burning exercises: Aerobic (with oxygen) and Anaerobic (without oxygen). Aerobic (low impact or high impact) exercises are workouts that demand oxygen be delivered to the muscles through the lungs and blood supply over an extended period

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