By Mayo Clinic staff

梅奥诊所团队

You've probably heard people blame their weight on a slow metabolism, but what does that mean? Is metabolism really the culprit? And if so, is it possible to rev up your metabolism to burn more calories?

你可能听到有人抱怨代谢缓慢造成肥胖，但真是这样吗？代谢真的是罪魁祸首吗？即便如此，加速代谢是否可以消耗更多的卡路里？

While it's true that metabolism is linked to weight, it may not be in the way you expect. In fact, contrary to common belief, a slow metabolism is rarely the cause of excess weight gain. Although your metabolism influences your body's basic energy needs, it's your food and beverage intake and your physical activity that ultimately determine how much you weigh.

代谢的确与体重有关，但可能不是你想象的那样。事实上，和大多数人想象的恰恰相反，代谢缓慢很少造成体重增加。尽管代谢会影响你身体基本的能量需求，但最终决定你体重的，是你的饮食和运动量。

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Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function. Even when you're at rest, your body needs energy for allits "hidden" functions, such as breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, and growing andrepairing cells.

代谢是身体将你的饮食转化为能量的过程。在这个复杂的生化过程中，饮食中的卡路里与氧结合，释放出身体正常活动所需的能量。即使在你休息的时候，身体也需要能量来维持他“潜在”的活动：如呼吸、血液循环、调节激素水平、细胞的生长与修复。

The number of calories your body uses to carry out these basic functions is known as your basal metabolic rate — what you might call metabolism. Several factors determine your individual basal metabolic rate:

你的身体用来实现这些基本功能所需卡路里的数量，被称为基础代谢值——你也许把它称为新陈代谢。几个因素决定了你的基础代谢值：

Your body size and composition. The bodies of people who are larger or have more muscle burn more calories, even at rest.

你体型的大小和构成。大块头或者肌肉较多的人消耗更多的卡路里，即使在休息的时候。

Your sex. Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than do women of the same age and weight, burning more calories.

你的性别。同年龄同体重的男性较之女性通常拥有更少的脂肪和更多的肌肉，消耗更多的卡路里。

Your age. As you get older, the amount of muscle tends to decrease and fat accounts for more of your weight, slowing down calorie burning.

你的年龄。随着年龄的增长，肌肉减少，脂肪增多，卡路里的消耗变缓。

Energy needs for your body's basic functions stay fairly consistent and aren't easily changed. Your basal metabolic rate accounts for about 60 to 75 percent of the calories you burn every day.

维持你身体基本功能所需的能量通常是一成不变的。每天消耗的卡路里中，基础代谢值大约占百分之六十到百分之七十五。

In addition to your basal metabolic rate, two other factors determine how many calories your body burns each day:

除了基础代谢值，还有另外两个因素决定你每天的卡路里消耗量：

Food processing (thermogenesis). Digesting, absorbing, transporting and storing the food you consume also takes calories. This accounts for about 10 percent of the calories used each day. For the most part, your body's energy requirement to process food stays relatively steady and isn't easily changed.

食物处理（产热）。消化、吸收、运输和储存你吃下去的食物也需要卡路里。这大约占到每天卡路里消耗总量的百分之十。大多数情况下，你的身体处理食物所需能量保持相对稳定，轻易不变。

Physical activity. Physical activity and exercise — such as playing tennis, walking to the store, chasingafter the dog and any other movement — account for the rest of the calories your body burns up each day. Physical activity is by far the most variable of the factors that determine how many caloriesyou burn each day.

体力活动。体力活动和锻炼— —如打网球、步行到商店、遛狗和任何其他运动——你身体每天卡路里消耗量的其余部分由此决定。到目前为止，在决定你每天卡路里消耗量的因素中，体力活动是变化最大的。

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It may be tempting to blame your metabolism for weight gain. But because metabolism is a natural process, your body generally balances it to meet your individual needs. That's why if you try so-called starvation diets, your body compensates by slowing down these bodily processes and conserving calories for survival. Only in rare cases do you get excessive weight gain from a medical problem that slows metabolism, such as Cushing's syndrome or having an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).

你可能会忍不住想抱怨导致你体重增加的代谢。但由于代谢是一个自然的过程，你的身体通常会自动维持代谢平衡以满足您个体的需要。这就是为什么当你尝试着所谓的饥饿疗法来减肥时，你的身体却通过减缓新陈代谢和节约能量抵消了你减肥的效果。只有极少数因病症导致的代谢缓慢才会减缓过度增重的问题，如库欣综合征或甲状腺功能不足(甲状腺功能减退症)等。

Unfortunately, weight gain is most commonly the result of eating more calories than you burn. To lose weight, then, you need to create an energy deficit by eating fewer calories, increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity, or both.

不幸的是，体重增加最常见的原因是吃得太多，超出了你所消耗的卡路里。若要减肥，您要么少吃，让能量出现亏空；要么多运动，消耗更多的卡路里；或者两者同时进行。

While you don't have much control over the speed of your metabolism, you can control how many calories you burn through your level of physical activity. The more active you are, the more calories you burn. In fact, some people who are said to have a fast metabolism are probably just more active— and maybe more fidgety — than are others.

虽然你无法控制新陈代谢的速度，但您可以通过体力活动来控制消耗卡路里的多少。运动越多，消耗的卡路里越多。事实上，一些被认为代谢速度快的人，可能比其他人更爱运动——或者更为焦虑些。

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Regular aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is the most efficient way to burn calories and includes activities such as walking, bicycling and swimming. As a general goal, include at least 30 minutes of physical activity in your daily routine. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to increase the time you spend on physical activity even more. If you can't set aside time for a longer workout, try 10-minute chunks of activity throughout the day. Remember, the more active you are, the greater the benefits.

定期的有氧运动。有氧运动是消耗卡路里最有效的方法，包括步行、骑自行车、游泳等活动。作为一般目标，每天至少要坚持30分钟的体力活动。如果你想减肥或有特定的健身目标，你可能需要花更多的时间。如果你没有大块的时间来进行体育锻炼，可以在一天中，分段进行，每次10分钟就行。记住，生命在于运动。

Strength training. Strength training exercises, such as weightlifting, are important because they help counteract muscle loss associated with aging. And since muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue does, muscle mass is a key factor in weight loss.

力量训练。力量训练演习，诸如举重，很重要，因为它们有助于抵偿衰老造成的肌肉流失。而由于肌肉组织比脂肪组织消耗更多的卡路里，肌肉是减肥的关键因素。

Lifestyle activities. Any extra movement helps burn calories. Look for ways to walk and move arounda few minutes more each day than the day before. Taking the stairs more often and parking fartheraway at the store are simple ways to burn more calories. Even activities such as gardening, washing your car and housework burn calories and contribute to weight loss.

让运动融入生活。任何额外的运动都有助于消耗卡路里。每天都比前天走的更远一些。经常爬楼梯、离商店远一些的泊车位都是消耗卡路里简易可行的办法。甚至像园艺、洗车、做家务这些消耗卡路里的运动都会有助于减肥。

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Don't look to dietary supplements for help in burning calories or weight loss. Products that claim to speed up your metabolism are often more hype than help, and some may cause undesirable or even dangerous side effects. Dietary supplement manufacturers aren't required by the Food and Drug Administration to prove that their products are safe or effective, so view these products with caution and skepticism, and always let your doctors know about any supplements you take.

不要靠减肥药来帮助你燃烧卡路里或减肥。那些声称能提高你代谢速度的减肥药，往往言过其实，甚至会带来不良或危险的副作用。减肥药制造商们不需要食品和药品管理局来认证其产品的安全或有效性，所以请谨慎对待这类产品，或者咨询你的医生。

There's no magical way to lose weight. It comes down to physical activity and diet. Take in fewer calories than you burn, and you lose weight. But if you're worried about your metabolism or you can't seem to lose excess weight despite diet and exercise, talk to your doctor.

减肥无秘方。归根结底就是少吃多运动。吃得比你消耗的少，是减肥的不二法门。但如果你担心你的代谢情况，或者你似乎不能通过饮食和运动来减肥，去和你的医生谈谈吧。