How does an older woman with a very low metabolism rate lose weight?

Answer: First we’d like to give you some general information on metabolism and how it works.

Metabolism is the rate at which the body uses energy to support all basic functions essential to sustain life, plus all energy requirements for additional activity and digestive processes. There are three components to energy expenditure (calories burned):

Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):  This is the amount of calories needed to run all essential functions and chemical reactions while in a resting and quiet state. RMR is the largest part of total metabolism and accounts for 65 - 75% of calories burned in a day.

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF):  This is the energy used by the body to digest and absorb the nutrients present in the food we eat. The rate of energy used for the TEF is about 10%, and can be increased depending on the composition of each meal.

Physical activity:  This is the amount of energy the body burns during daily activities such as exercise, recreation, work, housework, etc. Daily physical activities account for 20 - 40% of calories burned each day. This part will vary depending on the individual and how active they are each day. A sedentary person will require fewer calories to maintain weight than a busy worker in a construction site!

Lack of physical activity is one of the biggest reasons why people gain weight more easily now than they did in the past (think back 100 years), not a slow metabolism. In fact, differing metabolic rates between people of the same body composition is so minimal it’s nearly insignificant. And remember, the heavier you are, the more calories you burn.

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Everyone's body follows the laws of physics, including the Laws of Energy.  Therefore, because the Laws of Energy dictate that energy cannot be created or destroyed, humans must burn more energy than they consume to lose weight. Our programs assist those individuals who are trying to lose weight by educating them foremost on what it takes to succeed.  Weight loss is possible for everyone as long as they move more than they eat.

dotFIT will help you regardless of your age or metabolism.  While traditional weight loss programs focus on tedious calorie counting without accurate information about calories burned, dotFIT allows you to measure actual calories burned and consumed. Whether you use an energy tracking device or not, the dotFIT Program  gives you a calorie balance each and every day so you know without at doubt if you’re creating a deficit (and losing weight) or a surplus (and gaining weight). For the first time ever, you now have the information you need to manage your weight loss without guesswork. It's a wake-up call that makes weight loss success simple and virtually guarantees results.

We don't believe you need to be put on a restrictive diet or an unsustainable workout plan in order to succeed. The dotFIT Program gives you suggestions on how to slightly change your food intake and/or your activity level to meet your goals. If you are already on a program that you enjoy, the dotFIT Program can complement any diet or exercise program. All that matters is that you keep an average daily caloric deficit based on your goals.