Many factors affect the metabolism of a person, such as the amount of muscle tissue, the frequency of the meals that get eaten, genetics, levels of stress, personal diet and levels of exercise. Metabolism is reduced due to the following: loss of muscle tissue lack of physical exercise, the tendency of the body to absorb its own tissue as a result of not enough food energy to sustain it, and the decrease of exercise that comes naturally with the ageing process.

There are several ways to raise the body's metabolic rate such as:

1. Develop a fit and healthy body. It is a natural process that metabolism decreases as part of getting older, but it is possible to minimise the effects. The amount of muscle tissue that a person has is a prime determinant in their ability to burn calories and shed fat. So it is obvious that building muscle is essential. Muscle Tissue should be enhanced by a regular work out at least twice a week, preferably with weights. Do easy exercises in between the full workouts. Simple tasks such as walking instead of driving short distances and using the stairs in place of the elevator can assist in taking off calories. The secret is to match the input of calories to the amount of activity that one has.

Here are some guidelines in getting the right exercise:

For strength training -Gradually increase the amount of repetitions of a particular exercise. -Add to the level of resistance -Utilize advance exercise techniques if this is possible. You may need to ask a professional trainer

For cardiovascular exercise -Add rest periods between exercises -Perform cross-training and combine the exercises - Raise resistance and speed

2. Eat a good breakfast. A lot of people are ignoring the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Surprisingly, it has been found that those people who eat a meal at the start of the day are thinner than the ones who do not. The bodies metabolism can be considerably slower if breakfast is taken during mid-morning or if one waits until the afternoon to eat.

3. Don't eat sugar. Sugar is used by the body to store fat. It is recommended that a person consumes food that helps sustain an even level of blood-sugar. Additionally, regular exercising 2-3 times a week will assist to stabilize the body's level of blood sugar.

4. Never skip meals. Although it would appear to be self evident that missing a meal will help you lose weight, but this is not true. The problem with skipping a meal is that it slows down your metabolism. A side-effect of missing out on a meal is that, missing a meal will make you more likely to snack between meals.

5. Eat more curry. Eating curries can be good for you and help lower your weight! Any hot cuisine with peppers can increase the metabolic rate. Higher metabolism means that the body can burn fat faster.

6. Sleep more. According to research, people who do not get enough sleep are at the greatest risk of gaining weight. Also, muscle tissues are regenerated during the last couple of hours of slumber.

7. Drink more water. Toxins are produced whenever the body converts fat. Water flushes out these toxins that are produced. is a fact that, most of the bodily functions involves water, and lack of water results in an imbalance of the body's functions, and produces unneeded stress as a result.

8. Eat smaller portions. The best advice is to consume 4 to 6 small meals that are timed 2 to 3 hours apart. Eating less food is a major factor in reducing your calorie intake.

9. Eat Energy Foods. Include more energy foods in your daily diet. These energy foods include such items as whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables.

10. Make a detailed plan of your meals. Make sure in advance that you prepare the right amount of food that you have scheduled for each of your meals. Always stick to your planned meal times, and don't eat in between.

11. Relax! Stress, whether it is physical or emotional stress, triggers the release of a steroid called cortisol, which decreases body's metabolic rate. Chilling out will reduce the amount of cortisol in your body and so keep up your metabolic rate. Also, people tend to eat excessively when stressed.

12. Drink green tea instead of coffee. Green tea can be drunk instead of coffee. Green tea has the ability to raise your metabolic rate, and unlike coffee, it has no undesirable side effects when too much is consumed.

All that you need to reach your desired body weight is the determination and patience required to stabilize your metabolic level, which is so important in weight loss. If you can stabalise your metabolism then you can lose weight. The real key to successful weight reduction is not eating correctly or working out, but changing your way of life.