One's Metabolism Doesn't Simply....

I've been hearing a ton of misunderstood nonsense flying around my social sphere, work, and in general everyday life out and about, and of course, on the mystical interwebs.

"Gosh darn it! Kelsey is skinny because her faster metabolism mrreeehh!" Yea, okay, shut up. For that is wrong*. A simple definition would be that metabolism is the process by which our bodies break down proteins, carbohydrates, and fat, in order to produce energy to run our bodies. This isn't just the energy to run, jump, swim, sacrifice goats, stay up late killing Mythic Gul'dan, or JV 3-stocking your friends, but also the energy to power your bodies more low-key functions, like breathing, digestion, hormone control, and suppressing thoughts of light murder when someone cuts you off in the fucking rain not using their blinkers. The energy required for these basic functions are called your basic metabolic rate, BMR.

The most common myth seems to be that skinnier people have faster BMRs and bigger people have slower BMRs. Wrong. See, it takes more energy to move around those 456 lbs of sexy man meat than it is to lithely swing around those curvy 145 lbs of lady love. Now, it is true that protein, and thus muscle, burn more than fat does, but it takes more energy to power a bigger body. What is less known is that a body's BMR will slow down if it is not given food in the first place. Your BMR can vary depending on your habits. This is excluding ailments that directly affect your BMR.

I'm a chemical engineer, so I know this stuff. Also, actual sauce and extra reading material.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22825659

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24398647

http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v31/n2/full/0803523a.html

https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/real-difference-slow-fast-metabolism

http://www.thedailybeast.com/5-metabolism-myths-debunked

http://www.livestrong.com/article/401289-what-is-the-difference-between-slow-fast-metabolism/

EDIT: The point of this post was to shed light on metabolic information as it relates to weight changes. While i do know a fair amount about this subject from research and my studies, i do not claim expertise. The above tidbit about being an engineer was playing the "trust me, I'm an engineer" card. Use the links for more in depth analysis. If you do find information that argues against my post, please let me know and we shall discuss!

EDIT 2: So I've been getting a ton of messages and comments saying how this post oversimplifies metabolism, and contains inaccuracies. Yes, BMR will vary from person to person depending on genetics, weight, height, age, sex, and any other major biological differences you can think of. Different types of calories also affect BMR differently, i.e. protein burns more energy than fat. This information is located within the above links. If someone has issues with the simplicity of the post itself, please understand this is more of an abstract rather than a detailed post. Again, i implore you to read and digest the links.