When it comes to losing weight, it's all about finding a balance between calories in vs. calories out. Eating a healthy diet is great step toward keeping track of calories you consume, but exercise only plays a small role in how many calories you burn by the end of the day.

€A starbucks caramel Macchiato is 38 minutes on the bike - add 81 minutes if you grab a piece of coffee cake,€ says a reporter at MSNBC,
€You'll have to walk 172 minutes to burn off a whopper from Burger King.€

If you consume 2,000 calories in your diet, and exercise only accounts for a small fraction of your total caloric expenditure, so what does your body do with all the rest of the food you've eaten?

Your metabolism holds the answer...

What is Your Metabolism?
Experts at Webmd explain, €Your metabolism is how, and how fast, your body converts food into fuel and burns it. It greatly affects the speed at which you gain or lose weight.€

Your metabolism and weight loss go hand in hand, determining how many calories you burn throughout the day - think of it as your personal engine. You put fuel in the tank, which is then used to trigger a reaction, which in turn keeps your motor running.

Since we're speaking of cars, how much fuel is burned depends on the size, age, and brand of the car as well as the quality of the fuel.

€Up to 75 percent of the calories you take in every day go toward this resting metabolic rate, or RMR,€ says Jeannette Moninger, fitness and health writer, €The remainder gives you the fuel you need for daily activities and helps with digestion... whatever surplus your body can't use ends up stored as junk in your trunk.€

Get the Facts on your Metabolism
While it certainly helps to have a basic understanding of how metabolism and weight loss coincide, there are a lot of misunderstandings about your fat-burning engine that often slow or halt progress.

1. €Skinny people have faster metabolisms€ - According to Jason Karp, PhD, €The more you weigh, the more oxygen your muscles need in order to support that weight and all of your body's functions.€ Consequently, if you lose weight, your metabolism actually decreases rather than increases.

2. €Even if you're the same weight, your metabolism may be different€ - This is only partially true. While individual genetics play a key role in how many calories you burn, Karp points out that your metabolism isn't like a fingerprint. There's not a significant difference in RMR between individuals of the same size and gender.

3. €Strength Training Boosts Your Metabolism€ - Once again, this is only partially true. While it does take a few extra calories to sustain a pound of muscle as opposed to a pound of fat, the statistical difference is negligible, only about 30 to 100 calories a day at best.

Tips and Tricks to Boost Your Metabolism -
It's easy to blame your weight gain or weight loss on your metabolism, but what you do with your calorie burning engine plays a much bigger role than your initial genetics and disposition for burning fat.

Fortunately, there are easy ways to increase your metabolism to ensure you lose weight and keep it off.

€ Try a Diet Pill - While you'll definitely want to be careful about which diet pill you choose, turning to a supplement may be just what you need to give your metabolism a little extra boost. You can follow this link to read more about the best diet pills for women at bestdietpillsforwomen.org.

€ Use NEAT - The abbreviation for non-exercise activity thermogenesis, this technique involves any form of physical activity (that is not exercise) - from typing at the keyboard to wiggling your leg under your desk. Experts at webmd point out, €any type of movement requires energy, and fidgeting definitely qualifies as movement.€

€ Get Adequate Amounts of Sleep - In a study published by the International Journal of Endocrinology, €sleep is intricately connected to various hormonal and metabolic processes in the body and is important in maintaining metabolic homeostasis...Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders may have profound metabolic and cardiovascular implications.€

Hope this helps!