TITLE: "Fat Trilogy, Part 1”

Dear David and Trish,

I’m sure you’ve gotten this question before:

I went through good schools, worked hard, studied hard (and played hard, of course) and even earned my Bachelor’s Degree a few years ago. Yet, in spite of this mass of education, I STILL don’t seem to have any clue about FAT! I know that I should have less of it, but truly don’t understand the process. How does it get in, and how the heck do you get it out? Can you give me some simple answers to these questions?

Sincerely,

“Plumping By The Minute” in Stevensville

Dear Plumping,

Today, we will edify you on what fat is, where it comes from, where it goes, and why. Next week, you’ll learn how and why the body accumulates fat (and how to increase it). And the week after (finally!) how to get rid of it even after it has found it’s way to various parts of your body. So, read on…

Before we begin this journey, it is important that we clarify a major point. That is that a lack of fat DOES NOT make you fit, and a surplus of fat DOES NOT make you unfit. The amount of body fat that you carry does generally interfere with good health, and carries with it a number of secondary problems. More on that later!

Believe it or not, fat IS a necessary part of a healthy diet. Essential fatty acids have to be obtained from food as the body has no way of producing them internally. There are certain vitamins that are fat soluble, and eating fat is the only way to get these vitamins in to the body. And finally, fat contains twice as many calories per gram as either proteins or carbohydrates, which makes fats an excellent source of energy. And that is precisely WHY the body stores it!

Fat is found in several places throughout the body. The majority of fat is stored under the skin, and is known as subcutaneous tissue. The thickness of the subcutaneous fat varies from body area to body area. It tends to be thickest at the waist.

Body fat is stored in two places in the body: subcutaneously, or under the skin, and viscerally, or around the internal organs. Visceral fat is much easier to mobilize (lose) than subcutaneous fat, although it increases with age. This age-dependent increase in visceral fat is why body fat calculators should factor in your age: two people with the same skinfold (subcutaneous fat) measurements might have much different overall levels of body fat because of the contribution of visceral fat to the equation

By the way… it is NOT an ugly rumor that the number of fat cells in your body remains the same. The fact is that when you store more fat, each fat cell merely gets bigger. Like frankfurters…. that PLUMP when you cook them, fat cells PLUMP when you eat frankfurters (and French fries, and pizza, and all that good stuff!!!).

Fat is also stored elsewhere around the body, and can be in different places depending on your gender.

The body cleverly stores fat so it can be used in times when food is not available… in other words, it is absolutely a necessary survival mechanism that has kept us alive for millennium. That being said, the over-storage of fat has significantly shortened life-spans for just about as long.

You would think that any activity, especially intense aerobics, would guarantee a reduction in stored fat. Unfortunately, this is NOT so. Energy stored in the fat cells is not the first source of energy the body uses. Glucose supplies are the most readily stored energy in the body and as such are used first. The next source of energy comes from the breaking down of carbohydrates into glucose. The next energy source step is the one that really counts if you want to get rid of your stored fat reserves. Body Fat is broken down by the body into glycerol and fatty acids in the process of lipolysis (next time you’re on the elliptical trainer, let your partner know you are lipolysising!). The fatty acids can then be broken down directly to get energy, or can be used to make glucose. The breakdown of fat as a last resort is why it can be so difficult to get rid of once it has been put on. We will talk more about this in a couple of weeks.

Where we store fat is primarily dependent on genetics and hormones. If your mom was “pear-shaped” with more fat on her hips and thighs, then you'll likely be also. Generally, midsection fat gain over the abdominals, obliques, and lower back is more associated with men, and is referred to as an android (male-pattern, not robot) fat deposition pattern. Body fat on the hips, thighs, and the tummy below the navel is generally associated with women, and is referred to as a gynoid fat deposition pattern. However, there is significant crossover in these patterns, and these patterns can change with age and shifting hormone levels.

When fat is lost, it follows the pattern of fat deposition set out by your genetics and hormones. This means that where you put on fat first is where you lose it last. I think this point is important to emphasize, because it directly contradicts the myth of spot reduction. Barring physical or chemical intervention (e.g. liposuction, hormones), you cannot choose where your body wants to store fat.

It is important to understand that your body has a blueprint, and doesn't easily deviate from it. However, once you know what that blueprint is… it becomes much easier to engage in a lifestyle that will allow you to “break out” of that pattern. In other words, you are not really “stuck” by your genetics… only challenged.

Body fat loss is an imprecise and generally unpredictable process. When you embark on a diet that creates a caloric deficit (in other words, you get plenty hungry!), it is not unusual to lose lean muscle tissue in addition to fat. This is why it is essential to get sufficient protein and engage in weight training while losing fat. It is very important that lean muscle tissue is retained, and even increased during fat loss.

It is important to stress that weight loss does not equal body fat loss, and vice versa. If being leaner and generally healthier is your goal, you should focus on body fat loss, not on numeric weight. And there is always a point where additional body fat loss is actually harmful, and certainly counterproductive.

-Fats are vital to your health. They transport oxygen to every cell in your body, and they are the basis for every hormone, brain, and nervous system function.

-All fats are a mixture. The good fats contain small amounts of bad fat, and the bad fats contain small amounts of good fat.
-The issue is not how much fat you consume, its how much of the good fat you consume, and how much of the bad.

-Saturated fat is generally the most harmful.

-The bad fats include trans fats, cross-linked fatty acids, double-bond shifted fatty acids, and dozens of other compounds that do not occur in nature.

-Sources of bad fats include refined oils, partially hydrogenated oils, shortening, and commercially deep-fried foods.
-Sources of good fats come from fish, egg yolks, nuts, seeds, olives, and unrefined oils from the health food store.

-In North America, people have decreased their fat intake, but obesity has increased. Quantities and calories, not just fat grams, count.

-There are actually three types of fat. Saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, Saturated fat is known as "bad" fat. It raises cholesterol levels and is generally found in meat, butter, whole milk, and baked goods. Obviously you should limit your consumption of saturated fats. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated are the “better" fats that are known to lower blood cholesterol levels. These fats are found mainly in vegetable oils.

Next week we will examine the ways that the body stores fat, and why. And, following that, we will give you effective ways to effectively and permanently REDUCE the amount of fat that you are lugging around with you daily. Don’t miss it!

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