There are so many ideas about weight loss swirling around that it can get confusing when all you want to do is lose 10 or 20 pounds of fat!
I’ve got research-based answers for you so you can stop wondering, and figure out fat, once and for all! Phew.
First, let me paint a picture. Think of your fat cells as water balloons, and fat as the liquid to fill them up. When we eat more food than our bodies can burn (or use for energy), we make fat to store the excess energy for a time of need in the future. It doesn’t have to be junk food to be stored as fat, it can be any calories in excess of what you need. (Stay tuned for more about that in my video-course, Lose 10).
There are two periods in time where the number of fat cells we have naturally increases. Initially, fat cells begin developing in the womb throughout the third trimester. Fat cell production will then continue gradually through childhood and increase again during puberty.
This ~second wave~ of fat cell formation is triggered by the surge in hormones and is responsible for the differences in how men and women carry fat (think curves).
Previously, we thought that these were the only two significant periods in which our bodies produced more fat cells. Research has shown that in adults with stable weights, this theory holds true.
> Stable weight = stable number of fat cells
In fact, when looking at the abdominal fat of adults who gained weight, the size of the fat cells increased, but the number of fat cells did not change.
> Moderate increase in weight = stable number of abdominal fat cells
But just like the water-balloon, fat cells can reach a maximum when excess abounds.
If our fat cells become so full that they cannot store any more fat, the body responds to this increased demand for storage space by having to create more fat cells.
What researchers later found out, is that fat cells in the lower body are not as accommodating as those above the belt. Meaning that weight gained in the hips and thighs is almost always a result of new fat cell production.
Unfortunately, even if we lose weight, fat cells will shrink but the number of them remains the same. This is one reason that maintaining fat loss is so difficult (and also a reason why childhood obesity is such a dangerous epidemic)! Those fat cells are ready and willing to host any extra calories that your body does not utilize.
There is good news if you need to lose some weight. While the central fat around the abdomen is the more dangerous fat in terms of your health, it’s easier to lose fat from the upper body and abdomen.
Losing lower body fat is not impossible, but the overstuffed cells up top are more willing to release fat and return to a comfortable size compared to their southern counterparts.
As a result, the upper body is most often where you will see the first signs of weight loss. (I can hear all the ladies say ‘yep,’ especially the ones’ whose small bust was the first to go, when aiming to lose weight elsewhere). #reallife
If you are struggling to lose weight, especially in the lower body, don’t be discouraged! Weight loss is tough, especially with all the circulating misinformation and fads.
Often I see people go to such great lengths to see the scale move that they don’t seem to realize that it’s not even fat-mass they’re losing. Yikes! Losing fluid and muscle mass is the quickest way to hijack your metabolism!
It’s easier to make peace with your body through the weight loss process if you understand what’s going on within in it. (Don’t worry, I have a plan to help!)
The science is fascinating, and there’s so much more to it than what you might be hearing from the media which typically just causes analysis paralysis, or even worse, guilt and unhealthy thinking patterns.
I’ve put together what I call the 5Cs of fat loss that I’d like to share to help you figure out fat once and for all. Finally.
Figuring out what to do, and who to believe is just too frustrating. So, I’ve put all the answers in my first-ever video-course, Lose 10, to help ladies over 35 lose 10 pounds! (Nope, not including muscle loss or any of that…I mean 10 pounds of pure fat loss, which is really quite transforming to your body.)
Results will be more energizing and life-giving than what the scale offers with its frustrating fluctuations. Check out the details on my Lose 10 course: it comes with support, recipes, workouts…everything you need (except the drama that wasn’t helping).
A big thank you to my recent dietetic intern, Sydney Engberg for her research and contributions to this blog post.
