Fat Cells, Your Diet, and Losing Weight

This may come as a surprise... More than half of all adults that reside in the United States are overweight. That is 100 million people! I personally have struggled with weight management. My weight has fluctuated almost 30 lbs. Can you believe it. One month I weighed 115 pounds and 6 months later I am up to 145 pounds. Have you ever wondered what that mystery fat is? When a individual packs on 20 pounds what is happening inside their body? In this article I will explain what "fat cells" are and how they work So where are all these fat (adipose tissue) cells located? Fat can be discovered in several places on your body. Most fat is located underneath your skin. Other spots are determined by whether you are a woman or man. Most women tend to carry fat in their hips, breasts, buttocks, and waist. This gives you the pear shape syndrome. On the other side of the spectrum adult men carry the fat in their chest, buttocks, and abdomen (gut) which gives you the apple shape (aka beer gut syndrome). Sex hormones dictate the different locations of fat tissue amongst man and woman. Did you know that the human body contains two types of fat tissue? Most people are unaware of this. Brown fat, which is found mostly in newborn babies, helps with heat insulation. There is also white fat. White fat is important for your metabolism and heat insulation. Fat cells are what make up fat tissue. Think of a fat cell as a small (very small) container that holds 1 drop of fat. How does fat enter your body? When you eat fatty foods it goes through your stomach and your intestines. It is the job of your intestine to break down the fat into smaller parts. Of course this is a complex process that occurs. We could write a whole other article on this topic alone. So let's take a moment to talk about how your body actually breaks down fat. When your body sits idle it still needs fuel to run. Your body will go to your internal energy stores (not literally) of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Your body's #1 source of energy is glucose (sugar). So how do you gain or lose weight you ask? Your actual weight is determined by the rate you store that energy after you eat and the rate at which you burn this energy. So in general what you need to do to lose weight is as follows: a. Eat a balanced diet, which balances the three ingredients I mentioned above (glucose, fat, and protein) b. Do not over eat. Keep your calories around 2000 per day c. Regular exercise, 3 to 4 times a week for 30 minutes. In conclusion, you have learned that there are two types of fats. Also, if you burn less stored energy then you use, then you start to gain weight. You can prevent this weight gain by maintaining a healthy 2000 calorie diet per day mixed in with 3 days of exercise. Remember that each individual's body is different. Try to customize a plan that works for you. I personally use an exercise bike while reading a book. I also play racquetball to mix up my workouts and to make the workout fun.