The Incredible Shrinking Fat Cell!

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Friday, May 4th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Today I would like to talk about where the fat goes when you are trying to loose weight.Â Does it leave your body?Â You are going to be surprised to find out the answer….Â Please take a moment to learn more, so you can have the body that you always wanted…Â Here goes….

Here is the question?

I’ve been enjoying your fat burning tips newsletters
and am fascinated by the whole fat burning process, but would
actually like to know the science of it all. Would you please
try to explain in laymen’s terms exactly how fat cells work and
what happens when you start to burn body fat. I heard a statement
that the fat cell has to get moved into the muscle cell for it
to be released or burned. Thought you could explain a little better.

Sincerely,

Kevin

ANSWER:

Earlier this week someone in our discussion forum wrote, “I haven’t
‘LOST’ any fat… I know EXACTLY where it went! I got a chuckle out
of that because I “got” the joke, but truth is, most people really
don’t know how fat cells work, how the fat burning process takes
place, or where the fat goes when it’s burned, so this is a really
good question.

When you “lose” body fat, the fat cell (also called an adipocyte)
does not go anywhere or “move into the muscle cell to be burned”,
as it was suggested to you (although that’s not too far off).

The fat cell itself, (unfortunately) stays right where it was -
under the skin in your thighs, stomach, hips, arms, etc., and on
top of the muscles - which is why you can’t see muscle “definition”
when your body fat is high.

Fat is stored inside the fat cell in the form of triaglycerol. The fat
is not burned right there in the fat cell, it must be liberated from
the fat cell through somewhat complex hormonal/biochemical pathways.

When stimulated to do so, the fat cell simply releases its contents
(triaglycerol) into the bloodstream as free fatty acids (FFA’s), and
they are transported through the blood to the tissues where the energy
is needed.

A typical young male stores about 60,000 to 100,000 calories of
energy in body fat cells. What triggers the release of all these stored
fatty acids from the fat cell? Ahhh, that’s what we all want to know, right?

Well, it’s simple: When your body needs energy because you’re consuming
fewer calories than you are burning (an energy deficit), then your body
releases hormones and enzymes that signal your fat cells to release your
fat reserves instead of keeping them in storage.

For stored fat to be liberated from the fat cell, hydrolysis (lipolysis
or fat breakdown), splits the molecule of triaglycerol into glycerol and
three fatty acids. An important enzyme called hormone sensitive lipase
(HSL) is the catalyst for this reaction.

The stored fat (energy) gets released into the bloodstream as FFA’s and
they are shuttled off to the muscles where the energy is needed. As blood
flow increases to the active muscles, more FFA’s are delivered to the
muscles that need them.

An important enzyme called lipoprotein lipase (LPL), then helps the
FFA’s get inside the mitochondria of the muscle cell, where the FFA’s
can be burned for energy. If you’ve ever taken a biology class, then
you’ve probably heard of the mitochondria. This is the “cellular
powerhouse” where energy production takes place and this is where the
FFA’s go to be burned for energy.

When the FFA’s are released from the fat cell, the fat cell shrinks
and that’s why you look leaner - because the fat cell is now smaller.
A small or “empty” fat cell is what you’re after if you want the
lean, defined look.

It was once believed that the number of fat cells could not increase
after maturity, only the size of the fat cells could increase (or
decrease). We now know that fat cells can indeed increase both in size
(hypertrophy) and in number (hyperplasia) and that they are more likely
to increase in number at certain times and under certain circumstances,
Â such as 1) during late childhood and early puberty, 2) During pregnancy,
and 3) During adulthood when extreme amounts of weight are gained

Some people are genetically predisposed to have more fat cells than
others and women have more fat cells than men. An infant usually has
about 5 - 6 billion fat cells. This number increases during early
childhood and puberty, and a healthy adult with normal body composition
has about 25 to 30 billion fat cells. A typical overweight adult has
around 75 billion fat cells. But in the case of severe obesity, this
number can be as high as 250 to 300 billion!

The average size (weight) of a mature fat cell is about 0.6 micrograms,
but they can vary in size from 0.2 micograms to 0.9 micrograms. An
overweight person’s fat cells can be up to three times larger than a
person with ideal body composition.

Remember, body fat is basically just a reserve source of energy and
fat cells are the like the storage tanks. Unlike a gas tank in your
car which is fixed in size, however, fat cells can expand or shrink
in size depending on how “filled” they are.

Picture a balloon that is not inflated: It’s tiny when not filled
with air - maybe the size of your thumb. When you blow it up with
air, it can expand 10 or 12 times it’s normal size, because it
simply fills up.

That’s what happens to fat cells: They start as nearly empty fat
storage “tanks” (when you are lean), and when energy intake exceeds
your needs, your fat cells “fill up” and “stretch out” like balloons
filled with jelly (not a pretty picture, is it?)

So when you get leaner, you don’t actually “lose” fat cells, you
“shrink” or “empty out” fat cells.

Take-home lessons:

1. Calories count!Â The signal that triggers your body to release
Â adipose from fat cells is an energy deficit… you have to burn more
than you eat.

2. Cut calories conservatively. Starving yourself may cause quick
weightloss at first, but never works long term because it actually
decreases the activity of fat burning enzymes that release fat from
the cells. to avoid this “starvation mode” use exercise to BURN
THE FAT, not very low calorie crash diets.

3. Get control of your weight now. If you are gaining weight, and
especially if your weight is climbing upwards out of control, make
a decision to STOP RIGHT NOW. Your fat cells might be multiplying,
making it more difficult to burn fat in the future. NOW is the time!

4. If you’ve already lost weight, you must be forever diligent.
Your fat cells are not gone, they have merely “shrunk” or
“emptied out.” Fitness is not a 12 week program, its a lifestyle.
To stay lean you have to eat clean and stay active

5. Genetics are only a minor factor.Â You may not have control over
how many fat cells you were born with, but you do control the major
factors that determine how much fat you store: lifestyle, exercise,
nutrition, mental attitude.

Genetics are not an excuse. The past is not an excuse. Your present
condition is not an excuse. You can either make excuses or get results,
but you can’t do both.

So keep educating yourself about the science, read these newsletters,
take action every day and go out there and make it happen!

If you need more help, Burn The Fat is the eating plan that turned it
all around for thousands of others… why not you? visit:

Click on this link for more information on Burn The Fat

Train hard, and expect success!!!!