Fat loss information

What many overweight people strive for, fat loss is not easy without changing your dietary regime and increasing your exercise.

This ensures that body fat is burned to provide energy and therefore the overall fat loss is also balanced with muscle gain - and a slimmer you!

We all know what fat looks like from the outside, but how does it get into the body, and where is it stored? Our fat information guies should help you understand a little more about fat loss, how we process fats and what you can do to change it.

Fats come directly from the food we eat. They are broken down in the digestive system by an enzyme called lipase and are then transported in the blood stream. Both muscle and fat cells then absorb the digested fats and either burn the fat through activity, or store the fat for later use.

Why We Need Fat

Fat is needed as part of a healthy diet (just not too much of it!) and here are a few reasons why :

• Essential fatty acids have to be obtained from food as the body has no way of producing them internally.
   
• Certain vitamins are fat soluble, and eating fat is the only way to get these vitamins in to the body.
   
• Fat contains twice as many calories per gram as either proteins or carbohydrates, which makes fats an excellent source of energy. This is fine as long as that energy is being used up.
   

Fat Storage In The Body

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, and is practically non-existent at the eyelids. As well as being a store of energy, fat also acts as a cushion to impacts.

Fat is also stored elsewhere around the body, and can be in different places depending on your gender. Both sexes will have a small store of fat in the liver, and some around the kidneys.

Main Areas Of Fat Storage

When a person is overweight these fat deposits will start to clog the arteries which can lead to serious health problems such as a heart attack.

Fat Breakdown

Fat is stored so it can be used in times when food is not being eaten, of energy is required during exercise. Unfortunately, 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. 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.