A Beginner's Guide To Losing Fats

eagle SG

Got the following from http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=1145519

Hopefully it is helpful to most people here

A Beginner's Guide To Losing Fats

Where's the Fat?
Fat, or adipose tissue, is found in several places in your body. Generally, fat is found underneath your skin (subcutaneous fat). There's also some on top of each of your kidneys. Other locations depend upon whether you are a man or woman:

*An adult man tends to carry body fat in his chest, abdomen and buttocks, producing an "apple" shape.

*An adult woman tends to carry fat in her breasts, hips, waist and buttocks, creating a "pear" shape.

*The difference in fat location comes from the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone.

Your body contains two types of fat tissue:

White fat - important in energy metabolism, heat insulation and mechanical cushioning.
Brown fat - found mostly in newborn babies, between the shoulders; important for thermogenesis (making heat).

Fat tissue is made up of fat cells. Fat cells are a unique type of cell. You can think of a fat cell as a tiny plastic bag that holds a drop of fat:

White fat cells are large cells that have very little cytoplasm, only 15 percent cell volume, a small nucleus and one large fat droplet that makes up 85 percent of cell volume.

Brown fat cells are somewhat smaller, are loaded with mitochondria and are composed of several smaller fat droplets. The mitochondria are able to generate heat. Fat cells are formed in the developing fetus during the third trimester of pregnancy, and later at the onset of puberty, when the sex hormones "kick in." It is during puberty that the differences in fat distribution between men and women begin to take form. One amazing fact is that fat cells do not multiply after puberty -- as your body stores more fat, the number of fat cells remains the same. Each fat cell simply gets bigger! In addition to fat tissue, some fat is stored in the liver, and an even smaller amount in muscle.

eagle SG

How Fat Enters Your Body

When you eat food that contains fat, mostly triglycerides, it goes through your stomach and intestines. In the intestines, the following happens:

1. Large fat droplets get mixed with bile salts from the gall bladder in a process called emulsification. The mixture breaks up the large droplets into several smaller droplets called micelles, increasing the fat's surface area.

2. The pancreas secretes enzymes called lipases that attack the surface of each micelle and break the fats down into their parts, glycerol and fatty acids.

3.These parts get absorbed into the cells lining the intestine.

4. In the intestinal cell, the parts are reassembled into packages of fat molecules (triglycerides) with a protein coating called chylomicrons. The protein coating makes the fat dissolve more easily in water.

5. The chylomicrons are released into the lymphatic system -- they do not go directly into the bloodstream because they are too big to pass through the wall of the capillary.

6. The lymphatic system eventually merges with the veins, at which point the chylomicrons pass into the bloodstream.

You might be wondering why fat molecules get broken down into glycerol and fatty acids if they're just going to be rebuilt. This is because fat molecules are too big to easily cross cell membranes. So when passing from the intestine through the intestinal cells into the lymph, or when crossing any cell barrier, the fats must be broken down. But, when fats are being transported in the lymph or blood, it is better to have a few, large fat molecules than many smaller fatty acids, because the larger fats do not "attract" as many excess water molecules by osmosis as many smaller molecules would.

eagle SG

How Fat is Stored in Your Body

Chylomicrons do not last long in the bloodstream -- only about eight minutes -- because enzymes called lipoprotein lipases break the fats into fatty acids. Lipoprotein lipases are found in the walls of blood vessels in fat tissue, muscle tissue and heart muscle. The activity of lipoprotein lipases depends upon the levels of insulin in the body. If insulin is high, then the lipases are highly active; if insulin is low, the lipases are inactive.

The fatty acids are then absorbed from the blood into fat cells, muscle cells and liver cells. In these cells, under stimulation by insulin, fatty acids are made into fat molecules and stored as fat droplets.

It is also possible for fat cells to take up glucose and amino acids, which have been absorbed into the bloodstream after a meal, and convert those into fat molecules. The conversion of carbohydrates or protein into fat is 10 times less efficient than simply storing fat in a fat cell, but the body can do it. If you have 100 extra calories in fat (about 11 grams) floating in your bloodstream, fat cells can store it using only 2.5 calories of energy. On the other hand, if you have 100 extra calories in glucose (about 25 grams) floating in your bloodstream, it takes 23 calories of energy to convert the glucose into fat and then store it. Given a choice, a fat cell will grab the fat and store it rather than the carbohydrates because fat is so much easier to store.

It is important to note that as your body stores more fat, the number of fat cells remains the same; each fat cell simply gets bigger.

Hormones That Act Opposite to Insulin
When you are not eating, your body is not absorbing food. If your body is not absorbing food, there is little insulin in the blood. However, your body is always using energy; and if you're not absorbing food, this energy must come from internal stores of complex carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Under these conditions, various organs in your body secrete hormones:

pancreas - glucagon
pituitary gland - growth hormone
pituitary gland - ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone)
adrenal gland - epinephrine (adrenaline)
thyroid gland - thyroid hormone

These hormones act on cells of the liver, muscle and fat tissue, and have the opposite effects of insulin.

How Your Body Breaks Down Fat

When you are not eating, or you are exercising, your body must draw on its internal energy stores of complex carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Your body's prime source of energy is glucose. In fact, some cells in your body, such as brain cells, can get energy only from glucose.

The first line of defense in maintaining energy is to break down carbohydrates, or glycogen, into simple glucose molecules -- this process is called glycogenolysis. Next, your body breaks down fats 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 through a multi-step process called gluconeogenesis. In gluconeogenesis, amino acids can also be used to make glucose.

In the fat cell, other types of lipases work to break down fats into fatty acids and glycerol. These lipases are activated by various hormones, such as glucagon, epinephrine and growth hormone. The resulting glycerol and fatty acids are released into the blood, and travel to the liver through the bloodstream. Once in the liver, the glycerol and fatty acids can be either further broken down or used to make glucose.

eagle SG

Common FAQs

Q. I have been eating 1500-1800 calories a day, I now understand this is wrong. How much should I eat and what results should I expect?

A. One of the simpler algorithms to find your cutting calories is to multiply your bodyweight by 15 to get an approximation of your maintenance calories, then subtract 500 to get your cutting calories. So a 200 lb man would have a maintenance calorie level of 3,000 calories, and can lose weight on 2400-2600 calories a day. If you've been under eating (starving) for a prolonged amount of time, you may gain weight when you begin to eat more. Don't get discouraged and keep eating. Treat your body good, give it fuel to run off of. The only time this formula does not work is when you are extremely overweight, in which case I would not recommend ever trying to cut on more than 3,000 calories (and never less than 1800).

Q. Should I just do cardio and cardio only until I lose the weight?

A. No. You might lose a lot of weight by doing just cardio, but you will be losing muscle in the process. Lifting weights is the only true way to transform your bodie's shape. By lifting weight you will retain and possibley put on muscle, thereby increasing your metabolism, making it easier to burn fat, and improving your physical appearance. Lifting weights should be your priority, cardio can come second.

Q. I am 250+ pounds, and am about to spend a zillion dollars on supplements, is this a good plan?

A. Absolutely not. You do not need to spend money on supplements/thermogenics at this point in time. The only supplements recommended to newbies are the following:
- Whey Protein for after intense workouts
- Multivitamins
- Fish Oil (Essential Fatty ascids, this is a general health issue that can help spur fat loss)

Q. So what am I supposed to be eating?

A. Wholesome unprocessed foods. Now that you're ready to start losing fat the "right way", you are going to make a new dedication to learning about nutrition. YOU (not me, nor this post, nor anyone on this message board) are going to spend time searching the forums and the internet for information on how to eat properly. In general you will be eating things like chicken, tuna, brown rice, yams, walnuts, and other tasty treats, but the topic of nutrition and food choices is much too large to answer in this FAQ.

Q. Cardio fasted in the morning is better?

A. I don't know, I don't care, it's been argued to death and no one can agree on one answer. The fact that you DO the cardio is much more important than WHEN.

Q. I don't have a gym membership, what do I do?

A. Get one, it is the most important and rewarding investments you will ever make in your life. Scrounge up change, bring back cans to the store, or beg on the streets if you have to. Get over your social axieties. Go to the gym and lift weights there. They have all of the equipment you need. While you're there, see about getting a personal trainer for a few sessions. A personal trainer will help you get started in the world of weight lifting, they will watch your form and give you a basic plan you can start with.

Q. Is it true that I only want to lose 2 pounds a week?

A. Absolutely, anything more than that is unhealthy. The only time this rule does not apply is when you are very over weight (280+lbs), in which case, losing 1% of your total bodyweight per week is completely acceptable.

Q. What's a refeed? How do they compare to a cheat?

A. A refeed day is one day a week where you eat a surplus of calories. This does not mean you get to binge out on pizza, and it does not mean you can stuff your face all day long either. What this means is that you eat the same foods you normally eat only in a greater quantity. This will help keep your muscle full of glycogen, and help keep hormone and metabolism levels normal. Cheats are "dirty" refeeds, and include things like pizza and icecream. Avoid meals like these at all costs.

Q. My schedule makes it hard to eat 6 meals a day, are protein bars or protein shakes okay?

A. No. Protein bars are nothing more than glorified candy, and protein shakes by themselves do not constitute as a "meal". I don't care how crazy or hard your schedule is, there is a way for you to scarf down a 3.5oz piece of chicken on organic whole wheat bread in a dark corner when no one is looking. You must eat real food. If it tastes like chocolate, it's probably not the best thing to be eating. Also please mind not to eat too much protein (see the answer about nutrition).

Q. How can I stay motivated?

A. There are NUMEROUS ways to help stay motivated. Something that I found helpful was keeping a log of my weekly weight in my signature here on the forums, between that and posting with other people in similar situations, my motivation has stayed on track. Other things you may want to try is starting a "weight loss journal" on the board here so people can help motivate you and discuss your regimin with you, or you can try making a goal sheet. Lifequest did a wonderful job of explaining them here.

Q. Now what? Where do I go from here?

A. Now you lose the fat. You do it the smart way. Most of all, and I can not stress this enough, you will dedicate a few minutes of your time each night to studying nutrition, fitness, and fat loss. You will become great friends with search engines like http://www.google.com and you will become acquainted with the searching mechanisms here on the board as well as on the bodybuilding.com supersite.

Q. What should I eat before a workout? What should I eat after a workout?

A. Pre and Post workout nutrition are a large topic, have been heavily debated, and already have a wealth of resources available. In the very least, you want to have some whey protein after your workout, but this topic does a much better job explaining

Q: I just got invited to a wedding -- what's the easiest way that I can lose 50 pounds in six weeks?

A. You can't. You should have thought of this 6 months in advance, not 6 weeks.

Q: Can I lose fat without lifting weights? I'm afraid that I'll get too big if I do.

A. It takes many years of hard work and dedication to get "big". I assure you that you would not be able to get "too big" if you TRIED.

Q: I'm 5'11" and 140 pounds, and I can't get rid of this gut. Help!

A. Eating healthy, eating more, and lifting weights will correct your problem. You do not want to lose weight, you want to gain it. If you continue eating a reduced calorie diet your belly will never go away.

Q: I’m impatient and won’t listen I only want to gain muscle and lose fat, what is the best way to do this??

A. By dieting and exercising. As a "newbie" weight lifter, you will lose fat and gain muscle at the same time for approximately 6 months. Consider it your weight lifting honeymoon. After which time, it's either one or the other and there is no in between.

Q: My friend eats pizza and deep fried ice-cream all day and doesn’t lift and he is 6% bf and huge, why can’t I just do what he does? It works for him!!

A. Because he has different genetics than you. Some people are just "born beautiful". It's okay to hate them, I know I do. It's just important that you understand what works for them won't work for you, and you are going to have to work a lot harder at it than they do.

Q: Wait?? Eating more=fat loss? I don’t believe you

A. If you don't believe it, go look at 90% of anorexic people. They have puffy cheeks, terrible skin quality, and a puffy pot belly. I don't think that's how you'd like to look, I know I wouldn't.

Q: OMG I cheated this weekend and I’m 5 lbs up on the scale I’m ruined!!!

A. Yes, you are ruined. Well, maybe not That five pounds is mostly "water weight" which boils down to water retention and more blood from the increased food ingestion. But don't kid yourself, part of that cheat was converted to fat, just not all five pounds.

Q: I don’t want to drink water because it makes me look bloated

A. The more water you drink, the less water your body will retain. The best cure for water retention and bloating is to drink more water.

Q: Why should I supplement EFA’s, I don’t want to get fat and fat makes you fat

A. Dietary fat does not make you fat. ONLY a surplus of calories can make you fat. Fat is actually very healthy and needs to be part of your diet.

Q: Why would you want to do 40/40/20 if carbs and fat make you fat, shouldn’t you just eat protein like on atkins?!?!

A. Atkins diet involves eating a lot of fat. You should read the book he wrote before making wild assumptions. Fat and or carbs do not make you fat, only a surplus of calories will make you fat.

Q: All this stuff seems like it’s directed at men, I’m a woman, I don’t want to look like olga the war beast, I just want to be slim and fit, does all of this apply to me?

A. Women do not have the hormones necessary to get big and bulky and would not be able to get that way even if they tried. The only exception being women who use steroids. All of this advice given on this website applies to both men and women.

Q: I was 250lbs 35% bf now I’m 165 20% bf, what happened?? How do I get to 8% body fat?

A. Spend time researching nutrition and fitness, and restructure your fitness program. If you are in this situation either your diet was horrible or your did not lift weights, or both. Fix these things to fix the situation.

Q. What about fat-loss supplements? What is this ephedrine/EC stuff and is it safe for me to take? How much should I take?

A. You're talking about the very popular EC stack (Ephedrine and Caffiene). While for the most part this thermogenic is safe, it can be dangerous especially if you have high blood pressure or other heart related problems. If you insist on using it, start your dosing very low to see how your body reacts. Typical dosing for an EC stack is 25mg Ephedrine and 200mg Caffiene with an optional 320mg Aspirin, 3 times a day. Some people will take as much as 50mg of Ephedrine in each dose. When starting ephedrine, start slowly with just one dose of 12mg per day and work your way up. It's important to note that even though you will build a tolerance to the jitters/energy it gives, it's fat burning effects will still be present.