How food turns into fat: no, carbohydrates and sugar do not go into fat - 6 myths

How much fat do we need?

This table shows generally accepted body fat percentages for men and women.

Essential fat is the minimum you need to survive. For this reason, bodybuilders dry their bodies to this point only before competition. The rest of the time, they maintain a higher percentage of fat so as not to undermine their health and train effectively.

• If you're trying to be thin, aim for an athletic body fat percentage.
• If you want to look healthy and fit, aim for an athletic body fat percentage.

If your body fat percentage is approaching the maximum permissible value for a normal physique or falls into the obesity category, you would do well to reduce this figure.

How does adipose tissue work?

This is Article #2 Article #1: “Does our body need fat?” Article No. 3: “Each person has his own amount of fat”

The average adult body contains from 10 to 30 billion fat cells, and in the body of obese people their number can reach 100 billion. The number of fat cells can increase if for a long time the amount of energy entering the body (from food) exceeds the energy consumed (for the body's needs). Unfortunately, the reverse process is not provided - even the most strict diet will not get rid of existing fat cells, but will only reduce their volume, which means that when you return to high-calorie foods, they will gain their weight again.

Where and what kind of fat occurs?

The entire fat mass is usually divided into three layers, which differ from each other not only in location, but also in the characteristics of metabolism.

The 1st layer is the most superficial . This is subcutaneous fatty tissue. Located between the skin and the muscle sheath. The harmony of the outlines and proportions of the figure depends on its condition. It is located on all parts of the body without exception, varying significantly in density and thickness. It is in this layer that cellulite can occur.

The amount of the first layer is determined by the thickness of the fat fold. You can perform a simple pinch test yourself. With two fingers in a standing position, grab a layer of fat where you want, for example, on the stomach. The distance between the fingers will characterize the thickness of the surface layer of fat. Getting rid of fat deposits in this layer is easier than getting rid of fat from other localizations. Therefore, if the distance between your fingers reaches a significant size, you can rejoice - this fat, most likely, can be “melted” quite easily.

The 2nd layer is deep , located under the muscular fascia (connective tissue membrane that forms muscle sheaths), as if between the muscles. The main feature of this layer is that it is little susceptible to reduction with general weight loss. Intense and irregular physical activity interspersed with periods of overeating contribute to the deposition of fat between the muscles.

The 3rd layer is internal (visceral) , located inside the abdominal cavity. Severe hypertrophy of this layer is more typical for men, which is expressed in the form of large, convex, elastic bellies. With the well-known “beer belly” syndrome, the layer of fat between the fingers during the pinch test can reach only 2 cm, therefore, the bulk of the fat deposits is the fat of the 3rd, deep layer.

Places of deposition

Men and women have different distributions of body fat. As a rule, in the fair half of humanity, excess calories are sent to the thighs and buttocks, while in men, fat accumulates in the abdominal area . By the way, it is this type of fat deposits that is considered the most dangerous , since visceral fat surrounds the abdominal organs and can lead to disruptions in the most important functions of our body.

For our body, fat is a reserve source of fuel. When we need extra energy, our body converts fat into free fatty acids, which are sent to the liver for further processing into energy. When there is too much fat in the body, the liver can no longer process fatty acids and begins to store them for future use. This brings with it a whole host of problems, including fatty liver, insulin resistance and diabetes.

It is important to know that fat that accumulates in the abdominal area is much more dangerous than that accumulated in the thighs. At the same time, despite all the beliefs of doctors, women are more likely to worry about extra centimeters on their hips, using every conceivable way to get rid of it. For men, excess weight poses a great threat due to the fact that fat is deposited precisely in the waist area. But representatives of the stronger sex are much less likely to worry about problems with their figure than women.

What are the types of fat?

In all mammals, adipose tissue is represented by two types - white and brown.

Let's look first at white adipose tissue. The functions of white adipose tissue are diverse.

• Thermal insulation.
• Mechanical protection (shock softening).
• Storage of energy in the form of fat.

The body uses carbohydrates as the main source of energy, but cannot create a significant reserve of them. When the body has used up all the carbohydrates that came with food, it begins to break down glycogen, which is located in the muscles and liver. Thus, it receives the necessary glucose - a source of energy. But with increased consumption, glycogen reserves quickly run out, then the body begins to consume fats, breaking them down into glucose.

• Production of a whole range of substances - regulators. In particular, adipose tissue is capable of synthesizing estrogen - female sex hormones. This function of adipose tissue is especially important during menopause . Therefore, the problem of excess weight in women after forty years should be approached with the utmost caution. An additional source of hormones can soften the course of menopause, reduce the leaching of calcium from bones, and reduce the risk of cancer. Therefore, if this is your age period and you have decided to seriously lose fat mass, consult a gynecologist-endocrinologist about hormone replacement therapy.

• Some toxic substances (pesticides and other poisons contained in food and water) are retained in adipose tissue. There is an opinion that cellulite is a way to protect internal organs from final and not very useful metabolic products. Thus, when we remove waste from adipose tissue of cellulite

Brown adipose tissue is localized between the shoulder blades, near the kidneys and thyroid gland. A child in the womb has a lot of it. After birth, its quantity decreases significantly. The main function of brown adipose tissue is to maintain body temperature, although its functions are currently not fully understood.

Composition of adipose tissue

Adipose tissue consists of fat cells - adipocytes , located in groups in loose connective tissue. "Adipo" means "fat" in Latin. The adipocyte consists of one large drop of fat, pushing the nucleus and other organs of the cell to the periphery. The amount of fat in white adipose tissue can reach up to 85%. An unpleasant property of adipocytes is their ability to quickly increase in volume. Their diameter can increase by 27–40 times.

vessels in adipose tissue, but every healthy fat cell is in contact with at least one capillary. Thus, various substances enter the cell and decay products are removed. With obesity and cellulite, not all cells are connected to capillaries, which leads to adipose tissue being clogged with metabolic products.

Read further: Article No. 3: “Each person has his own amount of fat”

Body weight is not the most important indicator when assessing the condition of a figure. The percentage of body fat is a more accurate guideline, and it differs from person to person, and its fluctuations are quite significant. This figure can be 7-10% in malnourished people or athletes, and can reach 50% or more of total body weight. Women have a higher percentage of body fat than men. This is due to the fact that representatives of the stronger sex have more developed muscles, and their bones are thicker and denser.

More articles in the series about adipose tissue:

Article #1: “Does our body need fat?” Article No. 2: “How adipose tissue works”

What does this or that percentage of body fat look like?

Men:

nerdfitness.com

Women:

nerdfitness.com

It is important to understand that body fat percentage only reflects the amount of fat and has nothing to do with muscle mass. Two people with the same body fat percentage but different muscle mass will look completely different.

How to measure body fat percentage

There are seven main methods, varying in accuracy, simplicity and cost.

Visual method

It consists of comparing yourself to the pictures above and determining who you are approximately similar to. A very inaccurate method.

Using a caliper

Pull back the skin with subcutaneous fat, grab it with a caliper and find the percentage of fat corresponding to the caliper readings in the table. As a rule, calipers show a lower percentage of body fat than it actually is.

Using the formula

For example, you can use the US Navy formula or the YMCA formula. This method usually errs on the big side.

Using electrical monitors

A weak electrical current is passed through the body, and then a “biometric resistance” is analyzed. As practice has shown, this method gives very inaccurate results.

With Bod Pod System

Using a special device, the air displaced by the body is measured, and based on the data obtained, the mass of the body, its volume and density are calculated. This method is considered very accurate, but expensive.

Water displacement method

Very accurate (with an error of only 1–3%), but expensive, complex and inconvenient method.

DEXA scan

This method is considered the most accurate and consists of a complete study of body composition using x-rays. It is also a very expensive method.

Whatever method you choose, try to take measurements at the same time and under similar conditions: for example, on a certain day of the week, in the morning, on an empty stomach. Even if the data obtained is inaccurate, you will be able to understand whether progress is being made.

How to reduce body fat percentage

Calorie deficit

Spend more than you consume. But keep in mind that if you do not do strength training and limit yourself in carbohydrates, then along with fat you will lose muscle mass. This is not the best way, but fat loss is guaranteed.

Pull the iron

When you train with weights (as well as intense bodyweight training), you maintain muscle mass, but also speed up your metabolism and achieve the afterburn effect, where calories continue to be burned after the end of the workout.

Sprinting

Sprints also cause a calorie burn effect.

Eat no more than 100 g of carbohydrates per day

By limiting yourself in carbohydrates, you deprive the body of its favorite source of energy. In this case, he has to extract it from fat reserves.

Train on an empty stomach

Your first meal will be only after training. Hard, but effective.

Bloated belly

Although bloating (a feeling of fullness) and distension (a temporary increase in abdominal girth) are not associated with fat deposits, both of these conditions are signs of poor digestion that can eventually lead to fat deposits.

An enlarged belly caused by indigestion can be easily eliminated by following a special diet.

Most often, this problem occurs due to increased gas formation and/or due to disruption of the muscles of the digestive system. The most severe bloating can be observed immediately after eating. At night, bloating rarely occurs.

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If your belly is enlarged due to bloating, you do not need to do any special exercise to relieve the problem. Just stay active, eat healthy, eat foods that help improve digestion, and reduce the amount of dairy and gluten in your diet that can make bloating worse.