Stubborn Fats?!

Have you ever felt like your diet isn’t working? or your workout routine is not helping you to look fit neither lose weight? That because something you are following is wrong and lead to the accumulation of STUBBORN FAT!!!

Fats in our body

To start I need first to explain fats biology. Fats in our body is either visceral, meaning fats that are around our organs. It is the fats that protect and cover our organs. It is hard meaning you cannot pinch it 😉 As sometimes they call it TOFI, stand for “Thin Outside Fat Inside”. You can look skinny with flat tummy but still have a lot of visceral fats. Obviously, it is not good to have a lot of it as it has impacts health negatively. Anyhow, it is not the stubborn fat. The stubborn fat are fats that lies underneath the skin, it is what you can pinch ;). Known as subcutaneous fat.

When we overeat, most of the excess turns to fat. Then, it goes to the stores. As result, fat cells increases in number, if the individual is in his/her growing years (puberty). The number of fat cells in the body does not change, as as you reach the adulthood. Or it increases in much slower rates . The sizes of these cells mainly change. To a great degree, our lifestyle what really impacts our fat stores and where they are distributed. However, you probably noticed for women, that the thighs, arms (apple shape). Whereas, men prefer storing fat in their bellies more than women. And that probably because of the stubborn fat. They are often called trouble/problem areas

But what makes these fats stubborn?!!

What is stubborn fats?

Both, visceral and subcutaneous fat are biologically different. I mean they respond to the burning activity differently. Fats has 2 receptors that interacts with different hormones and this what makes one stubborn and the other is not. The receptors are either alpha or beta. Keeping it simple, alpha are the receptors that slow the fat loss and beta is the opposite. So fats with more alpha receptors are stubborn that inhibits fat loss (trouble areas have more alpha). They are mainly the subcutaneous fat.

As mentioned, fats receptors can interact with hormones that has an effect on fat release/ store. Insulin as example is a hormone that favor fat storage. On the other hand, adrenaline pushes fats out of the cells. There are other hormones that do have an impact in making the fat stubborn or not like estrogen (favor fat storage), and that what makes women more susceptible to weight gain. and thyroid hormones (favor fat release).

So simply, what makes fat stubborn is the dominance of alpha and beta receptors along with their interactions and the availability of certain hormones. By the way, Stubborn fat can be lost, it is just a little tricky 😉

Losing fat

Fat cells are there to store fats. As I mentioned, the number of fat cells in your body is fixed as you reach adulthood. So if you eat more than your needs, most of the excess will be stored in fat cells, causing it to expand in size (NOT NUMBER). And to lose this excess… You have to make your body understands that you need to burn these stores…. Whether by exercise, fasting, sleeping… will be talked about in other posts 😉

Anyhow, to burn fat, it get through LIPOLYSIS (breaking down of fats). First, cells releases fats. And then it gets carried via bloodstream to another cell to get burned (fat oxidation). However, it not always burnt … it could be stored again :o… and that depends on how you built your body so far, your hormones, your activity, metabolism etc….

Your body burns what is available to it. Meaning, if you give it carbs; it will burn carbs. And same goes for the protein and fats. But you can’t think like that all the time since food can be a mixture of all !! since we already know that insulin loves storing fat… you cannot depend on carbs in your diet. Moreover, if you read “How protein boost your metabolism” you’ll know that protein increases fat oxidation (fat burning).

Possible causes

In the book “Lose Weight Here: The Metabolic Secret to Target Stubborn Fat and Fix Your Problem Areas”, by Dr. Jade Teta and Dr. Keoni Teta, they said that what really makes you build all those stubborn fats is dieting. As a consequence, ruins your metabolism. When you follow a certain diet, normally (eat less and exercise more), you are actually lowering your metabolic rate (slow burning). This advice that we’ve been following for years, is putting our body in hormonal imbalances. Which in return, have an impact on hunger hormones and fat burning hormones that certainly will favor fat storage over its release.

The authors added that the first thing you need to do to lose weight in a way that you can maintain it for loooooong run is to correct your metabolism along with balancing your hormones. and of course, exercising, fasting, sleeping … All will help in losing your fat stores.

Age, lifestyle choices, and metabolic rate can further exacerbate the issue as well.

In Conclusion,

Conquering stubborn fats requires a holistic approach that combines a healthy diet, regular exercise, and mindful lifestyle choices. Remember, true success lies in perseverance, consistency, and embracing a positive mindset throughout the journey. So, stay dedicated, be kind to yourself, and watch those stubborn fats gradually fade away, revealing a leaner, healthier you.