What Happens To Body Fat When You Lose It ?
Do you know what happens to your body fat when you lose it? Read on to find out…
When we eat more energy than we burn (i.e. in a calorie surplus), our body converts this energy into stored energy or in other words as fat accumulation.
In order to lose weight, the body is required to burn more energy than consumed, or in other words energy out has to be greater than energy in (i.e. a calorie deficit). This means that with the reduction of calorie intake, and hence energy, the body will utilise stored energy or ‘fat cells’ for energy, therefore fat cells will shrink = fat loss.
Q: But what happens to body fat when you ‘lose it’? Where does it go?
For this explanation we need to get a little sciency! Adipose tissue or fats is made up of fat cells called adipocytes filled with molecules called triglycerides. When you’re trying to lose fat, you’re essentially trying to get rid of these triglycerides. High levels of these triglycerides are linked to metabolic syndrome; increasing one’s risk of cardiovascular disease (or heart disease), stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Triglycerides consist of glycerol and 3 fatty acids, containing three kinds of atoms; carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. For weight loss (i.e. reduction in fat mass) to occur, these triglycerides must be broken down into smaller particles, via many biochemical processes and enzymes, which happens via a process known as oxidation.
Q: So how is this achieved?
One effective yet simple way to oxidise these fat cells is through exercising. Exercise allows the body to ‘oxidise’ or break down triglyceride molecules to release carbon dioxide and water. In fact, the majority of adipose triglyceride is given off as CO2, and the rest is given off as water in some way – whether as urine, sweat, tears, or other bodily fluids. Although this sounds quite complex, when you break it down it’s really quite simple. Another way to think of fat metabolism is burning petrol in a car – it makes heat and drives movement, but also creates and releases waste.
Q: So here’s the next answer to your question – does breathing faster allow you to burn more fat?
In short – no, unfortunately you will just hyperventilate! The only way you can consciously increase the amount of CO2 your body is making, is by moving your muscles and making sure your breathing rate increases with it. You must trigger the same biochemical reaction, as described above, to release the fatty acids and use them as a fuel, offsetting carbon dioxide and water. Hence why working out will be more advantageous than being more sedentary, especially if losing weight (i.e. fat mass) is your goal.
Q: So here’s the next answer to your question – does breathing faster allow you to burn more fat?
In short – no, unfortunately you will just hyperventilate! The only way you can consciously increase the amount of CO2 your body is making, is by moving your muscles and making sure your breathing rate increases with it. You must trigger the same biochemical reaction, as described above, to release the fatty acids and use them as a fuel, offsetting carbon dioxide and water. Hence why working out will be more advantageous than being more sedentary, especially if losing weight (i.e. fat mass) is your goal.
Weight Reduction (i.e. in fat mass) in sports:
There are many reasons that athletes and active people may wish to reduce their body fat including improving their power to weight ratio, speed, agility, and/or endurance. Some sporting rules and/or aesthetics, may also require athletes to be of a certain body weight. Although, most
aesthetic goals do not compliment performance at all. Even if you were able to get slightly leaner to support your CrossFit and strength and conditioning goals- there still is no evidence to suggest that being a certain weight or body fat percent, will be advantageous for CrossFit. A lot of athletes put so much pressure on an arbitrary number that the fear of it changing is what they fixate on. Underfuelling in an attempt to get the weight down, isn’t going to elicit the results you want. The problem is most athletes, both Males and Females, are in a subclinical low energy available state as it is. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of not eating enough daily, coupled with high training and life stress, especially being faced with so many ‘fad’ diets that promote cutting out entire food groups (particularly carbohydrates and dairy foods). Diets that eliminate whole food groups, or that are heavily energy restricted, can negatively impact performance, impairing fueling, recovery, and preventing athletes from achieving their best during training or
competition.
Q: So how can you ensure that you are eating enough to meet your training needs?
The answer is the BiteRite app.
BiteRite creates simple, convenient, and easy to follow meal plans that take all of the guesswork out of eating well and fuelling your active lifestyle and training. Bite Rite believes in balance, sustainability, creating good habits, no fad diets, no restrictions and enjoying the food you eat.
You can have confidence in knowing your meals and meal plans are created specifically for your requirements and your goals by Accredited Sports Dietitians and Certified Nutritionist. BiteRite was created to ensure the recipes for the meal plans are balanced, simple and easy to use. Evidence based strategies have been applied to ensure the recipes are high quality in terms of meeting your protein requirements, fibre intake, and providing a host of other important nutrients such as good quality vitamins and minerals.
Here are just some of the features that Bite Rite has to offer:
● Customised recipes to help you reach your goals if that be weight loss, maintaining body weight or muscle building, taking into account your activity levels.
● Mix, match and swap and create a shopping list based on 1, 3 or 7 days based on your dietary preferences
● Qualified health professionals at your fingertips
● Chat function to provide feedback and assistance
● Access to hundreds of recipes and exclusive articles
● Weight and measurement tracking
Take Home:
Let’s shift the stigma around athlete’s body types, and instead embrace nourishment, health, and exercising for performance. After all, being smaller doesn’t make you a better athlete. It’s okay to change body composition but don’t hide it beyond the excuse of performance.
Let’s create this positive shift towards performance over aesthetics.
Start your BiteRite journey today and try out the full features of the app free for three days.