Is Weight Everything?
What is Fat?
Fat forms between 18-25% of our body mass. There are many different types of fat, all performing many different bodily functions. Essential fatty acids and fat for energy cannot be made by the body but must be supplied from food. Because of this, it is vital that the body can store fat to provide a continuous supply and keep a store of energy for emergencies.
What's Good About It?
Fat protects the body, especially the essential organs such as the kidneys. It also provides insulation, is a valuable source of energy and is how the body stores up energy supplies, so it is no surprise that starvation diets leave you feeling exhausted. Fats are used to form our body cells, are essential for regulating metabolism and assist in hormone production to help balance body fluid levels, combat stress and most importantly, stimulate sexual urges! Fat is also required to absorb and transport vitamins A, D, E and K, essential for anything from blood clotting to wound healing. In cave man times, food was very hard to come by so we needed a lot of motivation to go out and get it. Fat improves the taste and texture of foods and releases endorphins in the brain that provide pleasurable sensations and this makes us want to seek out food and eat it. Essential in cave man times but unfortunately for us in today’s easy access world, leads to over indulgence.
What's Bad About It?
A diet high in unsaturated fats and trans-fatty acids combined with a sedentary lifestyle will not just cause problems with your weight, it also greatly influences your overall health.It can lead to low energy and metabolism rates, poor skin and complexion, water retention and bloating, mood swings, sluggish digestion, excessive sweating and puts a real strain on your vital organs, increasing the risk of many diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Research by the Japan Obesity Association demonstrated how the risk of lifestyle related disease such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes increased when visceral fat, the fat found in the abdomen and surrounding internal vital organs exceeds normal percentage levels.
Fat. Calories and Energy
When it comes to weight loss, the poor old calorie has become the main target of hate. In fact a calorie is just a unit of measurement – 1 calorie = 1 unit of energy so theoretically, the more calories you consume, the more energetic you should feel, which in turn burns more calories. Low calorie intake leads to a drop in metabolic rate, leaving you feeling exhausted. This in turn can reduce activity levels dramatically, resulting in weight gain as less calories, stored as fat are utilized. Although excessive calorie intake with little active calorie output is an important aspect of weight gain, as we have already said, in the real world things are slightly more complicated. The key is balancing your energy demands with your calorie intake and low calorie diets generally cannot do this, leaving you feeling tired, demoralized and craving for high fat foods.
Fats are a much more concentrated source of energy than carbohydrates, 1 gram = 9 calories so if we are feeling run-down or just fed-up and need a boost, foods high in fat become the obvious choice. Be honest, after a stressful day would you reach for a low fat yoghurt or a big bowl of full fat vanilla ice cream? Unfortunately, this yo-yo quick fix habit of boosting low energy with high fat food can ultimately result in further drops in energy, leaving you craving for fat even more. As the weight piles on, confidence and self-esteem falls, you become less sociable, less active and fatty foods become your comforting mood boosting friend. If you try to loose weight by cutting down on high calorie foods, your dependency on fat for energy and pleasure fixes are too high to keep away those cravings and once again the diet gets shelved for a big bowl of chips.
Keeping the balance between fat, calories and energy a healthy one is a major component in maintaining good health and weight and fortunately, with the right information and a bit of support, it is not that difficult to implement.
Getting the Balance Right
Hopefully by now you will understand that fat is an important part of your nutritional needs but it is the type of fat and quantity you consume that influences your health. For example, cholesterol is an essential body building component, transported to all your bodily cells via the blood. But if there is an imbalance between LDL and HDL cholesterol types, fatty deposits can build up on artery walls or create clots and this can reduce your activity ability and greatly increase your risk of developing heart disease.
When losing weight, it is important to make sure that the weight loss is coming from fat loss and not from muscle wasting or fluid loss. The aim is to increase your lean body mass while reducing your body fat to a safe level below 25% of your overall body weight. Fortunately body fat can now be easily measured with the help of a simple to use body fat analyzer. Monitoring your body fat percentage and your BMI as part of your weight loss programme makes it easier to achieve good health and increased energy through fat reduction. Not only that, watching the figures fall is a great motivator to carry on and is extremely empowering. At last, you can be in control, do you want another cream bun or another body fat percentage drop? You choose.