Fat Loss Myths Debunked

I wanted to write and vent a little of my frustration and maybe provide a bit of information. On the topic of weight loss there really is no magic pill, no diet that will shed pounds and inches over night. From a science perspective it comes down to calories in and calories out. If you consume more than you expend you gain, sounds simple and also provides a mechanism for success. Every pound of fat is about 3500 calories of excess energy that your body has stored away. To lose the extra baggage you have to create a caloric deficit of this exact amount.

Where most go wrong though is to create caloric deficits via restricted diets. This does not provide long term success and can actually have the opposite effect by making your % body fat increase. When we restrict calories our body responds by trying to conserve energy dense reserves aka fat. Every gram of fat has 9 kcal per gram versus 4 kcal per gram in carbs or protein thus making an ideal energy source to store for the body.

Caloric restrictions via diet alone can result in the following weight loss percentages:

• A caloric deficit of 300 calories = 90% fat 10% muscle loss
• A caloric deficit of 800 calories = 70% fat 30% muscle loss
• A caloric deficit of 1200 calories = 50% fat 50% muscle loss

Contrary to popular beliefs no amount of protein can prevent this mechanism as excess proteins are simply excreted out. Over time, diet alone will result in a higher % body fat even if your weight remains the same. You end up simply becoming "skinny fat" and lacking muscular development.

Further, every pound of muscle requires 50-60 calories a day to maintain it structure and meet its working demands. Here is where success can be found. If we simply increase our lean body mass (muscle mass) by 7 pounds in 10 days we would be naturally burning off approx. 1 pound of fat.

Lastly, the final mechanism lies in Beta Oxidation. This is our fat metabolism and it is a system that requires training just like a muscle to function better. Beta oxidation only occurs as the primary energy provider during activity levels that fall between 40-55% of you maximal heart rate (220 - your age). To use fat for energy it first requires some to mobilize the fat out of storage. Our bodies contain an enzyme called "Hormone Sensitive Lipase" and this guy is responsible for cleaving off the backbones of triglycerides in storage to create free fatty acids in our blood stream and thus energy. Problem is our body’s ratio of HSL is about 500:1. That is 500 guys that want to store fat and 1 guy that wants to burn it.

If we were to take two individuals, one trained and one untrained, but both doing exactly the same thing like sitting on a couch watching TV. The trained person will be burning about 70% fat and 30% carbs while the untrained person would be burning 40% fat and 60% carbs. The difference seen is in the ratios discussed above.