Fat Explained: Part 1

I love learning!  I think I have more books to read about various, and mostly health-related topics, that it could take me 6 months to finish them.  My newest and most favorite book is called “Eat Smarter”, by Shawn Stevenson.   I learned about this book on Shawn’s podcast, The Model Health Show.  It’s fantastic, if you’ve never tuned in.  I thought I would share some of my new, fascinating knowledge about how our bodies use fat for fuel!  Here it goes:

• Our bodies are really good at storing away fat.  They have evolved to do this to keep us alive!  That is why it is so hard to get rid of it…
• If we understood how our bodies actually burn fat for fuel we could save ourselves a lot of frustration!
• It’s not about just burning off more calories than you take in. Your metabolism is like your fingerprint; it is unique to you. So, the big take-away is this: IT’S MUCH BIGGER THAN JUST MANAGING CALORIES!!
• Did you know that your fat is an ORGAN!!??  This blew my mind! It is very complex.  It actually communicates throughout your system.  It releases its own hormones.  It gives and receives information from all of your other cells and organs. And it acts as storage, providing resources when needed.
• Did you know that fat is necessary to make and sustain the membranes of all your cells?  Your cells would fall apart without it.
• Your brain cells are a big fan of fat.  It is about 80 percent fat!
• Fat helps our bodies absorb and utilize fat- soluble nutrients like vitamins D and A.
• It supports the functioning of our sex hormones, regulates our body temperature, and manages our immune system.

Isn’t it crazy that lots of us think fat is the enemy? When really, it has super-important jobs to do.  What’s amazing, is that our fat is responding to the communication we give it.  That’s why it’s so important to know which type of fat we are talking to.

Next time, I’ll share more about our many different types of fat cells.

If you’d like more support learning about your unique metabolism and how that effects weight-loss, reach out!  I’m here to help.

Here’s to life- long learning!

Xo,
Kate