Eat Fat to Lose Fat

* Fat is a lipotropic agent. Lipotropic compounds are substances that help increase the breakdown of fats during metabolism, reducing the excess fat build up on the liver and other tissues. Without a proper intake of fat from the diet, the bodies internal physiology will shift into deprivation mode. It will hold onto fat. Fat is essential for vitamin transportation, insulation, joint lubrication, metabolic metabolism, energy, brain health. 

* Eat fat to lose weight. In order for the body to release fat from storage there must be enough fat coming in from dietary sources. When dietary fat enters the blood stream, there are receptors on the cells that are alerted. This reaction causes the fat cells to open up releasing fat. The fat can then be metabolized via muscle and burned off through the mitochondria through the aerobic pathways. 

If there isn’t any fat coming into the the digestive system and into the blood, then the body will convert muscle tissue to provide energy to the body through a process known as gluconeogenesis. This is catabolic process that ends up converting muscle into sugar. During a catabolic event the body will not release fat. It is difficult for the body to metabolize sugar and fat at the same time. When there is a high concentration of sugar in the blood stream fat metabolism shuts off. So if a person doesn’t eat enough dietary fat then muscle will be consumed to provide sugar, the constant influx of sugar will keep fat metabolism turned off. A person will lose weight during the catabolic event but will not lose fat. 

Fat is one of the most misconceived nutrients.

 

MYTH: EATING FAT WILL MAKE YOU FAT. This is the farthest from the truth and makes me angry when I here people say that they don’t eat fat because they are trying to lose weight.

 

FACT: EATING HEALTHY Non-Damaged Fats. WILL PROMOTE FAT LOSS.

Another thing that rubs me the wrong way is WEIGHT LOSS. The body is not designed to lose weight. Losing cells is an aging effect that the body is trying to avoid at all costs. Losing weight simply means that a person is losing something because they get on a scale and the number drops to some silly unrealistic number. The person believes that they are healthier and more fit because they achieved their magic number. This is bogus! Forcing your body to reach a certain number is dangerous, unrealistic and ignorant. The body is designed to metabolize fat, not lose weight. Losing weight mostly means, losing muscle tissue. Muscle tissue is the only means of losing body fat. SO why do I want to lose muscle tissue? I don’t! I want to maintain or even activate more muscle tissue so that I can metabolize and regulate body fat. 

The body needs a certain percentage of body fat to be healthy. Losing too much muscle can be detrimental to good health. 

MY MOTTO: You have got to eat fat to get lean.

The best sources of fat are

*omega 3’s.

* Eggs

* Olive oil

* Mono and poly unsaturated

* ALA

* DHA

* EPA

Avoid consuming: hydrogenated fats, damaged fats, oxidized fats. These are the ones that cause problems in the body. 

Remember eating healthy fats will not cause fat gain that is a myth and people who still believe this should be tarred and feathered.

Daryl Conant, M.Ed