Types of Fat

So, let’s talk about fat – there are many types of fat, some essential for our body, and some that are bad for our body. No matter what type of fat – we still want to get rid of the fat that is on our body. Let’s first discuss the types of fat, and if they are beneficial or harmful to our health. Then we will talk about the lies/myths that people believe about fat.

1. White – This is the type of fat that we think of when we talk about body fat percentage, or someone talks about being in fat burning mode. This is also the fat that causes health problems when we get too much of it. You may have heard of the term visceral fat – this is the white fat that is known as “belly fat”. This is the type of fat that is stored in the abdomen and surrounds all the major organs. This type of fat is extremely dangerous to your health as it increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, hormone imbalances and some others.
2. Brown – This is the type of fat found primarily in babies, even though adults do have a small amount of brown fat. What is interesting about brown fat that it burns fatty acids to keep you warm.
3. Essential – This is the type of fat that is necessary for us to be healthy. This fat is found in our brain, nerves, membranes and bone marrow. Our brain is after all more than 60% fat. Essential fats main responsibility is hormone regulation, so if you don’t have enough essential fats you may have problems with your hormones.
4. Subcutaneous – This is the type of fat that is stored directly under the skin. It is the type of fat you can pinch – as in “pinch more than an inch”. Some subcutaneous fat is normal and healthy, but too much can lead to health problem such as imbalanced hormones.

Okay, let’s talk about some of the lies/myths that people believe about fat.

1. You can melt fat by doing ab exercises – Yes, ab exercises are important, but they won’t melt your belly fat. What they will do is build the muscles in your core underneath your fat, but in order to make those muscles visible you will need to lose some belly fat – that means a change in your diet.
2. Cardio is the best way to lose weight/fat – Keep this in mind; that you can’t out exercise a bad diet. With this in mind certain types of exercise will help lose the belly fat. Just jogging or walking won’t do it very effectively. Incorporating HIIT (high intensity interval training) will help to target the belly fat.
3. Certain foods or drinks can melt body fat – Certain drinks or foods can promote body fat loss, but none that will specifically melt body fat. Certain diets have been shown to help reduce belly fat – the Keto diet, diets high in fiber, and the Mediterranean diet.
4. Avoiding foods high in fat will help you lose fat – This will depend on what type of fat – if the fat is healthy fat such as that found in olive oil, coconut oil, almonds, walnuts, or avocados’ – consuming healthy fats in moderation will help to lose weight.
5. Low fat foods or dairy is good for you – Many low-fat foods actually are higher in sugar or salt. Sugar and salt are what makes people gain weight, not fat. There is nothing wrong with consuming healthy fat in moderation.
6. Caffeine boosts weight loss – There is nothing wrong with a little caffeine! One or two cups of coffee a day is fine. However, it’s when you over-consume coffee that you run into problems.
7. Drinking Green Tea melts fat – Green Tea is a good thing to drink, especially if you drink it in place of soda or alcohol. It has properties that will boost your metabolism; but that alone will not be enough to melt body fat.
8. Eating less will melt fat – Eating less is always a good thing. However the problem is that if you are not eating foods that are nutritionally dense you could damage your health. This is because if you are going hungry, thinking you will lose weight, it will have the opposite effect. Your body will hold onto fat instead of melting it, the opposite of what you want.
9. Lemon water melts belly fat – In reality, it’s probably just that you are drinking water in the first place. Drinking water will help suppress hunger. And if you drink more water you will not be as hungry and your body will be more hydrated.
10. All calories are created equal – 100 calories of cookies, 100 calories of soda or 100 calories of broccoli? Which is the best for you, which will fill you up the most, and most of all, which is the most nutritionally dense.

There are more myths and false lies out there, I felt that I would cover the most common ones. You are probably wondering “just how do I melt the fat then?” There are various ways, they all involve changes in how you eat. The basics are; quit eating foods that are not nutritionally dense such as pizza, muffins, cookies and fried food. Start eating lean proteins, healthy fats and lots of vegetables. Stop eating fried foods. Even then, much of the foods today are not as nutritionally dense as they used to be. So it is best to supplement with a good multi-vitamin, at a minimum.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the content of this article. If you would like any recommendations on what to eat to lose weight, or any vitamin information, please do not hesitate to reach out. I look forward to helping you in any way I can with your health.