Understanding Body Fat Part I

Need a better understanding about body fat?

People who exercise at least four days a week tend to have their weight more evenly distributed throughout their bodies, making them less susceptible to heart conditions and diseases. For a variety of reasons including hormones and metabolic processes that affect body fat storage in particular areas of the body, when men and women first begin to gain weight, they do not store it in the same place.

An overweight male's body resembles an apple. A male's body fat is primarily stored above his waistline, known as abdominal obesity. A women's excess body fat usually lies below her waist around the hips and the buttocks, giving her a pear like body shape. When a male or female reaches a weight that would classify them an obese, the reverse body fat transformation process begins. A male's excess body fat will then begin to start storing body fat below his waist and a female's begins storing fat above the waist, in the abdominal area. This is the difference of being overweight and obese.

Metabolism is the sum total of all the chemical and physiological changes that take place within the body. This includes the transformation of food into energy, the growth and repair of muscle and bone tissue, and the creation of enzymes and hormones. The basal metabolic rate (BMR) accounts for about seventy percent of daily energy expenditures. The amount of energy required to digest and utilize food makes up to 5 to 10 percent of daily energy output, and the energy expended in physical activity uses an additional 20 to 30 percent.

I'll explain some important essentials about metabolism and describe them in detail. Fat storage began as a survival mechanism for the human body. Far are the days of hunting like our human ancestors, and food is abundant in most countries. Our early human ancestors were hunter-gatherers, there bodies had to adapt to their environments and since food was scarce, the human body evolved and started storing fat due to the infrequency of their meals. People who starve themselves or deprive themselves of meals are doing the contradicting action in trying to lose that unwanted body fat. Eating a low caloric diet has a negative long term effect of your body, and increases the likelihood of excess body fat. Your body adapts in taking little calories and the fat storage begins. This causes your metabolism to slow down and causes you to reach a plateau in which you can't lose any weight and start holding onto body fat. That being said, you have to eat a certain amount of calories per day to lose body fat and preserve your hard earned lean muscle mass. Depriving yourselves of calories you run the risk of your body sacrificing your muscles into a source of energy.

Eating the right foods can significantly increase your metabolism rate. Your diet must consist of a healthy low-glycemic nutrient dense calories to improve your bodies current BMR.

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The fear of gaining fat may have many people avoiding fats completely. This is common misconceptions that have many people avoiding foods with fat. Fat is an energy source and your body needs a certain amount to function proficiently. A deficiency of essential fatty acids can cause dry and scaly skin, dermatitis, and hair loss. Make sure to eat foods that contain mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats, not saturated fats. Cut back on saturated fats, this is a real weight gainer. You find that once you start healthy fats instead of saturated fats you begin to lose weight.

Undertanding body fat Part 2