Aside from wanting to lose excess body fat to look good, there’s an important health reason why we should lose excess body fat: Excess body fat is unhealthy. The following is an excerpt from the The Simple Seven book that explains why.
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Research shows a correlation* between high belly fat and heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Knee replacement surgeries are on the rise, due to obesity and the strain on these joints of carrying extra weight from body fat. And that unwanted cellulite on our thighs isn’t just fat. It’s toxins wrapped up in fat, what our bodies do with an overload of toxins that can’t be rapidly cleared. We’re overloaded with toxins. Toxins that can damage our bodies and health.
Body fat can be unhealthy in another way.
Body fat is stored in specialized fat cells. The body maintains a fixed number of fat cells throughout our lives. To give you an idea, the body will regenerate lost fat cells after liposuction! Fat cells enlarge and shrink as their fat is stored and burned. This fat storage/burning mechanism carried our hunter-gatherer ancestors through “feast and famine.” Extra food was stored as fat when food was abundant (feast), and fat stores were burned as energy when food was scarce (famine). Our bodies still do this today.
Fat cells that are smaller are healthier.** The surrounding blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and connective tissues (that give our tissues structure), wrap around and cling to fat cells, forming a dense network. This dense network enables efficient metabolism. Arteries can easily reach fat cells and deliver a steady supply of fresh food nutrients, water, and oxygen. Veins and lymphatic vessels can easily pick up waste and carry it away. And because the connective tissue firmly holds the fat cells in place, healthy body fat appears smoother and more youthful looking.
Fat cells that are larger are unhealthy.*** Concentrations of oversized fat cells stretch out the surrounding network, making it less dense, resulting in inefficient metabolism – including burning fat! The fat cells aren’t well nourished because they’re harder to reach, further exacerbated when they’re fed processed food. Waste stagnates. Fat pokes through the connective tissue appearing dimpled and lumpy, the dreaded cellulite. Unhealthy fat creates the characteristic face and body shapes that are associated with aging: a round lower abdomen, flabby arms, and droopy cheeks.
Thin people can have unhealthy body fat. It can sag. These people might have cellulite. Fat could be hidden around their internal organs.
The bottom line is this: The body works better – we’re healthier – when we’re leaner. It goes without saying that we should love ourselves no matter how we look, but excess body fat is a health matter. And since body fat is essential for good health, the goal is to maintain a healthy amount of healthy body fat.
* Correlation does not imply causation. Having a lot of belly fat does not cause heart disease or diabetes. But the presence of a lot of belly fat suggests that another, related factor might contribute to the development of heart disease or diabetes.
** Referred to as “brown fat” by Dr. James. R. Lyons in his book, “The Brown Fat Revolution”.
*** Referred to as “yellow fat” by Dr. James. R. Lyons in his book, “The Brown Fat Revolution”.
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The Simple Seven © Marlene Veltre 2021 All rights reserved. No portion of this post may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of Marlene Veltre. The information in this post is to be used for educational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for professional medical advice or to prevent, cure, or heal any illness or disease. You should always see your doctor or health practitioner.