Fatty, Fat, Fat

Fat. It’s the word that women loathe.

Why, because it defines us, makes us self-conscious and damn, it’s just an ugly word.

But what do you actually know about the fat on our bodies? Apart from the fact you can pinch it with your fingers and it makes babies look cute!

So we can cut through the fat (wink!), here are 8 fatty facts we all need answering.

1. When You Lose Weight, Where Does the Fat Go?

When a person loses weight, as long as he or she isn’t starving, the body literally absorbs the fat. Our amazing metabolisms have the ability to convert fat into carbohydrates that can be used as energy and metabolises it into carbon dioxide, water, and heat. Amazing, huh?

2. Can Eating Certain Foods Help You Shed Fat? 

While it seems silly, eating can actually help you burn fat and shed weight “” if you pick the right foods, that is.

Foods that are high in protein, such as lean meats, eggs, nuts, and legumes, take more work to break down, so your body has to work harder (and burn more calories) to digest them. 

3. Does Muscle Really Weigh More Than Fat?

This weight-loss cliché comes up over and over again, and the short answer is: yes. The difference is that muscle is much denser and more compact than fat. If you were to compare one cubic inch of muscle with one cubic inch of fat, the muscle would indeed be heavier. 

4. Does Muscle Actually Burn More Calories Than Fat?

This question sounds like a weight-loss myth, but it is, in fact, true. Muscle is designed for movement, so it burns energy at a higher rate than fat, which is used to store or conserve energy. 

5. What is the Best Exercise For Burning Fat? 

There really is no ‘best exercise’ for burning fat. However, the type of exercise that will burn the most calories is a workout that makes a muscle work so hard that it has to struggle to find enough calories in the bloodstream to continue performing.

Jogging, circuit training, and running up stairs are all good examples.

6. Is It More Dangerous to Have Belly Fat?

Anyone who has struggled with weight likely has a problem zone where extra kilograms tend to pack on. While this spot varies by individual, women tend to accumulate fat on the hips and the waist, whereas men more commonly store fat in their abdominal region.

Belly fat is thought to be particularly dangerous. Research has shown that this extra fat around internal organs is a bigger health hazard than weight gain in other areas. Not only does a larger waist circumference account for the increase chance of type 2 diabetes, it can lead to heart disease.

7. Is All Fat Bad?

The answer is no. Your body contains two types of fat cells “” white and brown “” both with vastly different purposes. The job of a white fat cell is to store fat calories for future use. White fat grows when we eat more calories.

The job of a brown fat cell is to generate heat. To do that, the cells store fat temporarily so that it can be used as a fuel source.

8. Does Fat Have a Taste?

Funnily enough, fat may, in fact, have its own unique taste. For years, it was believed that fat only added texture to foods, acting as a carrier of taste, but new research reveals that fat may have a taste! Gross!