When it comes to weight loss, besides carbohydrates, “fat” is always an unavoidable topic.
When it comes to fat, some people are like facing a formidable enemy, fearing a little touch of it, seemingly believing that all ingested fat will eventually turn into excess body fat, hence considering it as the main factor leading to weight gain.
However, it’s interesting that high-fat diets like the Mediterranean and French diets can still have a place in the field of weight loss, so why is that?
Indeed, there are various rumors and opinions about the relationship between fat and weight loss. What is the real connection between fat and weight loss? Today, let’s unravel these mysteries together.
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Will you lose weight faster if you don’t eat fat?
If you don’t eat any fat, will you lose weight?
Absolutely avoiding fat intake may help reduce weight in the short term, but it doesn’t mean it’s a quick or healthy weight loss method; in fact, it may also have adverse effects on health.
The key to weight loss lies in energy balance – when the energy you consume is consistently lower than the energy you expend, weight will naturally decrease.
Solely reducing calories by avoiding fat intake may not be the best strategy. Because fat is not only a source of high calories, but it also carries out many important physiological functions, such as providing essential fatty acids, maintaining cell health, promoting vitamin absorption, etc.
More importantly, fat not only provides lasting satiety but also helps balance the diet structure. If the diet only consists of carbohydrates and proteins, you may quickly feel hungry, leading to frequent eating, which may increase overall calorie intake, making weight loss more challenging.
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Does sweating help in losing fat?
The phrase “sweat is the tears of fat” is widely circulated in the fitness and weight loss circles, motivating many people who want to lose weight through exercise. They often consider the amount of sweating after exercise as a direct proof of the effectiveness of weight loss. Looking at the drenched clothes after exercise, people often have an illusion as if real fat is being expelled from the body.
However, fat does not directly convert into sweat. Sweating is more of a mechanism for the body to regulate temperature. When we exercise, muscles generate heat, causing a rise in body temperature. To maintain a stable temperature at around 37°C, the body dissipates excess heat through sweating to balance internal heat.
It’s worth noting that people with more fat tend to sweat more easily because fat provides insulation and heat retention, similar to situations where wearing heavy clothing during exercise leads to sweating. In contrast, individuals with leaner body types, low fat and muscle content, generate less heat during exercise, thus they may not sweat as much.
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Why is fat said to help us control our appetite?
Although fat is high in calories, it also serves as a good assistant in controlling appetite. One gram of fat can provide 9 kcal of energy, while carbohydrates and proteins provide only 4 kcal per gram. So, why does fat aid in weight loss?
The key lies in fat’s ability to significantly enhance satiety. For those aiming to reduce fat, the most challenging part is the persistent feeling of hunger, often leading to continuous eating.
Research indicates that during the fat loss process, intake of Omega-3 fatty acids can effectively reduce appetite, enhance post-meal satiety, decrease subsequent food intake, thereby assisting in weight loss [1-2].
It’s worth noting that for overweight and obese individuals, the appetite suppression effect brought by Omega-3 fatty acids seems more pronounced [3]. Of course, this also varies based on individual health conditions and metabolic differences.
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How is fat expelled from the body?
People often say fat results from indulgence, but how does it quietly disappear? Scientific studies suggest that the lungs are the primary excretory pathway for fat breakdown products, with about 80% of fat being expelled from the body through daily breathing.
When we consume excess calories, the body converts them into triglycerides for storage. The process of losing fat mainly involves reducing these triglycerides. Triglycerides are metabolized through oxidation, meaning that every breath is helping us lose fat!
The final products of fat metabolism are carbon dioxide and water. Carbon dioxide is mainly expelled through respiration, whereas water can be expelled through respiration, sweating, urine, etc.
Specifically, 84% of the products from fat consumption are expelled through breathing, about 15% through sweating. This implies that fat reduction is actually achieved through every breath we take.
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Conclusion:
Real weight loss is a change in lifestyle. We don’t need to hold excessive fear of fat because not all fats are the “culprits” causing weight gain. For instance, omega-3 fatty acids, such high-quality fats, not only bring various benefits to the body but also assist in weight management.
We need to start adjusting and optimizing our daily lifestyles from various aspects such as diet, exercise, and rest, allowing the body to gradually adapt to this healthier lifestyle. Only then can we achieve lasting weight management and maintain a healthy body without regaining weight.
References
1. Parra, D., Ramel, A., Bandarra, N., Kiely, M., Martínez, J. A., & Thorsdottir, I. (2008). A diet rich in long chain omega-3 fatty acids modulates satiety in overweight and obese volunteers during weight loss. Appetite, 51(3), 676–680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2008.06.003
2. 周晶晶, 李家速, 王奇金. Omega-3多不饱和脂肪酸对脂肪代谢调节作用研究进展[J]. 第二军医大学学报, 2019, 40(1): 68-73
3. Gray, B., Steyn, F., Davies, P. S., & Vitetta, L. (2013). Omega-3 fatty acids: a review of the effects on adiponectin and leptin and potential implications for obesity management. European journal of clinical nutrition, 67(12), 1234–1242. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.197
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