What happens to the energy you take in?
The energy contained in the foods and drinks you consume either goes straight into your bloodstream for immediate use – like a fast injection of fuel into our “engines”. This only happens for the energy we need at that moment. Otherwise it will be used to replenish energy stores in places like your muscles and liver or, once those stores are full, it gets stored as energy in your fat cells.
It’s important to note that any given moment, you’re both storing and using energy at the same time. We always need some fuel just to stay alive. But the less active you are and the more energy you take in via food, the more of a surplus of energy you have in your system and the more energy your body will store for later in your fat cells.
Where does fat go when you lose it?
Now, your body will first use the energy stored in your bloodstream and muscles before it starts using significant amounts of the energy stored as fat. As far as your body is concerned, fat is it’s stored energy – like the money in your bank account. The energy in your bloodstream and muscles (called glycogen) is the energy for immediate use – like cash in your pocket.
The body is going to use up the “pocket cash”, glycogen, before it goes to “the bank”, fat stores, to withdraw saved energy.
(The image above is pork fat, human body fat looks very similar.)
Once your body starts tapping into fat stores, the more energy you use, the more fat you lose. But the storage cells don’t actually disappear, only the fat they contained is removed, so they shrink down.
This is good news if you want to get slimmer – shrink down enough of those fat cells and your body will get slimmer and leaner.
Fat cells don’t get “burned”, only the energy they contain
But those storage cells are still there and next time you take in more energy than is immediately required they’ll fill up (and you’ll fill out) again.
So, to make this shrinkage happen we need to get the body to first use up glycogen energy in the bloodstream. After this, if it still needs it extra energy it will start to use the stored energy in our fat cells.
This is why dieting or fat loss plans of any kind usually involve taking in less energy than you use (no matter how it’s dressed up). When enough energy leaves your cells for your body to use over a longer period of time, your fat cells start to “empty.”
Although we use the term “fat burning” the body doesn’t literally burn it like the combustion engine in a car, but those fat stores do get used up as fuel in a slightly similar way.
So where does used fat go?
The science behind this process is sort of complicated. But just understand that eventually the fat stored in your cells gets broken down into its components – carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
What your body does not use of those chemicals, it gets rid of. You either breathe it out (exhaling carbon dioxide) or excrete it as water (through your urine, sweat, etc.).
So fat sort of does get burned off when you lose weight. Just not in the way many people assume.
We all know that this process can be tricky to achieve and there’s growing evidence that, although “Calories in Vs Calories out” is an important equation, there are hormonal processes (mostly related to insulin) which can also impact on the body’s tendency to store or release fat at different times.
I’ll talk more about this in an upcoming post, because it is related to how I have been able to use intermittent fasting to shed fat without losing muscle tissue.
Will I lose muscle if I lose fat?
Losing muscle tissue is a worry for a lot of people when they are working on shedding fat.
Once the energy supplies in your blood start to run out your body can also turn to your muscles as an energy source, which can lead to muscle tissue also being “burned up” as fuel. This is the last thing you want as not only will it weaken you, it’ll cause your metabolism to slow down, meaning your body burns less energy in the future.
But it’s not as common as many people fear and eating plenty of protein-rich foods (meat, fish, eggs, etc.) will help avoid it.
How can I burn fat?
Empty fat cells shrink, making our bodies slimmer and firmer.
I’ll share more about my approach in a post soon, but the most important thing for you to understand really is that a diet of mostly natural, unprocessed foods and moving your body regularly is what your body needs to stay lean, fit and healthy.
Keep in mind that you need to move in order use up significant amounts of energy. Eating a healthy diet and staying sedentary probably won’t help you burn much fat.
On the flipside, you also can’t just workout and fill your body up with processed and/or energy-dense food and expect your body to use up your fat stores. It simply won’t happen.
Healthy portions of protein, fat and carbs along with a well planned, progressive exercise program, is the most effective way to burn fat and slim down.
Does that take effort? Of course. But there is NOTHING more worth investing effort in than the condition of your body – there is no aspect of your life which is not improved by you being healthy.
For optimal fat loss you need BOTH a healthy diet and an effective exercise program Share on X
When you really understand how fat loss works, you understand how exercise helps get us lean.
My fat-burning workouts torch calories to fry those fat stores as well as getting you strong and brimming with energy. FIND OUT MORE HERE
[Post revised and text updated: 17th October 2019]
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