What happens to extra fat? page

[FlyNavyWife]

One thing I don't 100% understand is .. what happens to the fat we eat that our body decides it doesn't need for energy?


Like... I understand ketosis and breaking down our body's fat stores for energy...


but the fat we eat... if it's not all used, do we just poop it out? (Sorry to be gross, but how else can you say it?) Where does it go?


*blank stare*

[brahnamin]

Some of the fat we eat will not get absorbed and will indeed remain in the digestive tract and head south to be eliminated.


I don't rightly know what happens to the fat that does get absorbed but isn't needed. I was of the hopeful impression that the body eliminated it via other routes (sweat, etc), but I've actually been wondering the same thing myself, so I'm glad you posted this.

[FlyNavyWife]

hmm... hopefully someone with answers will read this. haha.

[Tarlach]

You can burn fat when not doing anything physically.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futile_cycle

[Diana Renata]

Ok, I'm sorry, but all that did was confuse me- LOL. Too technical for my brain tonight. Will give it another try in the morning.

[Conan]

There is a really long, scientific discussion around this topic but I'll try to simplify:


Fat, Protein, and Carbs all have to be converted by the body before being stored in the fat cells. You would think that dietary fat would be the easiest to be converted and stored in fat cells, but there is strong evidence that carbs are even more easily converted and stored as fat than dietary fat. A lot of conditions must exist for fat to be stored in the body (regardless of whether it is from carbs, fat, or protein).


The right environment must exist for fat to be stored in the fat cells. In addition to excessive energy intake, the hormones Insulin and Cortisol both promote fat storage (there is also a phosphate that assists in the process of shuttling fatty acids into the cells). Simple carbohydrates raise insulin levels and chronically high insulin levels promote the storage of fat. Stress increases cortisol which can also promote fat storage. Overeating provides excess energy which will lead to fat storage if the environment is right.


It has been my personal experience that the combination of stress and excess carbohydrates has more impact on fat storage than energy intake (overeating). I have also recently switched to a very high fat diet (50+% of calories) and have increased my total daily calories and am losing weight in the process. Makes me think that the environment you create may be much more important than the amount of calories you eat.


I should also point out that I have been very active for years and have been getting plenty of excercise (even before I switched to low-carb dieting). Excercise has also been shown to control insulin and cortisol levels and promote fat burning.

[Conan]

If you want the really long detailed scientific explanation, do a google search for Gary Taubes Good Calories Bad Calories.

[FlyNavyWife]

Yeah, I know about insulin and storing extra glucose as fat in your body... but I'm asking what happens to the extra fat you eat if your body doesn't need it. Does it just get expelled (in the toilet)?

[Conan]

Nope, you will store it as fat. You can't eat an unlimited amount of calories on a low carb diet and still lose weight. The benefit of low carb is that your body more readily utilizes fat for energy, including stored body fat, so you will eventually burn off that excess dietary fat that was stored. High carb diets promote fat storage and make it much more difficult to tap into stored fat for energy, making it much more difficult to lose body fat.

[Tarlach]

Well either your body processes the fat, or it gets expelled. There aren't any other options.


If your body processes the fat it gets used for fuel or it can also be burned in futile cycling (as I posted before).


It DOES NOT get stored as fat if you are low carb.


You CAN eat a massive excess of calories and still lose weight, as long as those calories are fat and you don't eat carbs.


...I can't believe everyone is still so brainwashed about calorific deficit, in the age of 'Good Calories, Bad Calories'.