Fat Loss Instead of Weight Loss

Fat tissue is built with the help of the hormone insulin. When insulin levels are high, we store the energy from our food as fat. Carbohydrates (bread, pasta, noodles, potatoes etc), if consumed in excess, will be converted to fat and stored in the fat tissue.

Insulin is released in response to:

These are the steps to gain fat tissue:

1. High carbohydrate diet.
2. Pancreas releases big amounts of insulin.
3. Food will be stored in the fat tissue and not burnt in the muscle.

And these are the steps to lose fat tissue:

1. Low carbohydrate intake, high fat diet.
2. Insulin is released in small amounts.
3. Food will be burnt as energy.

As long as insulin levels are high, weight loss is very difficult. If weight loss happens as a result of extreme exercise, once the workout stops, weight comes back. Exercise only, will not lead to sustainable weight loss.

The results of studies comparing a low-carbohydrate versus a low-fat diet show that low-carbohydrate diets not only lead to more weight loss, but also improve cardiovascular risk factors:

Low-carb vs. low-fat diets: Clinicians weigh in

"Both the low-carbohydrate and the low-fat groups received dietary counseling at regular intervals but had no specific calorie or energy goals. At one year, both black and white participants on the low-carbohydrate diet had greater decreases in weight, fat mass, and other cardiovascular risk factors than those on the low-fat diet."

So, enjoy your snack:

And this great TED Talk: