What is Fat, How do We Gain It, and What Can You do About it?

Have you ever wondered where this extra layer is coming from? How do we create it, and why do we even needed? I have. Many times. And definitely every time I step on a scale and see a number higher than the last time.

So, how do we actually gain fat? Most of us know that when our energy intake is high, our body packs and stores fat. We eat more than we "burn", so we put on weight. Simple, right? Let's take a closer look.

What Actually Is "Fat" and How do We Gain it?

Our infamous "fat" is made of smaller building blocks, called fatty acids. Their synthesis, in other words, their creation, happens when our body receives way more energy than we actually need.

Why? This question would have to be directed to the Fathers of Thermodynamics, as the First Law explains that "total energy is conserved". That means the food we just ate won't be going away, or "disappearing" unless we transfer the consumed energy somewhere else via movement, or some other metabolic activity.

Unfortunately, if the above won't happen, our body will store everything in its favourite form, the adipose tissue, known as fat.

An Upside to Having Sufficient Fat Storage

The good news is that our body actually really needs fat. The problem begins when there is an excess of it.

This synthesis (building) of fatty acids can come from either excess dietary fat, excess dietary carbohydrates, or, in some cases, from dietary protein.

In simple words, the body tends to follow these three rules:

1. Excess dietary fat is directly stored as body fat.
   

2. Excess dietary carbohydrate increases carbohydrate oxidation (the breakdown of carbohydrate molecules), thus impairing fat oxidation and causing more dietary fat to be stored as body fat.
   

3. Excess dietary protein increases protein oxidation, thus impairing fat oxidation, and causing more dietary fat to be stored as body fat.

   
   

This means that no matter what combination of macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, proteins) you eat, the total amount of them is what matters the most. At least if we look at nutrition in a very generic way.

What Else Should We Pay Attention to?

There are a few other factors which can affect how our body processes nutrients:

- exercise and daily-life movement;

- body composition;

- hormones;

- genetic programming;

- age;

- our gastrointestinal microbiome; and

- the type of food we eat.

Can Counting Calories Help?

Now, going back to the amount of food you eat. Some of you might think, "OK, it's simple, I will just count my calories so I won't cross the daily energy limit."

Initially, and in theory, it might seem like a good idea, but in practice, not only will this method not be sustainable (trust me, you will give up or go crazy after a few weeks of the frustrating process of measuring every ounce of food you eat), but also... Outside of the lab, we can never know exactly how many calories we are taking in or expending.

So... What Can Actually Help?

We already established that energy balance does matter, whether you want to lose weight or gain weight. We also established that complicated "calorie math" won't help us much.

So, if you are not a professional athlete equipped with a team analysing and prepping your meals, or you do not have access (or even interest) to a lab, what can you do?

First of all, don't panic.

Although you won't know for sure how many calories are hiding in each cookie you eat, it's just enough — at least at the beginning — to simply start tracking your food.

And by food, I mean the meals you eat, not the energy inside them. Grab a notebook, Excel spreadsheet, or even your smartphone (with a lot of cool apps in it), and start tracking your inputs and outputs. I can guarantee that after a week of simply having a Food Journal, you will notice some things you could easily work on and/or improve. This is your starting point.

We tend to underestimate all the "bad" things we eat and how lazy we are. A simple food journal or habit tracker can help you pay attention to anything you actually eat and/or do. Once you can see clearly what you can improve, start there. Decrease the amount of junk food, sodas, refined sugars, etc.

There is really no point in tracking calories or removing food groups when you can gain more by tweaking your diet towards more healthy side.

What Can Solidify Your Progress?

Be patient, take it one step at a time and aim for long-term results. You want a sustainable and lifelong outcome that makes you happy and healthy — not just a summer body that lasts from May till August.

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Need more support, guidance or want to elevate your lifestyle? Here’s how my CORE systems can help:

→ Subscribe to CORE for weekly habit & lifestyle guidance

→ Join my self-paced HABIT program

→ Work with me 1:1 to get personalised Habit & Lifestyle Coaching

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References:

Berardi, J., PhD, CSCS, Andrews, R., MS, MA, RD, Pierre, B. S., MS, RD, CSCS, Dixon, K. S., PhD, Kollias, H., PhD, CSCS, & DePutter, C. (2019). The Essentials of Sport and Exercise Nutrition(3rd ed.). Precision Nutrition.

Wolfram, S. (2002). A new kind of science. Champaign, IL: Wolfram Media.

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