Fat and training: how to lose weight
Fat isn’t just about what you see in the mirror or the number on the bathroom scale. When too much fat tissue builds up, it starts to affect blood sugar, blood pressure, sleep, sexual health and how well the body responds to training. Here is a practical overview of what older research findings on fat burning actually mean.
Why does fat affect the whole body?
Overweight men have a higher risk of developing sexual dysfunction, including erectile problems and reduced sex drive. The reason isn’t only how they feel. With a high amount of fat tissue, insulin production and function can be impaired, which in turn interferes with the production of nitric oxide, or NO. NO is an important regulator of blood flow to the penis as well as to the rest of the body.
Studies have found that in severely overweight men with a body mass index above 51 kg / m 2 who underwent gastric reduction surgery, sexual performance improved markedly after the operation. Results reached normal levels once the patients had lost about 67% of their pre-operative body weight. That doesn’t mean surgery is the answer for everyone. It does show, however, how strongly body weight can affect blood vessels, hormones and everyday function.
Fat and supplements: what works?
Honestly, the subject of fat burners is always a bit slippery. Some ingredients may give a small push, but no capsule does the work that consistent exercise, sensible eating and enough sleep do.
The original text cited Meltdown as an example. Meltdown is a diet product containing synephrine, caffeine, phenylethylamine, yohimbine and hordenine. Each of these ingredients is thermogenic, meaning it may increase energy expenditure and promote fat burning. Studies showed that Meltdown, taken before and after a short, maximal-intensity workout, significantly increased the efficiency of the fat-burning process among male college-age participants.
Green tea is a calmer example. It isn’t a miracle supplement whose effect you’ll see on your abdominal muscles by tomorrow morning. It may, however, help with body weight control and blood sugar regulation. In clinical studies, participants consumed 625 mg of green tea extract and 39 mg of caffeine for 12 weeks. They lost both subcutaneous abdominal fat and fat in the blood. Participants who received the supplements as well as those who took the placebo trained intensively for 180 minutes a week.
Here is an important nuance: in men, green tea may to some extent promote the conversion of testosterone into estrogen in fat cells. So while green tea is an interesting fat burner, bodybuilders should use it with some caution.
How does training reduce fat?
With training, it isn’t only a question of calories. Yes, energy expenditure counts. But exercise also improves blood pressure, how blood sugar is used, how blood vessels work and where the body stores fat. Especially important is internal fat tissue, which builds up around the organs.
Fat tissue surrounding the organs has a strong effect on metabolism. The result can be a stroke, diabetes or a heart attack. Fat accumulation in the heart prevents it from functioning normally and raises blood pressure. Internal fat burning also obstructs blood supply.
A study carried out in Japan found that 12 weeks of endurance training, three times a week for 60 minutes, reduced abdominal and epicardial fat. Blood pressure also dropped. The simple truth: when training is doable, repeated and consistent enough, the body starts to respond to it.
Caffeine can also change how training feels. 90% of the US population consumes caffeine every day in one form or another. Most people drink coffee, tea or other drinks that contain caffeine. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that improves alertness, attention and certain types of athletic performance.
The University of Barcelona reported that, according to experiments among 700 students, caffeine acts faster and more strongly in men than in women. Decaf coffee was also looked at, although its effect was smaller than that of regular coffee. In most people, the effect of caffeine lasts 2-3 hours, but it can last as long as 10-12 hours, especially in pregnant women and people with liver disease.
Fat, sleep and everyday choices
So what actually happens when you sleep too little? Often it isn’t training that falls apart first. Appetite changes first. People who suffer from sleep deprivation tend to snack more, and insufficient sleep is linked to obesity.
Researchers in Chicago found that short sleep, about 5.5 hours a night, affected eating compared with normal sleep length, about 8.5 hours. The study involved 11 middle-aged participants who lived in a lab for 2 weeks and had free access to good food. On average, they ate 221 calories a day more than their usual norm, including 4% more carbohydrates.
What was interesting was that energy expenditure, including metabolism and physical activity, was similar on short-sleep and normal-sleep days. The difference came from food. After short sleep, the participants tended to reach for extra snacks. It’s a very down-to-earth finding: poor sleep makes good choices harder.
FAQ: fat and weight loss
Will a fat burner do the work of training for you?
No. Some ingredients may slightly affect energy expenditure or alertness, but results still come from training, food, sleep and consistency.
Does green tea help reduce belly fat?
One study linked green tea combined with caffeine to a reduction in subcutaneous fat around the abdomen. Still, it shouldn’t be treated as a miracle solution, especially if your training and nutrition are off track.
Can too little sleep get in the way of weight loss?
Yes. Too little sleep can increase snacking and make appetite harder to manage, even when energy expenditure doesn’t change significantly.
References
Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 207: 859-864, 2008. Journal of Nutrition, 139: 264-270, 2009; Journal of Nutrition, 138: 2156-2163, 2008. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 32: 1698 DO 2008. Journal of Applied Physiology, 106: 5-11, 2009. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 89: 126-133, 2009.
Translated by: Aktivist
Source:Turg.Fitness.ee
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