Where you carry your fat matters

If you’re carrying excess fat around your middle, it may hurt your ego, but it may also increase your risk of certain diseases. If you are overweight and have excess fat, it’s not optimal for your health. But researchers have discovered, that where you carry your excess fat also plays a role in health problems. For example, if you carry excess weight in your abdominal area, the fat lies deep enough to cause metabolic disturbances that lead to inflammation and increase your risk of having a heart attack.

Fat cells shrink but don’t disappear

Once you reach adulthood the number of fat cells you have stays pretty much consistent unless you gain a significant amount of weight. How many fat cells you end up with as an adult is determined in part by your genetics. Although fats cells do die off, they also regenerate at about the same rate. When you gain weight, your fat cells can swell several times the size they were. But once you lose weight, although those cells don’t disappear, they do shrink.

Fats don’t make you fat

When you think of losing weight, you might think that you need to stick to a low-fat or no-fat diet. But the truth is, fat is not what makes you gain weight. Eating more calories than your burn is what packs on the pounds. So whether you get your excess calories from chips or fruit, if you eat too much you’ll gain weight. Keep in mind, each gram of fat contains nine calories as opposed to four calories, which is in carbs and protein. So if you eat high-fat foods, it can be easy to take in excess calories without realizing.