Are You In A Fat Trap?

Amber Dias gets to the bottom of how your body’s fat memory keeps you fat.

- Amber Dias

Mina has been battling obesity for a long time. After undergoing a very strict, supervised diet and exercise regimen, she was able to lose 20 kgs. Ecstatic, she decided to treat herself to a small vacation. However, when she returned, she found that she had regained more than half the weight she had lost, despite maintaining a healthy diet, though not as strict as before.

Sounds familiar? How many times have you battled the bulge only to regain what you lost the moment you took a breather? It definitely puts a damper on things, especially after all that hard work you put in. But did you know that your body actually puts up a fight against weight loss? It all comes down to a phenomenon termed as ‘fat memory’.

FAT FACTS

When understanding ‘fat memory’, it is first essential to understand that there are two types of fat gain hypertrophic – when existing fat cells get bigger – and hyperplastic – when new fat cells are created. Fat cells are created and established between childhood and adolescence. Post adolescence, the number of fat cells in the body is set. However, when an individual gains weight, the fat cells are enlarged to accommodate the excess. But when the existing fat cells reach their limit, new cells are created – this is to protect the body from a spillover of fat into the liver or other organs.

When we lose weight, fat is pulled from the existing cells and they shrink in size. However, the number of fat cells does not reduce. A formerly fat or obese individual like Mina who has reduced up to 20% of body fat, still has the same number of fat cells as she did before losing weight.

THE GAMES HORMONES PLAY