Hey guys, it’s Nate. Today, I want to teach you a little bit about fat — how it works and how you can actually lose it and keep it off.

We know that a lot of you start out on your fitness journey wanting to lose weight. We see clients all the time who just want to lose fat around their stomach, arms, hips, thighs, and butts. The problem is that they either don’t understand how fat loss happens, or they get into an exercise program and plateau. (That’s when you initially lose some weight, but then you stop losing even though you haven’t changed your routine. It’s normal, and it happens all the time.)

I think that the solution to this problem is simple: You have to get educated. It’s important to fully understand how fat loss works in order to make it happen. When you understand even the most basic level of science behind fat loss, you can have much more control over your ability to lose weight. So today, I’m going to attempt to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about fat loss. Questions like:

Where does fat go when we lose it?
How and why is it stored?

These are excellent questions, and the answers are certainly interesting. We hope to provide you with a basic understanding in this post. It may actually help you lose more fat and/or push through a plateau. I will attempt to use money as a comparison because that seems to be something that all humans can relate to. And by the end of this post, you should have a strong understanding of how our bodies store, use, and lose fat.

As always, if you have any more questions, you can comment on this post or tag Remi on Instagram, @rrayyme. We’ll do our best to answer as many questions as possible.

Fat Gain and Fat Loss

Nate planning his workouts on a whiteboard

What's really going on with fat?

First things first: Fat is simply an accumulation of excess energy. This goes hand in hand with our comparison with food as “fuel.” When you eat, your body gets energy from the food. Typically, we refer to this “energy” as calories in the form of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. That energy fuels everything you do — from breathing to walking to working out.

Now, say, for example, you consume exactly the number of calories that you use. Your body takes in energy and then uses it in an equal amount. In that case, there would be no excess of energy. But when you eat more than your body needs to function or perform daily tasks and activities — which we often do — your body is simply going to start to store that excess energy that was not expended. That stored excess energy becomes fat.

That’s how we gain fat, but we can lose fat by doing the exact opposite. When we consume less energy than we expend, our bodies have to use some of the energy stored in our fat cells to compensate. That’s how we end up losing fat.

Let me say that again: When we OVERconsume this energy or calories in excess, our bodies begin to store the excess as fat. But when we consume LESS than the energy or calories our bodies require to function, we begin using that stored fat for energy.

How Fat Loss Occurs

Before your body begins to get rid of fat, it uses up the energy floating around in your bloodstream and muscles. A great way to think about this process is to think of stored fat like your savings account — you don’t touch it unless you have to. On the other hand, your immediate energy stores in other places are your checking accounts or cash — ready to be used immediately.

Nate holding V site while Rrayyme takes photo

When fat is “burned” off, it is simply transformed into energy and used as fuel by your body. Now, when we say that fat is “burned” off, what we’re really saying is that it’s actually broken down and exhaled or excreted (through urine or sweat). Our bodies will use the energy they need from that fat, and then get rid of the waste.

Once that stored energy is used up and the fat is burned, the fat cell that was holding the fat shrinks down. That’s why we start to see ourselves “slimming down” when we use fat.

This is a very simplified version of the exact science, but it makes it easier to digest. Now you can see why a calorie deficit is almost always necessary to promote fat loss: It causes your body to have to pull energy from your fat storage to be “burned,” since all of your other immediate “cash” has been used up.

And that’s the goal, right? If you keep using up more energy than you’re consuming and taking that extra energy you need from your fat cells, you’ll eventually slim down to the healthy weight you want. It makes sense, right?

Not So Fast...

Just because you hit your goal doesn't mean that you can let up off the throttle and coast on some junk food binge eating. It’s great to get healthy and lose weight, but now, you have to find a way to keep it off for good.

Remember those fat cells we mentioned earlier? When you use the energy stored in them, they shrink. That’s why you look slimmer — it’s because the cells actually get smaller. But they don’t disappear. Instead, the number of fat cells waiting patiently on standby to store fat again remains the same.

This is why it’s so easy to put all that weight you’ve lost right back on. And it’s especially true if you’ve been overweight before. If you’ve been overweight in the past, you have quite a few fat cells. And remember, they don’t go away, even if they’re empty. See, the problem is that when you gain fat, you don’t just gain fat, but you also gain additional fat cells to continue storing energy. It sucks, we know.

We got your back though…

How to Lose Fat More Efficiently

As you can see, maintaining a calorie deficit is essential to losing fat. In layman's terms: Move more than you eat. However, that’s not the entire equation.

The types of foods you eat can significantly increase your chances of storing fat. Additionally, exercising, building muscle, and even intermittent fasting can also help you burn through your immediate fat stores in order to begin emptying out those fat cells. Training in the morning on an empty stomach is also a technique used to help get your body in fat-burning mode faster and maintaining that state throughout the day.

But the most important thing to focus on is eating only high-quality produce. Think about this — there’s no nutrition label on fruits or vegetables. Companies don’t have to break down all the insane chemicals in those foods — they’re just plain fruits and vegetables. You’re automatically going to improve your overall health by getting more fresh, high-quality produce into your diet.

Beyond that, there are other small changes you can make to improve your diet and fat-loss ability. (If you want to learn more of my healthy eating tips, watch this video or read this blog post. And for plenty of delicious recipes using lots of healthy ingredients, watch this vlog.) For example, there are great ways to get protein into your diet besides just meat. I’m not going to say that all meat is bad — I prefer chicken and salmon — but there are other ways to get protein into your diet. I eat a lot of legumes, beans, and lentils.

At the end of the day, it comes down to discipline. There is no way to lose 50 pounds overnight. It’s impossible to get abs in five minutes. It’s just not going to happen. But if you make small changes and implement them consistently, over time, your fat cells will shrink, and you’ll get the body you want.

If you keep a mindful awareness of your calories and develop a training regime, you’ll be well on your way to shedding stubborn fat for good. Move well. Eat well. Get Results — it’s as simple as that.

Now Get Going!

I hope this post taught you a little bit about fat loss. This is a very basic version of the science behind fat gain and loss, but it’s enough to get you started. When you understand the basic principle that you need to move more than you eat, you’re well on your way to losing your excess fat and getting results.

If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out. You can leave a comment on this post or DM Remi on Instagram, @rrayyme. We’re both here to support you on your fitness journey, and we’re always happy to answer your questions.

And if you want to join with us and an awesome community of people all working out together, definitely check out HōmeBodies. This is our online, subscription-based workout program. Together, Remi and I lead you in a variety of workouts. (If you want to see an example of the kind of workouts we do, check out this video.) We take no bullshit, and we’re absolutely going to help you achieve the results you want. This is a perfect Christmas gift to give to someone else or even just get for yourself.

Now I want you to get out there and MOVE! With a little bit of discipline, lots of fresh produce, and plenty of exercise, you can’t fail. We’re excited to see your progress!

Thanks for reading this post, guys. Until next time —

Nate