Getting Fat - What Does It Mean?
Grease is a generic term, to be precise a verb, which (referring to an individual) describes the (absolute or relative) increase in adipose mass.
This increase generally manifests itself as an increase in overall body mass and weight; however, under particular conditions, these parameters can also remain stable. In other words, within certain limits of increase, it is possible to gain weight (increase fat mass) without an increase in body weight.
C "is Fat and Fat
Body fat can be differentiated or classified in various ways.What is certain is that it is not a useless or optional element for our organism, which is why a part of this is defined as "Essential or Primary Fat".
Essential fat is made up of the adipose parts of: cell membranes, myelin sheaths, bone marrow, mammary glands, kidneys, heart, liver, intestines, spleen, lungs, etc.
- Overall, essential fat constitutes 3-5% of the mass in men and 8-12% in women (especially for the mammary glands).
- The total adipose mass constitutes about 12-15% in men and 25-28% in women (who in any case are more prone to retain lipid reserves). These percentages therefore include both essential and storage fat.
When weight loss affects essential fat (extreme cases, as happens in malnutrition in the third world or in severe anorexics), great imbalances for general health begin, which endanger the very survival of the organism.
NB. It is said that the so-called brown fat tends to be visceral; its function is not to act as an energy reserve (like the white subcutaneous one), but to participate in the thermoregulation of the body.
Special Cases
An example of greasing while keeping the weight constant can occur with the abrupt and sudden interruption of the Body Building activity. In particular, if the suspension or reduction of physical activity is associated with inappropriate food behaviors (which often include alcoholic and junk food abuse), the increase in fat mass can be compensated for by a decrease in lean mass. The result is that the subject gains weight while maintaining a constant body weight.
Less drastic and much more widespread is the significant reduction in lean mass while keeping fat unchanged. In this case the subject gains weight (in a relative way) although the decrease in body weight may suggest the opposite. Similarly to the previous case, this circumstance, which is hardly perceived as "gaining weight", can manifest itself in the interruption of sports activities, especially at high levels.
It must also be said that in most cases fattening is the result of individual perception, that is, the way in which the mind processes and contextualizes the image and body dimensions. For the vast majority of cases, the interpretation is in favor of an increase in fat mass, more rarely the opposite.
It should then be specified that, in some cases, the increase in adipose mass is not so easily identifiable. A fairly indicative example of this phenomenon is what occurs during the phases of "building muscle mass" in Bodybuilding. Fortunately, every day "Today we are well aware that it is always better not to overdo it and that, in any case, by subjecting the body to a predominantly anabolic phase it is" normal "that the fat mass also slightly increases. However, in gyms we often hear about" " opposite (tendency to dehydration which subsequently must be normalized); furthermore, some dietary supplements such as creatine may emphasize this trend. However, it is necessary to specify that water retention can reach certain levels (several kilograms) only in the presence of pathological conditions; therefore, generally it is not interstitial water but lipids in the fat; moreover, the body fat is not deposited exclusively in the adipose tissue, but also inside the striated muscles. This detail is clearly visible by observing certain cuts of meat; in particular, by examining a rib steak obtained from the famous Wagyu Kobe beef (which obviously it is an extreme case); in practice, the much vaunted "mass phase" always induces the body to gain weight in a more or less significant way, depending on the specific case.
How do you get fat?
As anticipated, gaining weight means increasing the amount of fat in the body. These are fatty acids stored in the form of triglycerides inside the cells adipocytes site in the well-known adipose tissue. The latter is not simply a "reserve warehouse", but a specialized tissue, capable of interacting with the rest of the organism through feedback from hormones and neurotransmitters. This is why the expression "adipose organ" is increasingly common today.
In this definition the answer to the question on which the article is based is hidden, at least in part. In practice, two fundamental elements are necessary to gain weight:
- That the lipids circulating in the blood (introduced with the diet or produced by the liver) access the adipocytes;
- That the hormonal tendency is in favor of adipose anabolism (the global energy demand must not prevent an accumulation of fats).
From point "1" it is essential to further differentiate some variables. First of all, the source of the excess energy that originates the adipose deposit, that is the diet, must have the following requirements:
- calorie surplus,
- large volume and energy density for each meal,
- richness in lipids and molecules that significantly stimulate the release of insulin (carbohydrates and to a lesser extent proteins).
Then, digestion, intestinal absorption and liver function must be fully functional.
From point “2”, on the other hand, I recall that both the insulin secretion and the reception of the same by the adipose tissue must appear impeccable.
Who Gets Fat and Who Doesn't?
In some cases there is a real tendency, or on the contrary to a certain hostility, in the increase of the fat adipose mass.
On a physiological level, people who struggle to increase their adiposity are the so-called "lean in constitution". It is not clear what the reasons for this feature are and we can only hypothesize a few:
- Precarious intestinal absorption;
- Insufficient anabolic response, at the hormonal or receptor level;
- Thyroid function above normal;
- Insufficient or ignored appetite stimulation; sometimes due to mood disorders or alcoholism
- Basal Metabolism, Diet-Induced Thermogenesis, Thermoregulation, Oxygen Debt from physical activity, etc. very high;
- Diseases of the thyroid gland, tumor pathologies, intestinal parasites or other diseases that increase energy expenditure and predispose to cachexia.
Logically, those who have a tendency to gain weight find themselves in the opposite situation, taking into account that some genetic diseases (such as Cushing's syndrome), endocrine (hypothyroidism) and metabolic impairments (such as insulin resistance) can favor adipose storage .
Side effects
Usually, those trying to gain weight are affected by what is commonly called "thinness", even if this characteristic almost never corresponds to the condition scientifically understood as "underweight" (BMI).
The perception of excessive thinness concerns both males and females, especially in adolescence or in any case young people. For boys, the discomfort stems mainly from the belief that they appear unmanly, above all due to the scarcity in terms of volume of the shoulders, arms and for the highlighting of the shoulder blades (which has little to do with the structural impairment called " winged shoulder blades "). For Western girls, on the other hand, it originates above all from the perception of shortage of the breast or, recently (especially in Latin America), of the buttocks.
The so-called lean of constitution do not constitute the longest-lived slice of the population, but certainly reach a "higher maximum age than the obese.
If it is true that for a thin person, gaining a few extra pounds should not lead to any compromise to health, it is still necessary to specify that the weight gain induced by a sedentary lifestyle and a diet rich in junk foods (unbalanced) is correlated to a multitude of effects Among these: the tendency to excessive fat gain (with overweight and obesity), insulin resistance, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension and metabolic syndrome.
Ultimately, it is possible to gain weight by eating a little more, or about 10% of the total energy. In a 2000kcal diet, this is 200kcal more; practically: a glass full of semi-skimmed milk and an apple; or a small breast of chicken with a teaspoon of oil; or 3 slices of bread.
However, it must be said that this is a recommended practice only for those who are really underweight (BMI snacks, and that 30% of the energy comes from lipids.
