Help!...I'm Fat

Lessons in Fat Burning

Nick, Jason & Zac
March 27, 2023

There are probably few topics more discussed in the nutrition and exercise science arena than fat burning. Type in “fat burning” in YouTube or TikTok, and the algorithm will love you forever. It is discussed, re-discussed, argued, and debated everywhere you look. Some of this can be good as it will push the science and understanding forward. However, the downside is it can lead to mass confusion and frustration. So we thought in this episode of the Simplified Podcast we would lay the foundation of understanding the basics of how fat is both stored and burned.

We begin by discussing the fat cell itself, the adipocyte. When we think of someone becoming fatter, what is actually happening is these cells are getting larger. When we lose fat, these cells are becoming smaller. These cells always have calories (mostly in the form of triglycerides) coming in and have calories going out. So, in essence we are always storing fat and burning fat all the time. It is just a matter of which is happening more.

So how do we get the fat cells to shrink and have more calories leaving the cell than going in? This comes down to what is known as energy balance. We need to burn more than we are taking in. To find out how to do this, we first need to determine our Total Daily Energy Expenditure (how many calories we burn on a typical day). This is comprised of 3 things:

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): How many calories you burn just lying in bed, awake but not doing anything. This is just powering basic metabolic processes throughout your body. This makes up 50-60% of your Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): This is just a way of saying that when you eat food, it takes some energy to get the energy out of food. Certain foods have a high TEF, like protein, and certain foods have a low TEF, like fat.
Activity: This can be subdivided into 2 parts. The first is exercise. The second is what is known as Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, or NEAT. This is just the basic movements of the day that require energy to do. Things like postural muscles engaging, foot tapping, fidgeting, etc.

We discuss that there are calculators online that can give you an idea of this total number. After this, it is a matter of getting in to enough of a deficit while still maintaining your current activity level. We also discuss the importance of engaging in resistance training since your skeletal muscles are the biggest store of sugar (glucose) that you have. We want sugar going into muscle, not fat.

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The Simplified Takeaways…

You are always storing fat and always burning fat. Fat is in flux. If you are trying to lose body fat, the goal is to get more calories leaving the fat cell than going in.
In order to accomplish this we need to be in a caloric deficit from our Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
While in a caloric deficit, we need to be sure to get in enough protein. People not eating enough protein is a very common problem when they are trying to loose body fat.
While in a caloric deficit, do not decrease your activity amount. This is another frequent observation.
When you equate for total daily caloric intake and total daily protein intake, the subsequent amount of fat and carbs you eat does not seem to matter for fat loss.
Don’t neglect resistance training. This builds muscle and muscle is the biggest reservoir of sugar (glucose) in our body. This is where we want sugar going.

Help!...I'm Fat

Lessons in Fat Burning

The Simplified Takeaways…

Further Reading…