Due to the Web, there’s lots of info from the world of health and with it comes info chaos, which is turning into more and more tough for the typical particular person to navigate. Most likely probably the most chaotic info is within the space of fats burning and weight reduction. A few of us mistakenly imagine that the energy burned {that a} good watch exhibits us imply that these energy have “left” our thighs or stomach. Nonetheless, burning energy doesn’t robotically imply that these energy got here from fats tissue. And even those that come from it don’t essentially imply we’ve misplaced fats.
What’s Truly Fats Burning?
Adipose tissue is the primary vitality reserve for worse occasions. Burning fats is, subsequently, a necessary course of that has enabled us to outlive durations with out sufficient meals previously. Nonetheless, so as to have the ability to use fats, we have to get it out of adipose tissue (mobilise it), burn it (oxidise it to supply vitality) and retailer what just isn’t used again [1].
The mobilisation of fats from adipose tissue is because of enzymes akin to hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) or ATGL, which launch free fatty acids from fats. A big proportion of those go to the liver the place they’re reunited into triacylglycerols (fat) and “packaged” into lipoprotein particles (VLDL, LDL, HDL). These particles are then used as a supply of fatty acids for the muscle groups and different organs [2].
The burning of fatty acids, i.e. their oxidation, takes place within the mitochondria. These are the primary web site of vitality manufacturing within the cells of the human physique. They perform as small mobile energy stations, with out which our cells wouldn’t have the vitality they should stay. Fatty acids are transported to the mitochondria as a posh with carnitine. The latter acts as a “transporter” for the fatty acids, with out which they might not attain the mitochondria. Within the mitochondria, the so-called beta-oxidation of fatty acids takes place, i.e. “fats burning”, throughout which ATP is fashioned – the gas for all the required biochemical processes within the physique. It’s nonetheless true that ATP will also be produced from glucose or amino acids, relying on the precise vitality wants of the physique [3].
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Within the case of extra fatty acids, mobilised fatty acids will also be saved again into adipose tissue [4].
Thus, burning fats means utilizing the vitality present in fats. Nonetheless, vitality can be present in carbohydrates and proteins, which the physique can use as effectively. In a perfect world, we’d solely spend fats shops, however in the true one, we use all vitality sources. So the energy burned don’t have to come back from fats shops alone.
There are conditions when the physique burns fats consistently. An instance is the keto diet, throughout which carbohydrate consumption is minimised and the physique has to make use of primarily fats for vitality. Nonetheless, regardless of the elevated fats burning on the keto weight-reduction plan, it’s nonetheless true that so long as the quantity of vitality consumption is increased than the quantity of vitality used (calorie surplus), this fats burning is not going to result in weight reduction from fats shops.
Why Does Burning Fats Not Mechanically Imply Weight Loss?
The mobilisation and oxidation of fat happen nearly consistently. Nonetheless, the identical applies to the re-storage of fat in adipose tissue. If there’s an vitality surplus within the physique, extra fats can be saved than burned. In different phrases, even after an hour-long treadmill exercise, the calories burned could not result in weight loss. The very fact stays that with out a calorie deficit, we is not going to shed weight — we’ll both keep our weight or acquire it.

Easy methods to Scale back Weight Successfully?
The primary rule of efficient weight reduction is to neglect about miracle fat burners, fast, drastic diets and different procedures that promise unrealistic and unsustainable ends in a short while.
Efficient fats burning is just one a part of how one can scale back weight. Fats burning may be categorised below caloric expenditure. On the opposite aspect of the equation is caloric consumption, which is how a lot vitality we soak up from meals. If the expenditure is increased than the consumption, we’ll logically shed weight as a result of the physique has to succeed in for vitality saved in reserves (fats). If the steadiness is reversed and we soak up greater than we spend, the surplus vitality can be saved. The principle level in weight reduction is caloric deficit.
It’s also possible to calculate your optimum vitality consumption in our online calculator, which means that you can plan a tailor-made diet.


Weight reduction additionally can’t be too drastic. No weight-reduction plan, regardless of how drastic, will work in the long term if it isn’t sustainable. The physique actually remembers how a lot fats shops it had and tries to keep up their state though there was greater than crucial. Wholesome and sustainable weight reduction just isn’t as black and white because it appears. What occurs to the physique throughout weight reduction and how one can stop rebound weight acquire may be discovered on this article.
Not Each Pound Misplaced or Gained Is Fats
If the quantity on the size doesn’t change regardless of weight reduction, there isn’t any cause to be unhappy. With common power coaching, throughout which we keep a caloric deficit, vitality can be used to construct muscle mass. Stronger muscle groups maintain extra glycogen (glucose shops) and subsequently extra water. Subsequently, the number on the scale doesn’t have to alter though the fats from the physique progressively decreases.
Equally, watch out for the untimely pleasure of dropping pounds. In day by day weighing, the given deviation is as a result of completely different water content material of the physique. Morning weighing will even present a unique quantity than night weighing. These variations are notably related for girls whose water retention is extra pronounced as a result of menstrual cycle.
Widespread Weight Loss Errors
With reasonable depth cardio train, the most effective fat burning can be achieved. It’s due to this that individuals typically select to spend lengthy hours doing cardio. This solely is smart for weight reduction if a long-term calorie deficit is maintained. In any other case, the burnt fat are replenished once more on the first meal we take.
Calorie counting poses one other drawback – on common, we write down 30% lower than we truly devour. Due to this, it might appear that we aren’t dropping pounds in a deficit. The reality is that we’re consuming 30% extra energy than we truly assume [5]. This manual may also help you monitor energy extra successfully.


An important think about weight reduction is consistency. If we take the seemingly simple route of drastic diets that final just a few weeks, we’ll shortly put the kilos again on. This phenomenon, known as the “yo-yo effect”, is the mind’s pure response to the load misplaced. It forces us to eat extra and transfer much less. To keep away from this impact, we have to arrange a sustainable weight reduction routine in order that the mind reprograms itself to the brand new physique weight.
The perfect mixture for weight reduction is strength training with plenty of cardio (cardio train) and a rise within the quantity of motion we do all through the day. An hour within the gymnasium received’t save us if we sit for the remaining few hours of the day. Increased day by day step counts mixed with train and caloric deficit are the issues that produce long-term, sustainable outcomes.
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Conclusion
Burning fats doesn’t imply that we are going to truly lose fats from the physique. It’s a course of wherein the physique extracts the vitality wanted for all of the vital processes to perform from the saved fats reserves. Nonetheless, if we soak up extra energy than we devour, the surplus energy can be saved in fats shops no matter how a lot fats we burn.
Sources:
[1] Moreno, M J, and J A Martínez. “El tejido adiposo: órgano de almacenamiento y órgano secretor” – Adipose tissue: a storage and secretory organ – doi:10.23938/ASSN.0812
[2] Grabner, G.F., Xie, H., Schweiger, M. et al. Lipolysis: mobile mechanisms for lipid mobilization from fats shops – https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-021-00493-6
[3] Purdom, T., Kravitz, L., Dokladny, Okay. et al. Understanding the components that impact maximal fats oxidation – https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0207-1
[4] Rajjo TI, Harteneck DA, Jensen MD. Direct free fatty acid storage in several sized adipocytes from the identical depot – doi: 10.1002/oby.20673
[5] Campus, D. S. (n.d.). Evaluating calorie consumption. Knowledge Science Campus Evaluating Calorie Consumption Feedback. https://datasciencecampus.ons.gov.uk/eclipse/