Our bodies are made of cells. Muscle cells make up muscles, brain cells make up our brain, and fat cells (known as adipocytes) make up fat – and without ABNORMAL fat cells, unwanted weight gain cannot occur!
Controlling our fat cells is critical to staying trim and fit. The fat cell is the battleground for unwanted weight gain.
And to understand successful weight loss, we must understand fat cells and how they cause weight gain:
Weight Gain Phase #1:
First, fat cells grow bigger…
We are born with a certain number of fat cells. In times of “food plenty”, fat cells store extra calories for future hard times. Later, if needed, they will release stored fat calories to use as fuel.
The ability of fat cells to store excess calories as fat is based on their ability to expand like a balloon. Depending on how much fat is available for the fat cell, its size will change.
This is a microscopic view of fat cells. Fat cells are extremely small. 5 cells will fit on the head of a pin!
Fat cells can vary in size from 20% full of fat (small and starving!) to 100% full (plump and stuffed!). Normal, healthy fat cells stay filled to around 2/3 of capacity.
Weight gain occurs when we overeat and fat cells increase from 2/3 full towards 100% full. But our original 30 billion fat cells, that normally contain a total of 30 lbs of body fat, can only hold an extra 15 lbs or so.
So once we gain more than 15 lbs, Weight Gain Phase #2 MUST occur!
Weight Gain Phase #2:
Once we gain more than 15 lbs, fat cells multiply…
Our 30 billion fat cells can multiply and become more than 160 billion fat cells. Fat cells multiply if we gain more than ~15 lbs after age 21.
Note: It is ideal to limit weight gain throughout life to prevent our fat cells from multiplying. For most people, that is not reality.
In summary, fat cells initially expand (increase in size) to add 15 lbs of extra body fat. After 15 lbs of weight gain, fat cells multiply. Through multiplication, fat cells can potentially store an unlimited amount of extra body fat!
As seen in the diagram above, if you have gained more than 15 lbs, you have increased the number of fat cells, a true medical problem. This makes sustained weight loss VERY difficult.
Fat cells act as if their job is to be full of fat constantly, so they put up a fight every time you lose weight. We can help!
If you have struggled with chronic, ongoing weight gain, you understand the challenge of taming the fat cell! We are here to help. Call or go online to schedule a Free Consultation to learn more about getting your weight and health under control.
For Optimum Health,
Rick Tague, M.D., M.P.H.
