News
Can you really flush the fat away?
By Brian Foley from Activate Fitness
I had a client talk to me last week about something they had seen online about 'Fat Burning' and how they had been told it can be 'flushed' out with the right teas and other potions.
Never in all of the science classes I’ve taken and in all of the years I’ve been studying human metabolism and health, have I ever heard of a ‘flush’. Turns out, the person who posted the picture - a ‘health coach’ - said that’s what happens to fat cells when we lose weight. Of course, she was selling a product.
Another person on the Internet floated the claim that the ‘flush’ happens when we lose weight.
This person said that after the cells release fat, they temporarily fill with water, making you feel ‘squishy’. She said that this water retention occurs because ‘the fat cells are hoping to fill up again with fat’.
Apparently, this person doesn’t understand science because, despite her compelling description, she’s absolutely wrong.
Our fat cells don’t fill with water after they release triglycerides during weight loss. They just sort of…wait there, like when the train takes half an hour reversing into Killarney Station and it’s baltic outside!
The question is where does it go? And maybe there isn’t a ‘flush,’ but do fat cells disappear or leave the body when they’re empty?
All very good questions, and all about to be answered in this week’s and next week's article.
Warning: People who use words like 'flush' and 'burn' about the complex human metabolic process should be ignored. But you knew that already.
What are fat cells?
Contrary to popular belief, we aren’t born with all of our fat cells. We accumulate them – at least what’s determined to be our baseline number – until well into our teens.
Most of the fat in our bodies is what we refer to as white fat, or WAT (White Adipose Tissue). White fat stores triglycerides for energy, cushions our organs, keeps us warm, and produces hormones.
When we eat fat, it gets broken down and metabolised by the liver into triglycerides. These are stored in the fat cells, liver, and to a small extent, in muscle. When your body needs energy, it releases the triglycerides into the bloodstream in a process called lipolysis.
The body tries to maintain a balance of ‘lipid turnover’, which is the name given for the process of storing and removing triglycerides in fat cells for energy. Of course, if you go into calorie deficit, this balance tips, and you lose weight.
Recent research measuring lipid turnover rates showed that lipid removal slows as we age – basically, our cells continue to take up fat, without losing as much of it. That may make it harder to lose weight as we get older.
In Part 2 next week, we'll look at macronutrients and what happens to fat when we lose weight.
In the meantime, if you would like some free advice from qualified professionals, visit www.activate.ie/nutrition.
Book launch: Sister completes late brother’s Shipping Forecast sea kayak challenge
A unique book promotional event will take place in the Beaufort Bar next week, telling the story of a sister who took to the sea to complete her late brother’s extraordinary adventure.
Katie Carr will speak at the Beaufort venue on Tuesday, June 23 at 7:30pm to launch her most recent book, Thundery at Times. The book follows her journey to honour her brother, Toby, who passed away in the middle of his challenge to paddle in every sea area of the BBC Shipping Forecast. Despite having never been in a sea kayak before, Katie decided to take over the expedition and finish what he started.
The upcoming talk connects her new perspective with her earlier work, Moderate Becoming Good Later, which she wrote in Toby’s voice as a tribute to his determination. Her latest book looks at the intense physical and emotional challenges of taking on the journey herself.
Six of the famous BBC Shipping Forecast area, Fastnet, Irish Sea, Shannon, Rockall, Malin, and Lund, reach the Irish coast. Five of the book’s chapters are set in Ireland, including a dedicated chapter on Kerry, making her upcoming visit to the county particularly meaningful.
The launch is being highlighted locally by Donal Dowd of Coolcaslagh, the retired Director of Cappanalea OETC, who accompanied Katie on the water during her journey.
“I accompanied Katie on one of her trips while she was completing the Shannon section, which commences in Valentia and stretches up as far north as Connemara in west Galway,” Donal said. “I encourage members of the public to attend what will be an entertaining event, as Katie is a most entertaining speaker, has great slides and video footage, and has a very interesting story to tell.”
The evening will include readings from the book, reflections on the writing and paddling processes, an audience question-and-answer session, and a book signing. Admission is open to all members of the public.
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