Just a note--I'm not asking how to gain or lose weight. I understand the concept of cell metabolism, ATP, how cells use energy from fat, protein, and carbohydrate molecules, and I know that calories expended should equal calories consumed in order to maintain a constant weight. I'm more interested in the actual anatomy of fat stored in the body.
I know fat molecules usually exist as triglycerides, but are they stored inside your fat cells (adipose tissue)?
My anatomy teacher told me that you can't lose fat cells, but you can gain some, and if you gain fat cells you have a problem. My parents told me, however that when you gain fat, you gain more fat cells (we were talking about liposuction, and they said liposuction is the surgical removal of actual fat cells).
Now, I had a really good anatomy teacher, so I'm slightly skeptical of what my parents said, because if they are right and my teacher is right, that means it would be impossible to lose fat (because you can gain fat cells, but not lose them). How is fat stored chemically in the body? What exactly are calories converted into, and where are they stored? Do we really gain and lose adipose cells?
Thanks ahead of time for the answer, this has really been bothering me lately. D:
I know fat molecules usually exist as triglycerides, but are they stored inside your fat cells (adipose tissue)?
My anatomy teacher told me that you can't lose fat cells, but you can gain some, and if you gain fat cells you have a problem. My parents told me, however that when you gain fat, you gain more fat cells (we were talking about liposuction, and they said liposuction is the surgical removal of actual fat cells).
Now, I had a really good anatomy teacher, so I'm slightly skeptical of what my parents said, because if they are right and my teacher is right, that means it would be impossible to lose fat (because you can gain fat cells, but not lose them). How is fat stored chemically in the body? What exactly are calories converted into, and where are they stored? Do we really gain and lose adipose cells?
Thanks ahead of time for the answer, this has really been bothering me lately. D:
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Firstly yes liposuction actually removes the fat cells physically, but the problem with this is that normal healthy cells in healthy no-fat related tissues will also be removed.
"Fat" are chemically stored as lipids (as a store of energy), and they are stored in two types of adipose tissues. there's brown and white.
before I get into that if you exercise, you dont get rid of the adipose tissues, "fat cells" just shrink into tiny sizes if you have a calorie deficit which forces the white adipose tissues to use the lipids as energy. secondly "calories" dont exist, its just a unit of energy. So lipids, chemical energy, are converted into kinetic, heat energy etc. you dont "burn calories" nor do you "put on calories".
also it isnt impossible to "Lose" fat. if, say for example, you have a lot of fat cells you CAN become disgustingly stick thin as the adipose tissues can shrink away into almost nothingness, HOWEVER, if you are a person who start off "chunky" with a lot of fat cells, then lost weight, then its going to be way easier for you to put on that weight as the adipose tissue is already there in abundance.
finally brown adipose tissue is important for survival, liposuction removes this. we need brown adipose tissue for thermoregulation.
"Fat" are chemically stored as lipids (as a store of energy), and they are stored in two types of adipose tissues. there's brown and white.
before I get into that if you exercise, you dont get rid of the adipose tissues, "fat cells" just shrink into tiny sizes if you have a calorie deficit which forces the white adipose tissues to use the lipids as energy. secondly "calories" dont exist, its just a unit of energy. So lipids, chemical energy, are converted into kinetic, heat energy etc. you dont "burn calories" nor do you "put on calories".
also it isnt impossible to "Lose" fat. if, say for example, you have a lot of fat cells you CAN become disgustingly stick thin as the adipose tissues can shrink away into almost nothingness, HOWEVER, if you are a person who start off "chunky" with a lot of fat cells, then lost weight, then its going to be way easier for you to put on that weight as the adipose tissue is already there in abundance.
finally brown adipose tissue is important for survival, liposuction removes this. we need brown adipose tissue for thermoregulation.