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Liposuction and fat cells:
I've been obese my entire life. Will I have to get surgery to get rid
of all my fat cells?
Brought to you by Tom
Venuto, Burn the Fat
Dear Tom,
I was obese as a child and have been
through
adulthood (I'm now 27.) I have weighed as much as 300 pounds and am
currently 285. There have been numerous times I have binged to the
point of nearly being sick. Add up all these factors, and from what
I've read about increases in the number of fat cells that can occur
during adulthood due to bingeing, I'm likely to have many times more
fat cells than the average person. In fact, according to one web site I
read, I may never be fully able to reach my ultimate goal of ripped abs
even if I reduce the volume of the fat cells to their minimum.
Is it safe to say that once I reach my
minimum
through fat loss that I would still need to undergo liposuction and/or
abdominoplasty to get ripped abs? Even if that were true, I wouldn't
necessarily decide to do that and may instead scale back my ultimate
goals given the risks associated with cosmetic surgery. I would,
however, like to plan ahead for when the time comes so that not only
can I make an educated decision but can also plan ahead financially if
that decision includes surgery or some other approach.
Cory (last name & address withheld by
request)
Why don't we review the facts about fat cells
first and then
we'll translate that to what it means to your potential for getting
lean and even getting "ripped" abs.
We are all born with a genetically pre-determined
number of fat
cells. Some people are predisposed to have more fat cells than others
and women have more than men. An infant usually has about 5 - 6 billion
fat cells. This number increases during early childhood and puberty,
and a healthy adult with normal body composition has about 25 to 30
billion fat cells.
It was once believed that the number of fat cells
could not
increase after adulthood, only the size of the fat cells could
increase. We now know that fat cells can indeed increase both in size
(hypertrophy) and in number (hyperplasia) and that they are more likely
to increase in number at certain times and under certain circumstances.
Existing fat cells increase in SIZE when energy
intake exceeds
energy expenditure and the excess is stored in the fat cell. The
average size (weight) of an adult fat cell is about 0.6 micrograms, but
they can vary in size from 0.2 micograms to 0.9 micrograms. An
overweight person's fat cells can be up to three times larger than a
person with ideal body composition.
Fat cells tend to increase in NUMBER most readily
when
excessive weight is gained due to overeating and or inactivity during
the following periods:
1. During late childhood and early puberty 2.
During pregnancy 3. During adulthood when extreme amounts of weight are
gained
Normally during adulthood, the number of fat
cells stay about
the same, except in the case of obesity. When the existing fat cells
are filled to capacity, new fat cells can continue to be formed in
order to provide additional storage - even in adults.
A typical overweight adult has around 75 billion
fat cells. But
in the case of severe obesity, this number can be as high as 250 to 300
billion!
Because of these facts, many people believe,
"Well, I have more
fat cells than other people, so what's the use, I'll never reach my
goals". Some people argue that obesity is genetic and/or that once
you're obese and your fat cells have multiplied, it's an uphill battle
you can't ever win.
It's easy to search for "legs" to put under a
"table" of
self-limiting beliefs in order to hold those beliefs up. It's easy to
justify current circumstances and low future expectations by seeking
out seemingly logical and scientific facts and explanations.
Here's the reality (well, at least it's my two
cents):
People who say it can't be done (like on the
website you
mentioned) are just loser pessimists or they are simply selling
pharmaceuticals or surgical procedures.
Once you've developed new fat cells, it's true
that the only
way to get rid of them is with liposuction. However, liposuction not
only has risks, it also won't help you if you don't change your
lifestyle because your fat cell number can increase AGAIN! Yes, you can
"suck it away" as many times as you want, but the fat can come back!
As much as some people desperately want to
believe in a magic
pill or surgical procedure, getting a lean body always boils back down
to nutrition and exercise. You can't change the number of fat cells you
have (without surgery), but you CAN shrink every one of them by
changing your lifestyle.
The number of fat cells you possess - either
through genetic
predisposition or through fat cell hyperplasia during childhood or
adult obesity - will certainly influence how difficult it will be for
you to lose body fat. It's one of the reasons why some people have a
more difficult time losing weight than others and why some people seem
to gain weight more easily than others if they're not very careful and
diligent with their nutrition and exercise programs.
However, it does NOT mean that it's impossible to
get lean or
that surgery (liposuction or abdominoplasty) will eventually be
mandatory. Until you've made permanent changes to your lifestyle, it
doesn't make sense to even consider surgical intervention. Surgery
should always be a last resort.
Don't "scale back" your ultimate goals!! Just be
sure to set
realistic time frames for achieving your goals. Set your long term and
short term goals as if you knew you couldn't fail and get started.
Re-assess your inclination towards surgery later, not now while you're
just starting. Cross that bridge if you come to it.
If you have a difficult time doing that and you
still harbor
doubts about your ultimate potential to get lean because of genetics or
fat cells, here's a question you might want to ask yourself:
Has anybody else who was obese as a child and
throughout young
adulthood - even 100 pounds or more overweight - lost it ALL and kept
it off?
After doing some research (that can easily be
done online (you could even start by looking at the burn the fat
success stories on this website,
and after giving it some deep thought, the answer you must come to, if
you're being honest with yourself, is "YES! Others have done it, so I
can do it too!"
Look for inspiration from people who have done
it. Look away
from the pessimists and from those who have ulterior motives. Avoid
books, articles, websites and people who even remotely suggest that "It
can't be done" and instead hold on to your dreams, chart your course,
and expect the best case scenario. Then back up that expectation with
lots and lots of action. And be sure that a LOT of that action revolves
around exercise and building muscle. Dieting alone just doesnt do it
(and might even make things worse).
Finally, remember that decreasing your body fat
and reaching
your goals will not be acheived with a "diet", a "12 week program" a "6
week transformation" or by "trying" another program, you will only
achieve your goals with a permanent lifestyle change.
Begin to make those changes and expect the best.
I don't care
if you have 20 billion fat cells or 200 billion, you can only become
what you expect to become.
If you need help with the nutrition, exercise and
lifestyle
changes you'll need to make in order to reach your ultimate goal,
you'll find the Burn The Fat program an invaluable tool. Go to the Burn
The Fat home page for more information: www.BurnTheFat.com
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