<div> <div><span> In this "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) episode, Peter and Bob take a deep dive into fat flux. They define the major players that impact the flow of fat entering and exiting a fat cell, which determines how much fat a person carries. They discuss the significant influence that insulin has on the net fat balance and explore common strategies, such as fasting and low-carb diets, that have efficacy in the liberation and oxidation of fat from fat cells. Additionally, Bob explains his research process and how he seeks answers to Peter's challenging questions.</span></div> </div> <div> <div> </div> <p>If you're not a subscriber and listening on a podcast player, you'll only be able to hear a preview of the AMA. If you're a subscriber, you can now listen to this full episode on your <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/members/private-podcast-feed/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">private RSS feed</a> or on our website at the <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/ama22/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AMA #22 show notes page</a>. If you are not a subscriber, you can learn more about the subscriber benefits <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p>We discuss:</p> <ul type="disc"> <li>The two main ways to reduce fat mass (1:30);</li> <li>Explaining fat flux—how fat enters and exits a fat cell (9:15);</li> <li>What fat balance looks like (21:15);</li> <li>What net fat influx looks like, and the impact of insulin in lipolysis (24:30);</li> <li><span style="color: #201f1e;">What net fat efflux looks like,</span><span style="color: #201f1e;"> and the benefits of fasting </span>to break<span style="color: #201f1e;"> the hyperinsulinemic cycle (28:30);</span></li> <li>Exploring why most people with excess body fat will lose fat mass when reducing carbohydrates or eating a ketogenic diet (32:45);</li> <li>Why being in nutritional ketosis does not automatically translate to negative fat flux (fat loss) (42:40);</li> <li>Bob's approach to scientific research (47:00);</li> <li>The importance of curiosity and a desire to learn (58:30);</li> <li>Bob's tips and tricks for answering a scientific question in a time-crunch (1:00:00); and</li> <li>More.</li> </ul> <p>Learn more: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/">https://peterattiamd.com/</a><br /> <br /> Show notes page for this episode: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/ama22/">https://peterattiamd.com/ama22/</a> <br /> <br /> Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/">https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/</a><br /> <br /> Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/">https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/</a><br /> <br /> Connect with Peter on <a href="http://Facebook.com/PeterAttiaMD"><u>Faceboo</u></a><u>k</u> | <a href="http://Twitter.com/PeterAttiaMD"><u>Twitter</u></a> | <a href="http://Instagram.com/PeterAttiaMD"><u>Instagram</u></a>.</p> </div>
Actionable Insights
1. Shrink Fat Cells for Health
Prioritize reducing the size of your fat cells through interventions like diet, as this approach provides significant metabolic improvements beyond just cosmetic benefits. Reducing the number of fat cells (e.g., via liposuction) is primarily a cosmetic procedure and does not offer the same metabolic advantages.
2. Ketosis Not Fat Loss Guarantee
Do not assume that being in ketosis or becoming a ‘fat burning machine’ automatically leads to fat loss or prevents fat accumulation. It is possible to gain weight and fat even while in ketosis, so relying solely on this state for fat loss is a misconception.
3. Redefine Weight Loss as Fat Loss
When aiming to ’lose weight,’ understand that the true goal is to lose fat mass, which fundamentally means making your fat cells smaller. This reframing helps clarify the objective and guides more effective strategies.
4. Clarify Fat Loss & Muscle Gain
Define your body composition goals clearly: typically, people aim to lose fat and gain muscle, rather than just losing or gaining ‘weight.’ This precise goal setting helps in choosing appropriate strategies.
5. Understand Fat Flux Dynamics
To comprehend how fat cells change size, apply an ’engineering problem’ mental model by tracking the net ‘flux’ of fatty acid substrate – what goes into the cell versus what comes out. A net accumulation makes the cell larger, and a net release makes it smaller.
6. Adipose Tissue Flux vs. Calories
While ‘calories in, calories out’ describes overall energy balance, understand that fat loss or gain specifically occurs at the level of the adipose tissue, involving how much fat enters, is released from, and is trapped within fat cells. This provides a more granular understanding than just systemic energy balance.
7. View Diagrams for Clarity
If listening to the audio version of the podcast, pause and refer to the show notes for diagrams or watch the video version to better understand complex visual explanations, such as the white adipose tissue diagram.
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