Body fat makes such a MASSIVE difference

[Rich Knapp]

The Problem of Visceral Fat :
There are two important types of fat on the body. Peripheral fat is the soft, superficial fat located under the skin. In overweight people, peripheral fat around the abdomen forms rolls that can be pinched. In addition to the abdomen, peripheral fat often shows up on the thighs, buttocks and hips.

Visceral fat accumulates inside the abdomen, often surrounding the internal organs, including the heart, liver, kidneys and intestines. This type of fat accumulates around the middle and is associated with a large belly and waist circumference. However, waist size isn’t an exact correlation with visceral fat because it’s hidden deep inside the body. Gary Hunter, Ph.D., Exercise Physiologist with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, says the only way to see how much visceral fat is in the body is to do a CT or MRI scan.

Researchers say visceral fat cells are very active. They release fatty acids into the blood and promote inflammation. Visceral fat is associated with a reduced sensitivity to insulin (the hormone that enables the body to use glucose for fuel), a risk factor for development of type 2 diabetes. Visceral fat deposits are also associated with elevated triglycerides, higher LDL levels (the “bad” cholesterol), low HDL levels (the “good” cholesterol), high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and death from all causes.

Written by Kristi Runyon

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Off Road

Don't forget that your LBM will drop along with bodyfat as you get leaner and leaner. So your LBM may be similar when at a heavier BF%, but it will go down as you lose weight and get lean.

This is a good point. There is this belief that natural bodybuilders hold all their mass while cutting. A lot of that is wishful thinking.

[Carl1174]

Good stuff Rich, but now Im thinking im heavy cos i have loads of visceral fat

lol

carl.

[Kevsworld]

Good point here--I think some of us would be surprised with how low our weight would be at a a "shredded" level of body fat. Part of this is due to the whole steroid thing--we have completely unrealistic models of what you can achieve naturally.

A lean 180 lb looks much more impressive than a soft 200 lb.

I'm kind of calling myself out on this one. I was a little over 200 lb a few weeks ago and I'm doing some "cutting" myself. I don't care if I go down to 180 or less--no point in having muscle if you can't seen any of it.