by Bret Smith CPT, B. A., B.S. | Move Strong Studio

Let’s get this straight right from the start…fat loss is hard! There is no question about it. Having to exercise and eat at levels that create the best possible environment for fat loss and muscle gain is a challenging endeavor.

There are psychological, physical, emotional, and spiritual reasons that can help or hinder progress. What I would like to discuss here is the relationship between fat loss and hormone levels in order to help better understand the relationship that helps make fat loss more effective.

The fat cells in our bodies are continuously turning over and are regulated independent to the body’s hormonal, metabolic and nutritional state. Fat cells store the fat the body uses and also the fat we are unable to use. The major hormone that has an effect on fat metabolism is insulin. Much of the news around insulin is focused on terms like “insulin resistant” and “insulin sensitivity” commonly associated insufficiently with conditions such as diabetes and high blood sugar and not in connection with fat loss. When considering fat loss the level of insulin is primary while being able to metabolize fat and use it as fuel. Higher insulin levels make it extremely difficult for the body to make use of fat for fuel. Lower levels of insulin are optimal for fat loss. When do we have lower levels of insulin? When we are un-fed or under fed. Optimally, the recommendations are attempting to exercise prior to feeding, replenishing with good recovery nutrition and avoid over-feeding (caloric overload). We want the body to make use of as little insulin as possible to clear glucose from the blood and over-feeding creates a great demand for insulin to combat the higher glucose levels. Lastly, we want to develop the metabolic environment where our bodies store glucose as glycogen in the liver and muscle cells and minimize the shuttling of glucose to the fat cells for storage.

Calorie control additionally increases the potential for release of hormones required to help burn fat as a fuel source. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, glucagon, and growth hormone help to create the environment for the fat burning pathway to have maximum impact. What makes these hormones more available? Wait for it! EXERCISE! TA DA! More specifically these hormones send the message to fat cells to transfer energy to the muscles for fat mobilization. Ultimately this is why we have to link nutrition and exercise concurrently for meaningful and lasting fat loss.

So the takeaways here are as follows; Try to exercise at least 5 times a week, avoid overly processed food, maintain healthy sleep patterns, avoid fad diets and know your portions that help you feel full. There are many other important factors for fat loss that will be discussed in future articles but for today the hormone connection to fat loss remains a highly integrated process that if properly maintained will accomplish a great deal of success in living a healthy, fit and long life!