Fat Suckers

I took a minute away from grading papers to open a newspaper. I had four unpoened ones on my couch.

The WSJ had a story about fat cells. Apparently, the FDA has lost all sense of reason and has approved two devices that are meant to remove subcutaneous fat cells from the body (the kind just under the skin that we don't like to see on our body). Visceral fat, the kind that settles around the organs as we age and if we become obese, is the fat that does us harm. Subcutaneous fat just looks bad and if one continues to eat more than they burn (need), it will just come back.

There is concern about procedures that remove fat as fat cells actually have special roles to play in the body and this type of manipulation can really mess up that delicate balance. It also always amazes me what expensive, uncomfortable, often futile and invasive things a person will do to avoid changing the way they eat.

The real point I wanted to make today is that in the article about the new procedures it was said that the fat will come back unless the person eats less OR exercises more. The wrong message again - because when you compare eating fewer calories only to exercise only - the weight loss occurs in the eat fewer calories, but if you do BOTH, the person loses MORE calories or loses them quicker. Exercise alone is not a strong weight loss strategy but it does significantly improve mood.

Back to work now....