Belly Fat: Why Is It So Difficult to Get Rid of?Belly fat is obviously undesirable, not just for reasons of appearance but also for health reasons. Given how high the costs are of remaining obese, you’d think people would do a better job of dieting. So why don’t more people lose weight?Likewise, who doesn’t know a middle-aged woman who works out every day, eats like a bird, and still has significant belly fat? So what's going on?
Two theories purport to explain this phenomenon: the Caloric Balance Hypothesis and the Lipophilia Hypothesis. Both derive from the law of energy conservation (also known as 1st law of thermodynamics). The Caloric Balance Hypothesis says that we maintain our weight over time only by consciously keeping ourselves at what is known as caloric balance. In other words, we match the number of calories we take in with the calories we burn via exercise. The Lipophila Hypothesis, on the other hand, says that weight maintenance has nothing to do with conscious control of behavior or counting calories. It has to do with physiological mechanisms: hormones, enzymes, and such -- particularly the hormone insulin. So what does the evidence tell us: which theory better describes reality? 1. It is next to impossible to consciously maintain caloric balance over the long term. 2. The simplest explanation for why we maintain weight is that our belly fat (and other fat tissue) is regulated by hormones. 3. Scientists admit that animal weight is hormonally regulated -- why won't they admit that the same applies to human beings? |
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