The truth about fat

Volume One, Issue 23, March 2 - March 8, 2007

Health & fitness

The truth about fat

I began my column in these pages four weeks ago, with some suggestions on how to stick to your New Year’s resolutions all year long. I followed up in my next three columns by talking about “synergy,” the three most important parts of any sound fitness plan that, in combination, produce optimal results. (They are: establishing sound nutrition, building lean muscle and doing moderate cardiovascular exercise.) In the process, a number of you wrote in with excellent questions, some of which are featured below. I urge you to keep the letters coming, and I’ll see to it that your questions are addressed.

Q: I’ve been lifting weights for the first time and seem to have added some muscle. I feel strong and toned and my clothes actually fit a little looser, but I’m worried that if I stop lifting that the muscle will turn into fat. Can you please tell me how to make sure that doesn’t happen?

Fortunately, muscle can’t turn into fat any more than water can turn into wine. Muscle and fat are two completely different types of body tissue — one does not “turn” into the other. But you’re not alone in believing that it can. This is a common misconception: When our metabolism speeds up, we can eat more calories without adding fat to our body. When you then stop strength-training, and your metabolism slows down, if you continue to consume the same number of calories, you will add fat to your body. When this happens, it appears that the muscle has “turned” into fat. Additionally, when you stop training with weights, you lose some muscle, and with it you lose that “toned” look that you are enjoying right now. But again, muscle does not transform itself into fat.

The solution is to make sure that you are eating small, balanced meals every three to three-and-a-half hours, meals that satisfy you but don’t make you feel full. When you are doing strength-training, the number of calories needed to feel satisfied will be greater. Just make sure that if you stop strength-training, you make a downward adjustment in the number of calories you are taking in, and/or increase your cardiovascular exercise to burn more of those calories.

Q: After reading your column on nutrition and checking out your Website, I’m a little confused. You recommend eating proteins and carbohydrates, but you don’t say how much fat to eat. I’d always heard that you need some fat in your diet. Did you leave something out?

You’re absolutely right. The human body does require some fat to survive. Our cell membranes (dividers) are composed of fat, our bodies use it for insulation so we don’t freeze in colder weather, and fat is required for nerve-impulse transmission. However, I don’t recommend consuming a specified amount of fat, because if you eat as I suggest, you will get all of the fat that you need. Even very lean proteins have some fat in them — often more than we’re led to believe — and most people have too much fat in their diets, not too little.

I do, however, make some recommendations about fat intake in both my column and on my Website. I suggest that you minimize saturated fats, for example. These are fats that are solid at room temperature, such as the fat in steak or butter; the latter is actually 100 percent saturated fat. I also suggest eliminating hydrogenated fats (also called “trans” fats). These fats actually start out as “good” fats until food producers pump hydrogen atoms into them to make them stay solid at room temperature, making them the enemy of every cell in your body. They do this to increase the shelf-life of the processed foods in which they are found, and they are the least healthy kind of fat. Look for “partially hydrogenated” on food labels and avoid.
As for fats you should eat, in my first column and on my Website, I recommend taking a flaxseed-oil or fish-oil supplement every morning. The fats in these are called “essential fatty acids” (EFAs) because your body needs them and cannot manufacture them on its own. These are your omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, the kind that are actually very healthy for your coronary arteries; they also keep the fats mobile in the bloodstream and help you release fat more efficiently by optimizing insulin sensitivity. And one more benefit: When we get enough of these “good” fats, we tend to have less of a craving for the “bad” fats. Omega-3 can also be found in some animal foods, especially fish such as salmon, mackerel and anchovies, while omega-6 fats can be found in plant sources such as avocado and sunflower seeds. Monounsaturated fats, the healthiest type of fat, are also healthy choices and can be found in olive oil and other sources.

Greg Rothman, M.S. P.T., is the owner of emPower Fitness Studios (emPowerFitnessNYC.com). He received his masters degree in physical therapy from Columbia University and has 15 years’ experience in the rehabilitation and fitness fields, most recently as the personal training manager and top-level trainer for Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York City. SEND YOUR QUESTIONS about nutrition, fitness and sports injuries/rehabilitation to Greg at emPowerFitness@aol.com.

Chelsea Now photo by Elisabeth Robert