A fat lot of good

Bad news, folks - fat is good for you. And it has very sound reasons for gathering around the hips and thighs. But take heart, exercise and eat sensibly, says our new health and fitness guru eat right for your type Author Dr Peter J D'Adamo Price #6.99 Rating 1/5 After browsing through this bookI felt I needed a blood transfusion never mind a blood-type eating plan. Dr Pete claims that by eating foods that suit our blood type we will have more energy, live longer and have a sharper mind. Oh yes, and we'll lose weight. There are four different blood groups - O, A, B, and AB - and Dr Pete has devised a suitable eating plan for each one. But the book lacks any sound scientific basis. The information is inaccurate and any weight- loss would be short lived. Nice cover though.

WE can't live without it, but most of the time, we could see it far enough. Fat in all its glory cheers us up, fills us up and then depresses us. And because we are slaves to weight-loss gimmicks and the fad diets, we don't really know much about fat. Is it such an enemy?

If we lived on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, having a large backside, sturdy thighs and a bloated belly would be seen as sexy and deemed the most attractive parts of all the local women. But we live in the West, where being overweight, having a big bottom and wobbly thighs means we are prime targets for the diet brigade. And for Western women particularly, it brings with it the social, physiological and psychological aspects of fat loss. Your look, shape, size and image are seen as more important than your body's demand for fat and food in general.

How many diets have you tried and failed? Be honest: you have lost weight and felt great; then gained weight and felt lower than a snake's belly. Yet you still try one more diet or swallow another weight-loss pill in desperation.

We Brits have consumed more Slim Fast and wrapped ourselves in more seaweed than other Europeans. We have become the nation of "must try every weight loss gimmick". But instead of being so preoccupied with shedding fat, failing on every diet and feeling useless as a result, we should start to understand the importance of fat in our bodies. Few weight-loss diets actually tell you that you will lose fluid, reduce muscle size, slow down your metabolism and make your fat cells more stubborn. Once you realise this, you may never want to diet again.

There are many similarities between fat in men and fat in women. Fat gives us heat and provides a valuable source of vitamins A, D, E & K, all of which are vital for the repair and growth in our body. Fat is good for the complexion, hair and skin and helps the smooth passage of our faeces. It is when we address the reproduction procedures of both genders that fat becomes primarily a female issue. As every woman will tell you, a man's input to reproduction is small and doesn't last too long (sorry guys). Fat in a female body is primarily needed for the protection of the reproduction system in the body.

It is fair to say that the female problem areas are the hips, thighs and buttocks. When you diet or cut back on your food intake (cut calories) your fat cells become more resilient to giving out fat. Remember the fat cells in these areas are there to protect your ovaries and other vital reproductive organs.

All diets are destined to fail because, when you come off your diet and increase your calorie intake or eat normally again, your fat cells, in anticipation of a further diet or calorie restriction, gobble up as much fat as they can so that they has plenty in reserve. Size does matter when it comes to fat cells. The size of female fat cells varies somewhat, especially around the hips, thighs and buttocks. Because these areas contain all the organs needed to produce a baby, they are smaller and more compact so that they can cushion daily blows and knocks. They also provide essential protection for the growing baby in your womb.

It is worth knowing what happens when fat enters your system. The enzyme lipoprotein lipase (LPL) transports fat that you eat to your fat cells, the fat is stored in the cells and when it is required by the muscles as a source of energy the hormone stimulated lipase (HSL) transports the fat to the muscle to be used as a source of energy. The sad fact is that, in women, lipoprotein lipase is very active in the lower half of the body. The hormone-stimulated lipase is very slow in releasing fat from this area.

So to keep it simple: if you are female, fat goes to your hips, thighs and backsides fast and leaves slowly. I detest being the bearer of even more good news, but when a women produces oestrogen this attracts more fat to the lower part of a female.

So, after finding out about how your fat cells work, how stubborn they can become, how many fat cells you have and how fat is attracted to your hips and thighs, can we cheat the female fat cell? The answer is no. By eating sensibly and regularly you can convince your fat cells to give up fat readily. But this takes time and patience. Do you have either? u

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