[undecided]

So, over the weekend I noticed something with my skin. I can now feel a thin layer of fat under it. I know its been talked about before, but is it normal to actually feel it.

[Lotus]

So, over the weekend I noticed something with my skin. I can now feel a thin layer of fat under it. I know its been talked about before, but is it normal to actually feel it.

Uh huh!,

Grab and pinch it, it's got E stored in it.

[undecided]

So, over the weekend I noticed something with my skin. I can now feel a thin layer of fat under it. I know its been talked about before, but is it normal to actually feel it.

Uh huh!,

Grab and pinch it, it's got E stored in it.

Ohhh E ....

[bobie]

Should see my tummy, i dunno wtf has happened to it but its nothing like it used to be, i cant even suck it in either

[The First Aria]

So, over the weekend I noticed something with my skin. I can now feel a thin layer of fat under it. I know its been talked about before, but is it normal to actually feel it.

Uh huh!,

Grab and pinch it, it's got E stored in it.

Would that not make a good point for taking breaks ever so often? If the fat has E in it, could it not create a health risk?

[Lotus]

So, over the weekend I noticed something with my skin. I can now feel a thin layer of fat under it. I know its been talked about before, but is it normal to actually feel it.

Uh huh!,

Grab and pinch it, it's got E stored in it.

Would that not make a good point for taking breaks ever so often? If the fat has E in it, could it not create a health risk?

Not all the fat is the same:

The Truth About Fat

Everything you need to know about fat, including an explanation of which is worse -- belly fat or thigh fat.

White Fat

White fat is much more plentiful than brown, experts agree. The job of white fat is to store energy and produce hormones that are then secreted into the bloodstream.

Small fat cells produce a "good guy" hormone called adiponectin, which makes the liver and muscles sensitive to the hormone insulin, in the process making us less susceptible to diabetes and heart disease.

When people become fat, the production of adiponectin slows down or shuts down, setting them up for disease, according to Fried and others.

Subcutaneous Fat

Subcutaneous fat is found directly under the skin. It's the fat that's measured using skin-fold calipers to estimate your total body fat.


In terms of overall health, subcutaneous fat in the thighs and buttocks, for instance, may not be as bad and may have some potential benefits, says Cypess. "It may not cause as many problems" as other types of fat, specifically the deeper, visceral fat, he says.

But subcutaneous fat cells on the belly may be another story, says Fried. There's emerging evidence that the danger of big bellies lies not only in the deep visceral fat but also the subcutaneous fat.

Visceral Fat

Visceral or "deep" fat wraps around the inner organs and spells trouble for your health. How do you know if you have it? "If you have a large waist or belly, of course you have visceral fat," Whitmer says. Visceral fat drives up your risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even dementia.

Visceral fat is thought to play a larger role in insulin resistance -- which boosts risk of diabetes -- than other fat, Whitmer tells WebMD. It's not clear why, but it could explain or partially explain why visceral fat is a health risk.

Whitmer investigated the link between visceral fat and dementia. In a study, she evaluated the records of more than 6,500 members of Kaiser Permanente of Northern California, a large health maintenance organization, for an average of 36 years, from the time they were in their 40s until they were in their 70s.

The records included details on height, weight, and belly diameter -- a reflection of the amount of visceral fat. Those with the biggest bellies had a higher risk of dementia than those with smaller bellies. The link was true even for people with excess belly fat but overall of normal weight.

She doesn't know why belly fat and dementia are linked, but speculates that substances such as leptin, a hormone released by the belly fat, may have some adverse effect on the brain. Leptin plays a role in appetite regulation but also in learning and memory.

Belly Fat

Belly fat has gotten a mostly deserved reputation as an unhealthy fat. "Understand that belly fat is both visceral and subcutaneous," says Kristen Gill Hairston, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C. "We don't have a perfect way yet to determine which [of belly fat] is subcutaneous or visceral, except by CT scan, but that's not cost-effective."

Belly Fat continued...
___________________

But if you've got an oversize belly, figuring out how much is visceral and how much is subcutaneous isn't as important as recognizing a big belly is unhealthy, she says. How big is too big? Women with a waist circumference more than 35 inches and men with a waist circumference more than 40 inches are at increased disease risk.

Abdominal fat is viewed as a bigger health risk than hip or thigh fat, Whitmer and other experts say. And that could mean having a worse effect on insulin resistance, boosting the risk of diabetes, and a worse effect on blood lipids, boosting heart and stroke risks.

Thigh Fat, Buttocks Fat

While men tend to accumulate fat in the belly, it's no secret women, especially if "pear-shaped," accumulate it in their thighs and buttocks.

Unsightliness aside, emerging evidence suggests that pear-shaped women are protected from metabolic disease compared to big-bellied people, says Fried.


"Thigh fat and butt fat might be good," she says, referring to that area's stores of subcutaneous fat. But the benefit of women being pear shaped may stop at menopause, when women tend to deposit more fat in the abdomen.

Weight Loss and Fat Loss

So when you lose weight, what kind or kinds of fat do you shed? "You're losing white fat," Fried tells WebMD. "People tend to lose evenly all over."

The results change a bit, however, if you add workouts to your calorie reduction, she says. "If you exercise plus diet you will tend to lose slightly more visceral fat from your belly."

"We're at an exciting point in science," says Whitmer, echoing the input from other scientists in the field.

Whitmer and others expect more discoveries about fat of all types to be made in the near future.


http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-t...fat?page=2

____________________________________________

Small fat cells produce a "good guy" hormone called adiponectin, which makes the liver and muscles sensitive to the hormone insulin, in the process making us less susceptible to diabetes and heart disease.

Adiponectin and Diet

Having low blood adiponectin levels increases the risk of developing diabetes, and it may also be associated with heart disease and even some types of cancer. The composition of your diet and the amount of fatty tissue that you have can influence circulating adiponectin levels. Adhering to a healthy diet containing plenty of plant-based foods, dietary fiber and ocean fish may help elevate low blood adiponectin levels.


Importance of Adiponectin

Adiponectin is a small protein that fat cells produce and secrete into the bloodstream. Adiponectin is also a hormone. It binds with specific receptors on the surface of tissue cells and produces some known metabolic effects. For example, adiponectin increases the use of fatty acids for fuel, and it enhances insulin sensitivity in tissues such as the liver and muscles. These effects facilitate blood glucose transport into tissue cells. Obesity can lower adiponectin production, and low circulating adiponectin levels are associated with type-2 diabetes. Although still a subject under investigation, adiponectin may also help protect against blood vessel disease, heart attack and stroke.

Chlorogenic Acid

Chlorogenic acid is found in Coffee mostly and a lot of plant compounds; it holds promise in many aspects of health and cognition similar to Bioflavonoids and shares some effects similar to Caffeine but less potent. May decrease the absorption of dietary carbohydrate.


http://www.livestrong.com/article/313879...-and-diet/

____________________________________

Green Coffee Beans May Aid Weight Loss
Supplement Linked to Weight Loss in Small, Early Study

----------------------------------------------------
March 28, 2012 -- Ground green coffee beans, taken daily, seem to spur steady weight loss, according to new research.

In a small, 22-week study, researchers found that 16 overweight men and women lost an average of 17 pounds. They took the green (unroasted) coffee beans in supplement form and, for comparison, took a placebo at a different point of the study.

They did not change their diet. They were physically active. They lost more while on the supplements than while on placebo. They lost the most when on the higher of two coffee bean doses.

"We don't think it's the caffeine in it," says Joe Vinson, PhD, professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton.

He presented the findings Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Diego. The results echo those of earlier studies, but Vinson used a larger dose of the green coffee beans.


The study included people 22 to 46 years old. It was funded by Applied Food Sciences, which makes the green coffee antioxidant supplement.

The results are interesting, but the study was small and short, so further study is needed, says Connie Diekman, RD, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis. She reviewed the findings for WebMD.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20120328/...eight-loss

[Lotus]

Estrogen levels have a direct impact on fat cell storage, especially abdominal fat. Fat cells produce extra estrogen, then the excess estrogen signals your body to store more fat cells. This exchange often creates a vicious cycle of estrogen imbalance and weight gain around the midsection.

Identification
Abdominal fat is identified as visceral or subcutaneous fatty tissue, but not all belly fat is the same. Subcutaneous fat is the top layer of fat you can pinch with your fingers, which is not a danger to your inner organs. Intra-abdominal fat, also called visceral fat, is the kind of belly fat most dangerous to your health. It has been linked to insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Visceral fat is located deep within the abdomen and wraps around your inner organs. The location of visceral belly fat poses a direct threat to the functioning ability of inner organs, resulting in gall bladder issues, fatty liver disease and other organ disorders.

Is Estrogen Released When Belly Fat Is Lost?
http://www.livestrong.com/article/380208...t-is-lost/

[pom19]

Lotus, such a good info you provided here. Thanks so much. <3 POM

[Scotti]

Estrogen levels have a direct impact on fat cell storage, especially abdominal fat. Fat cells produce extra estrogen, then the excess estrogen signals your body to store more fat cells. This exchange often creates a vicious cycle of estrogen imbalance and weight gain around the midsection.

Hmmm, might be the reason for me gaining 15 lbs back, especially since it's all in the waist!

[Eloise]

I have been skinny my entire life to the point where people joke that I must be anorexic (which I am not nor have ever been). My butt was bony. My legs were muscle. My arms were sticks of muscle. But only recently I have noticed my arm muscles are gone and my arms feel soft and are rounded out. When walking down stairs I felt my butt jiggle. That was shocking but in a good way. And my thighs and waist! OMG! Not too many people are happy for putting on fat but I am overjoyed. I find myself feeling my thighs and arms. Yay for fat!