Robert Santana RD SSC: Bodyfat, Health, and Longevity

[Mark Rippetoe]

Bodyfat, Health, and Longevity | Robert Santana

[Blackjack]

I felt like that was a little bit validating for me, but also quite bleak. I'm sitting at 5'11 225 lbs (36yo), and trying like hell to get it down to 210-215. As someone who used to weigh 260 untrained, I can't help but wonder if I have a high number of fat cells that are just about as small as they're going to get at this point.

It also seems like there's still so much we don't know. It feels counterintuitive that we could create new fat cells when needed, but that they never go away, even after long periods of time.

Thanks for posting.

[Ryan Arnold]

I felt like that was a little bit validating for me, but also quite bleak. I'm sitting at 5'11 225 lbs (36yo), and trying like hell to get it down to 210-215. As someone who used to weigh 260 untrained, I can't help but wonder if I have a high number of fat cells that are just about as small as they're going to get at this point.

It also seems like there's still so much we don't know. It feels counterintuitive that we could create new fat cells when needed, but that they never go away, even after long periods of time.

Thanks for posting.

Unlikely at this point. I'm 39, 6'0'', 227, 25%BF, down from 250/31%BF. Zero doubt in my mind I'll end up around 210/215/~20%BF next year some time and still stronger. You just have to keep improving your nutrition and your programming.

[quikky]

If the number of fat cells does not really decrease, and their size can only go so low, what happens when someone reaches that point and yet is calorie deficient?

[deeprooted]

If the number of fat cells does not really decrease, and their size can only go so low, what happens when someone reaches that point and yet is calorie deficient?

He/She dies.

[Robert Santana]

I felt like that was a little bit validating for me, but also quite bleak. I'm sitting at 5'11 225 lbs (36yo), and trying like hell to get it down to 210-215. As someone who used to weigh 260 untrained, I can't help but wonder if I have a high number of fat cells that are just about as small as they're going to get at this point.

It also seems like there's still so much we don't know. It feels counterintuitive that we could create new fat cells when needed, but that they never go away, even after long periods of time.

Thanks for posting.

Thanks for the comments buddy. You hit it on the head when you said there is so much we don't know. The take away here goes back to what Rip has said for many years about abs. You don't necessarily need to have abs to be considered healthy and a healthy weight/body fat percentage is going to vary from person to person. As you continue training, getting stronger, and building muscle you start to carry the fat you currently have better because larger muscles spread it out. You may be able to get down to 210-215 but the level of effort required to do that may very well exceed what you can realistically sustain in the long haul and may not even be beneficial, or possibly harmful, from a health standpoint. If you feel good and training is going well, a little extra weight isn't the worse thing in the world. Glad you enjoyed the talk!

If the number of fat cells does not really decrease, and their size can only go so low, what happens when someone reaches that point and yet is calorie deficient?

Impossible to measure this but if the theory holds true then your body would go into adaptive thermogenesis and your metabolic rate would adjust to meet your current intake.

[tfranc]

Great presentation, thank you
Just have a couple questions:

So basically we have no control over the body's preference in hyperplasic or hypertrophic weight gain? (if I understand that correctly.)

I heard of a couple recent studies suggesting a relationship between a particular person's body being unable to increase the number of subcutaneous fat cells/the size of those cells, and an increase of visceral fat as a result. Do you know if that's true?

[Robert Santana]

Great presentation, thank you
Just have a couple questions:

So basically we have no control over the body's preference in hyperplasic or hypertrophic weight gain? (if I understand that correctly.)

I heard of a couple recent studies suggesting a relationship between a particular person's body being unable to increase the number of subcutaneous fat cells/the size of those cells, and an increase of visceral fat as a result. Do you know if that's true?

Your body's ability to add more fat cells is definitely genetically predetermined. This is why you have some guys that walk around with visible abs effortlessly and guys who get up to 600 lbs in body weight. Like most things, you have your bell shaped curve with outliers on the left who walk around peeled no matter what they eat and folks on the right that look at food and gain body fat.

As far as increasing the number of ectopic fat cells, there is definitely some truth to this. Once the human body has exhausted its ability to enlarge and/or add more subcutaneous fat cells, it will begin to add more ectopically (i.e. visceral fat, hepatic fat, etc).

[tfranc]

Your body's ability to add more fat cells is definitely genetically predetermined. This is why you have some guys that walk around with visible abs effortlessly and guys who get up to 600 lbs in body weight. Like most things, you have your bell shaped curve with outliers on the left who walk around peeled no matter what they eat and folks on the right that look at food and gain body fat.

As far as increasing the number of ectopic fat cells, there is definitely some truth to this. Once the human body has exhausted its ability to enlarge and/or add more subcutaneous fat cells, it will begin to add more ectopically (i.e. visceral fat, hepatic fat, etc).

Huh, interesting. Is there a way to control what kind of fat you put on, whether it be ectopical or subcutaneous? Sumo wrestlers come to mind. I've heard while they are large, their lifestyle allows them to keep visceral fat content low.

[jamesfromphoenix]

That's a great presentation from Coach Robert.

With regard to keeping weight and diet in check I have found that the most helpful measurement for me is my waist circumference.

I don't hear it talked about as much but measuring waistline can be more valuable than say measuring body fat or counting calories consumed. If the waist size goes up a couple inches over the course of a couple weeks then you know its probably time to lay off the beer and fatty foods for a bit. Likewise if your waistline doesn't seem to be going up and you feel recovery is becoming a challenge maybe it wont hurt to have that extra cut of red meat or some more peanut butter a couple nights a week. Hell, I'm always looking for an excuse to eat more peanut butter.

This is a simple principal I've learned from my experience working with Robert and I'm guessing it works well for most guys like me who gain body fat easily and are into their 30's. it may be obvious to some, but not to me.