I've been involved in the fitness industry since 2008 - when I started my degree.
During that time, it's safe to say that I've seen and heard most things.
Some good, some bad, and some downright awful.
Some of the most common misconceptions still doing the rounds include:
• Weight lifting makes women bulky
• Carbs will make you fat (truth: too many calories make you fat)
• When you stop lifting, your muscle turns into fat
The first two have elements of truth depending on context.
But the last one? That’s complete fiction.
Muscle and fat are two entirely different tissues. One cannot transform into the other.
And speaking of fat… did you know your body actually carries different types of it? One in particular doesn’t just affect how you look, it’s been directly linked to chronic disease and even early death.
This week’s newsletter is all about that type of fat, the one that quietly damages your health from the inside out.
Let's dive right in...
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First of all, let's make something abundantly clear:
Not all fat is created equal.
The human body contains various different types of fat, but we're only focused on two:
Subcutaneous fat: This is the fat that you can pinch, and lies just underneath your skin. While your body needs a certain level of subcutaneous fat to function, not to mention for protection, too much of it can detrimental to your overall health & quality of life.
When someone says they can’t see their six-pack, it’s because they have too much subcutaneous fat sitting between their abdominal muscles and their skin.
Visceral fat: This is fat that everyone has and is a layer of soft fat that provides protection around several of your internal organs. Unlike subcutaneous fat, visceral fat is "metabolically active" and plays a role in how your body stores and uses energy.
Too much visceral fat is harmful to your health and has been linked to an increased risk of both cancer and cardiovascular disease. This is why I wanted to write this email.
Visceral fat is found around your:
- Heart
- Intestines
- Kidneys
- Liver
- Pancreas
- Stomach
The fat in your belly area includes both visceral and subcutaneous fat.
Now, I wanted to share this topic with you so you're aware of the very real dangers that too much visceral fat carries with it.
Talking of dangers, what are the dangers behind visceral fat?
Whereas subcutaneous fat is thought to be relatively harmless, visceral fat is an different story entirely, and it's down to one thing in particular...
INFLAMMATION!
(I've been saying visceral fat a lot so far and I've got a bunch more to share with you, so I'm going to go ahead and refer to it a VF from now on.)
VF secretes inflammatory cytokines (proteins secreted by the immune cells) that drive inflammation in the body.
Not only does it drive inflammation, which can lead to a host of cancers and diseases, it does so around the most important organs in the human body. This is why VF has been directly linked with cancer and cardiovascular disease.
A study from 2010 clearly showed that VF and abdominal obesity had a direct impact on not only metabolic disease, but also mortality risk (aka the risk of dying).
Cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes could be waiting in the wing if you're carrying too much VF.
And the really scary thing about VF is that it takes a relatively small amount to cause problems.
In his book "Outlive", Dr. Peter Attia use the following example to highlight how little is actually needed:
"Let's say you are a 40-year-old man who weighs two-hundred pounds. If you have 20-percent body fat, making you more or less average (50th percentile) for your age and sex, that means you are carrying 40 pounds of fat throughout your body. Even if just 4.5 pounds of that is visceral fat, you would be considered at exceptionally high risk for cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes, in the top 5 percent of risk for your age and sex."
(Pg 100, Outlive, Dr. Peter Attia)
So, it's pretty damn clear that too much VF is detrimental to your health, but what causes visceral fat?
Well, to know what causes you VF, you first need to be clear on what causes any type of fat to build up in the body.
→ A big old calorie deficit, that's what.
When you continually eat more calories than your body needs, aka a positive energy balance, your body will store those excess calories in your subcutaneous fat for later use. e.g. when you go for a long walk or a hike.
This cycle will continue and is perfectly healthy, as long as you haven’t exceeded your fat storage capacity (Which we'll discover in a minute is unique to the individual).
Now, if you continue forward with no regard for calories and energy balance, that's when problems start to arise...
If you're continuously in a calorie surplus, and you're not expending a whole bunch of energy through movement and exercise, your subcutaneous fat cells will gradually fill up, and up, and up, until there simply isn't any room left.
This is when shit starts to go sideways - fast!
When a person reaches the limit of their subcutaneous fat storing capacity, to which we all have, but they still continue to consume excess calories, the extra energy doesn’t just disappear, it's got to go somewhere.
The calories are still getting turned into fat, but now the issue is storage. If the usual storage place is full, it's got to find an alternative.
Imagine you're trying to park your car. You go to your usual car park, but it's at full capacity. You've got to get to work so you need to find an alternative, but that was the only car park around. So you go "f*ck it" and park it in the middle of the street. You come back after work to find a bunch of parking tickets on your window, plus it's been clamped for dangerous parking.
I think I made my point with this 😂
The excess fat needs to be stored, and where it gets stored is dangerous.
It spills out of its prefered storage space and finds it way to your heart, pancreas, and other major organs. This is where the danger begins!
This fat that surrounds your organs is called, you guessed it...
"Visceral Fat"
Fat storing capacity varies among people and is unique to that individual, with genetics having a huge influence.
These are completely made up and non-relevant numbers, but imagine some people can store 3 litres of fat, while others can store 10 litres.
That's a big difference.
Besides genetics, how much energy you are burning each day via movement and exercise and how much you are consuming through food and drink obviously matters as well.
Now, you've probably heard the term "skinny fat" before, and like most, brushed it aside like some throw away term.
But Mitchell Lazar, director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, suggests that these people are most at risk of metabolic disease.
Yep, you could be skinny, yet end up with a "fat disease" like diabetes.
This goes back to the fact that only a small amount of VF is needed to cause problems.
Besides too many calories, there are other factors that influence VF gain:
Hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, and cortisol are all involved in the production and distribution of fat, with cortisol being particularly formidable.
It actively lowers your subcutaneous fat (good), but replaces it with VF (bad). This is why sleep and stress have such a big part to play in body fat levels.
But when it comes to fat, the most potent hormone is without a doubt INSULIN.
Most will only know it as something diabetics take to control their blood sugar levels, but insulin is mostly about fat storage.
Why?
Well, if we swing back to the part where excess fat spills out into the body, when this happens, there's the very real danger that some of that fat finds its way into your muscle, getting stuck between your muscle fibers - kinda like the marble in a wagyu steak.
While that steak may be delicious, "marbling" is an absolute shit storm for your body and is likely the start of the dreaded "Insulin Resistance".
(I'm not going to explain the intricacies of insulin resistance as that's a whole email in itself, but just know it's BAD & can be the beginning of some serious health issues developing)
Ok bare with me, I know this has been a long email but I know this is one of those topics that can change a person's perspective on their health, so I'm being detailed 🙃
We've covered what VF is, what causes it, and the dangers behind it, but how can you test your VF levels?
A DEXA scan is your best option. It'll give you a very clear reading of your subcutaneous fat and visceral fat levels.
You might be sitting there thinking, "Fu*k, this is shit news, VF seems like a right bore".
Well you'd be right, but it's not all doom and gloom, and the good news is that VF responds well to lifestyle changes. So, to improve your VF, do the following:
- Strength training – Builds lean muscle, improves insulin sensitivity, and boosts metabolic rate.
- Cardio (especially Zone 2 and HIIT) – Burns calories for one, which helps with energy balance, but it also helps mobilise stored fat (aka your body gets better at using stored fat for energy).
- Nutrition - Prioritise protein to improve satiety and muscle preservation. Limit processed foods, added sugars, refined carbs, and harmful trans fats.
- Sleep – Hit a minimum of 7 hours as this supports hormonal balance, appetite regulation, and fat loss.
- Stress management – High cortisol promotes visceral fat storage, so use tools like breathwork and mindfulness to keep it under control.
- Alcohol moderation – Excess alcohol intake contributes to abdominal fat and fatty liver, not to mention it harms your sleep and energy expenditure.
- Regular movement – Increasing NEAT (walking, standing, taking stairs) has a big effect on daily energy expenditure and makes it easier to maintain optimal fat levels.
Aaaaannnnddddd breath 😮💨
That was a long ass email, but a necessary one.
I write these emails to educate, inspire, and help you live a healthier and happier life, so I really hope you found this one helpful.
There are a few more things I want to discuss around this topic, so I'll be revisiting it in the next couple of months.
But in the meantime, if you have any questions on anything you've read today, my doors are always open - just pop me a reply 🙌🏻
Chat soon.
