In my last post I spoke about how weight loss is really about "thinning out" the layer of fat that's lying on top of your muscle. I also mentioned how that layer can be as thick or as thin as we allow it to be -- several inches to a foot or more off the muscle.
So when we finally decide it's time to "thin out" that layer of fat (lose weight), what actually happens and where does the fat go?
Our fat tissue is made up of billions of microscopically tiny round cells all stuck together. These cells are soft and yellow, and are filled with an oily liquid. Imagine many yellow balloons all bunched together, each balloon representing a fat cell. For the most part that's what fat cells would look like under a microscope.
Every person is born with a set number of fat cells. There are the lucky ones who are born with 10-12 billion fat cells, and then the less lucky who can be born with two to three times that amount. For the most part genes determine how many cells you are born with, but according to recent studies, scientists believe that a mother's diet and weight gain during pregnancy, can also determine the number of fat cells a person is born with.
