Fat Burning vs Fat Loss

In this episode of the Lifting Lindsay podcast, Lindsay discusses the essential concepts of fat burning versus fat loss, explaining that despite common misconceptions, they are not the same. She highlights how fat burning refers to the process of using dietary or stored body fat as an energy source, whereas fat loss involves the actual reduction in body fat percentage. Lindsay offers insights into fat metabolism, including the processes of lipolysis and beta-oxidation, and how fat leaves the body.

Topics:
00:00 Welcome back to Fun Fact Friday
00:34 We're here for tangents, right?
02:56 I can be naive about the amount of horrific information being shared
06:53 Define a few terms first
10:52 How much fat loss depends on who wins
17:19 Your body doesn't care about losing body fat
20:16 I kill myself working out and others look better with less work

Creators & Guests

Host

Lindsay

Wife and mother of three. I have a deep passion for learning and teaching. I also really love lifting weights and fitness.

What is LiftingLindsay's More Than Fitness?

Dive into the joy of fitness with Lindsay and other guests exploring how it goes well and beyond the gym floor, the number on the scale, the size of your waist or the calories you're counting.

Lindsay: Hey guys.

Welcome.

Welcome to today's episode of
the Lifting Lindsay podcast.

Today's episode is going to be another
fun fact Friday, and the whole point

of this was to share a fun fact that
was like 10 or 15 minutes, and I think

so far I have never kept it to 10 to
15 minutes, so I'm doing something

that's kind of like mind blowing for me.

I'm actually writing
podcast notes to follow.

Okay guys, do you know
what's really funny?

I was talking to a friend, um, a few
months ago who also has a podcast and

see, I'm already going off on a tangent.

I'm already going off.

Is this story on my
notes to share with you?

No, but that's okay.

'cause this is, this is
why we're here, right?

Are we here for the tangents?

Are we here for the information?

A little bit of both.

I don't know.

You'd be this judge, but I
always go off on tangents anyway.

It's funny 'cause me and her were
talking about our podcast and our

different podcasts and approaches
and she was telling me, well, my

podcast notes and I'm like, your notes.

And she's like, well, yeah.

I write down like what I'm gonna
talk about and what I'm gonna say

and the points I'm gonna make, and
some like things I'm gonna share.

I'm like, oh, oh, okay.

That's probably a smart thing to do.

I usually start out with a question.

Somebody has a question about, fat
loss, building muscle, and then I

honestly usually just share what
I know off the top of my head.

Now, sometimes I will be like, oh, I'm
talking about this study, so I should

have this study in front of me, and
maybe I'll share like quotes there.

But it was just so funny as she's talking
about, well, yeah, you, you write out

the flow of the show and you, you write
out this and that, and the main points.

I'm like, oh, is that why your
show is so much better than mine?

Mine?

It's just a compilation
of Lindsay's tangents.

So, so I'm, I'm doing it guys.

I have it written down.

Is this, is this what it feels like
to be like a grownup, an adult?

We do things like this.

We, we have like structure to our lives.

We plan things out.

This is just not the,
the Lindsay Parker way.

I usually just fly by the seat
of my pants, I'm not gonna lie.

Anyways.

It is really funny how we
live our lives sometimes.

So here we go guys.

We are gonna be talking today
about, I love how I'm like, I'm

gonna keep this under 10 minutes
and I have already wasted two and a

half minutes on a tangent already.

This is gonna be fun.

This is, this is, but you're,
you're here, you're in it.

I guess you, you could leave at any
moment, but this is gonna be really cool.

You don't wanna leave because we are
gonna be talking about the difference

between burning fat versus fat loss.

What?

Now?

I know some of you're sitting
there thinking, wait, wait, wait.

It's, it's the same thing, Lindsay,
are we just splitting hairs?

No.

No, we're not.

In fact, I actually think that
this is an important topic.

I really do enjoy educating you guys.

I want you guys to go into social
media world being so educated.

You can call BS as soon as you see it.

That is really, really important
because you have to understand, um,

I'm very picky about who I follow.

I try not to spend a ton of time on
social media, so to be honest, I don't,

I don't realize at times I can be naive
to the amount of horrific, information

that's being pedaled by people who
have literally millions of followers.

And I, I did kind of get lost in a rabbit
hole the other day where I was shocked,

literally shocked by the horrific bad
information that, and this person.

Their information got like 150,000 likes.

Like we are not educated enough in
general on health and fitness to be

able to navigate the marketplace of
ideas that is TikTok and Instagram

and all of that, meaning that
anybody who has an idea has a voice.

We are just, general population,
just not educated enough to spot poor

information from good information.

And I was even, uh, following a
friend and she posted this podcast by

probably one of the worst health, um,
I, I don't even know what to call him.

He, he pedals the worst
health information.

I mean, it is horrific.

And she's like, this is
the best podcast ever.

Everybody needs to listen to this.

And I'm like, no.

A piece of my soul is dying.

And I, I, I never know, like, should
I reach out and be like, just so

you understand, he cherry picks
information in studies, literally

quotes, parts of studies where the
researchers are saying, this is

the bad information, this sentence.

And he goes, oh, see,
this study says this.

Literally like, whew,
piece of my soldier dies.

So I really want to help educate
people so that they can, they can

filter through poor information.

Now, burning fat, like I said,
is not the same as fat loss.

And why is this an important topic?

Well, because we are inundated with.

Uh, diet saying this
diet will burn more fat.

That's, that may be true, but
does that equal more fat loss?

No.

This exercise program will
quote, unquote, burn more fat.

That may be true, but then why are
these people coming to me saying,

I'm doing all the fat burning diets?

Exercise, why aren't I losing body fat?

Because they're actually different.

So let's really dive into this,
break this down, find out why.

So let's, let's start by defining terms.

What does fat loss actually mean?

Fat loss is the reduction in body fat.

Fat burning is something else.

Fat burning.

Is that the process of dietary
fat or stored body fat being used

as an energy source in the body?

And we're gonna break this down
even further 'cause I wanna

make sure that you understand.

So let's talk about fat metabolism.

So fat stored in our bodies in fat
cells in the form of triglycerides.

Triglycerides are a glycerol molecule
and three fatty acid changed.

So they're kind of hooked.

They're hooked together.

You can think of the glycerol as
the backbone and hooking these

fatty acid chains together.

Step one of the quote
unquote fat burning process.

Step one is lipolysis.

It is the breakdown of the triglyceride,
so it's splitting the glycerol

backbone from the fatty acid shades.

So there are now free fatty acids that
are distributed into the bloodstream.

Step two is called beta oxidation.

This is in the mitochondria,
the breakdown of fatty acids

to be used as a TP as energy.

This is when they are
referring, referring to, um.

Burning fat.

This is the process.

Now, step three is just
kind of an interesting one.

I just kinda wanna throw it out there.

There's, this is very, very basic.

There's a lot of steps going on
in between all of this, but these

are, these are the basic ones that
I feel like you need to understand.

Lipolysis is the breakdown
of triglycerides that are

being stored in the fat cells.

Now it goes out to the bloodstream.

Then you have beta oxidation that's
happening in the mitochondria.

It's breaking down the fatty
acids to be used as energy.

Now I just kind of wanna throw this in
there 'cause I think it's really fun.

The byproducts of fat metabolism.

How does it leave your body?

Have you ever wondered that?

How does, how does this actually,
okay, so it's used as, as energy.

How does it leave the body?

Well, it, it leaves it in a few ways as
water through your skin when you sweat.

Kidneys when you urinate.

Okay?

So it's actually leaving through sweat
and, and peeing out in the morning.

When you go to the bathroom and
you're peeing, you are releasing

the byproducts of fat metabolism.

Isn't that so funny?

This is how fat leaves the body.

It also leaves the body as carbon,
uh, carbon dioxide, CO2, through

your lungs when you breathe.

So.

Those are ways that it,
then the byproducts leave.

Right.

So now I've gone through burning
fat, and you're like, okay, Lins.

Like I, I get that.

So we're burning body fat
from the sa fat cells.

Well, that, that leads to fat loss.

It is a piece of the puzzle.

Yes.

Just because you burn fat does
not mean your body will see a

reduction of overall body fat.

So it's super important to understand
that fat storage and fat burning

are not static systems in the body.

We actually go back and forth between.

Burning fat, storing fat,
burning fat, storing fat.

You are fluctuating back and forth between
fat burning and fat storing all day.

Now, how much fat loss we
see depends on who wins?

Do you get more fat storage
or more fat oxidation?

Which do we get more of?

Think about it this way.

I'm a very visual person.

Think about it this way.

If you had a big bucket and it is full
to the very, very top of water, think

about that as fat storage, and you're
like, well, I wanna see this reduced.

I wanna see the reduction, so I'm
gonna poke a hole in it in the bottom.

That is kind of, that, that fat
metabolism, the, the, uh, burning fat and

it starts seeping out and you start seeing
the reduction in these fat cells, right?

You start seeing the water come down.

But the, the problem with that is, like
I said, it's not just the body's in a

state of constantly burning fat all day.

It goes back and forth
between storing and using.

Storing using, it's the same exact
thing as with with protein and

aminos and turnovers turnover, right?

So, and it's the same exact principle.

So as this water comes out, you also have
water coming in, and if the rate is equal.

Then the, the water is
gonna stay near the top.

Nothing will change.

If the rate of water coming in is
equal to the rate of water going out,

then actually nothing will change.

So this is that whole energy out.

If it's equal to energy coming in,
then you are going to maintain.

You're gonna maintain your
weight, your body fat.

Now, if we slow down the rate of water
coming in and the rate of water going

out is higher, then you are going to see
the water come down, down, down, down.

You are going to see fat loss.

So at the end of the day,
that illustration is showing.

It still comes down to energy
out needs to exceed the amount of

energy coming in AKA food coming in.

So you can't just sign up for,
oh, well this certain nutrition

plan says that all lose, I'll
burn more fat by eating this way.

So I'm just gonna eat that way.

Well, you still have to
be in a calorie deficit.

Body still has to, at the end of the
day, the end of the week, the end of the

month, be in an overall energy deficit.

Well, I'm gonna sign up for this,
this program, because it says

it's a fat loss program, or it
says it's burning, burning fat.

It may, but at the end of the
day, it may increase the hole so

that the rate of water coming out.

Faster.

But at the end of the day, if you
turn the the sink up and are eating

just as much as it's going out,
you're not gonna lose body fat.

So that's why I think that this
topic is actually really important

because I really want to drill home
this idea that just because a program

promises, um, you're gonna burn
fat, doesn't mean you will lose.

Body fat just because a diet says,
well, you'll burn more fat doing

keto because this is what your
body is now becoming adapted to,

is utilizing and burning more fat.

Yes, that is 100% true, but at the
end of the day, if you are not in

a calorie deficit in in this diet
approach, then you will not see

the fat loss that you want to.

So just because you're fat adapted
doesn't mean it's the same principle

as when people say, well, if you
do fasted cardio during that time

period, you will burn more body fat.

True.

But at the end of the day, if the amount
of nutrition coming in is matching the

amount of calories being burned, it
doesn't matter when you do the cardio.

It doesn't matter that you
are quote unquote burning

more body fat at that time.

At the end of the day, it is still
about energy balance can, and that's

why it is so important to really focus
on to controlling energy balance,

not by what more can I do in the gym?

How many hours can I add to.

Cardio this week to burn more.

Most of us don't have that time.

We just don't.

And to be honest, if I have
extra time, I don't want to be

spending it doing those things.

Now, somebody else might,
they might really enjoy it.

Me personally, if, if somebody
said, Hey, Lindsay, here's an extra

hour, two hours a day, I would be
like, I am going to, this is okay.

I wanna sleep.

I wanna spend time with my family.

Like honestly, that's where my mind goes.

I want more sleep and I want more
time with my kids or my husband.

Like that's what I want
to connections and sleep.

Those are my most important
things in my life.

So I really hope that this has helped.

Open your eyes.

Next time you see somebody promise
a fat burning diet, fat burning

training program, you now know.

That it doesn't matter how
much fat burning you induce if,

because here's another thing too
that we didn't even talk about.

Usually the more fat burning, the, the
more calories you burn throughout the day

for the first few days, your, your body,
uh, as far as hunger may remain the same,

but after a few days after a week, what
happens is your body really does want

energy balance.

And so it's like, oh, I've noticed
that your body doesn't care

that you want to lose body fat.

It just cares about survival and
perpetuating our species, our species

that is literally all it cares about.

And so if, if it notices this dip in,
in energy levels, this dip of you are

using a ton of quote unquote fat burning.

Gonna say, oh, okay, I need to
send more hunger to this person.

Hunger signals so that we can eat more.

They, they need to eat more.

And so then all of a sudden you find
that no matter how much you're burning,

well now you're just hungry for more.

You're just eating more.

So that's how the body kind of,
no, we're gonna manage this.

We're gonna manage energy, and we
are grateful for these systems, guys.

These are, these are blessings
in our lives, actually.

The body knows what it's doing, so it
really wants to keep energy balance.

This is why I say that the, the best way
to actually manage and drop body fat,

lose fat is going to be by controlling
and being more mindful of the energy

coming in, the calories coming in.

That's actually going to be a much
better way because you can't control

the hormone shifts that are going
to increase your hunger because it,

the body wants, uh, balance, right?

So anyways, hopefully this is
giving you greater insight into,

oh, when I see these people saying,
well, this will burn more fat.

It does.

It actually, at the end of the
day, it doesn't matter if you

can't control the energy coming in.

It just doesn't.

So I hope when you see those
things, you're like, oh,

that doesn't really matter.

Actually, at the end of the day, if
these other things aren't on point.

So that doesn't really apply to me.

So this also can be a really good aha
moment for you of, oh man, that's why

I'm not seeing changes in my body.

My, um, I had somebody close to
me express that the other day.

She's like, I go to the
gym and I literally, I.

Kill myself.

And I look around at these people.

They do one set and then they
sit there for two minutes, but

they look way better than me.

And she's like, I'm, this is, and in her
mind, she's like, I've tried everything.

Nothing works for me.

My body's broken.

No, it's not.

It's, it's that you have to learn
how to control that energy coming in.

No matter how much energy you expend,
no matter how, how much body or how

much fat you consume to become fat
adapted, no matter how much fasted

cardio you do, at the end of the day,
if you are not controlling energy

coming in, it doesn't mean much.

Now does it help you cardiovascularly?

Yeah.

Awesome.

You are going to be so like.

Aerobically fit.

And that is cool.

That is cool because that
helps you be healthier.

But if this is about the way you
look, well, then you have to control

that energy coming in better.

Okay, guys, you guys are awesome.

I really appreciate you.

Um, if you have made it into,
you know, the 22 minutes.

Good for you.

You're awesome.

You're my people.

Thank you so much for joining me
today on The Lifting Lindsay Podcast.

If you have found that this is
useful information, please share

it with those that you feel like
could really learn from this.

Also, if you have any questions, go
ahead and shoot me a DM on Instagram.

You can follow me at lifting.

Lindsay, and if you would like to learn
more about nutrition, have access to

my courses on fat loss, on maintenance.

I'm working, uh, on builds.

I am in middle of working on and halfway
through a course that I, that I'm putting

up, um, on my Be Strong membership.

I would really encourage you to join
that membership, join that community.

You can upload form videos.

You have access to me through lives, and
you also get optimized training programs

that help with muscle and strength and
help you age well and choose, uh, optimal

exercises to keep you healthy and strong.

I'd love to see you in that community.

You guys have a great week.