WHY DIETS JUST DON’T WORK – PART II

During weight gain, fat is regained much easier than muscle mass. So, every time you gain and lose, gain and lose – you are increasing your fat mass percentage, which becomes higher than it was before you dieted the previous time.

Fatty liver is a condition in which the body stores excess fat inside the liver cells – not just around the liver. Obesity and weight gain is an important risk factor in developing a fatty liver.

A fatty liver changes the way the liver metabolizes fats and sugars, increasing the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. Left unchecked and allowed to increase, fatty liver can lead to chronic liver failure, which most of us know as cirrhosis.

We may have thought cirrhosis was only associated with alcohol, but fat destroys the liver cells and their function in much the same was as alcohol. Although the mechanism may be a bit different, they both cause inflammation, destroy the cell membranes and compromise cell function.

As of 2018 cirrhosis is actually the 13^th most common cause of mortality worldwide according to the National Library of Medicine, causing more than one million deaths each year. This figure includes chronic hepatis B & C, alcoholic liver disease and NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease). 

However, due to the rising incidence of obesity, NAFLD is predicted to exceed hepatitis cirrhosis and to become the leading indicator for a liver transplant.

When you get on the body composition scale in our office, you will receive an indicator of your visceral fat rating. A rating of 12 and under is medically acceptable, while 13 and above is indicative of excess fat in and around the organs.

Now, everyone with 13 and above visceral fat doesn’t have a fatty liver, but many do. We have had a lot of clients over the years who tell us they have been informed that they have a fatty liver, but don’t understand the implications of that until we discuss it with them upon seeing a high visceral fat rating on their body composition. It’s not something to ignore.

This is an incredibly compelling reason to learn how to live a lifestyle of healthy eating and forego the dieting. You might even grieve the loss of certain foods, but that just goes to show you the power those foods have over you emotionally and chemically.