What causes body fat gain?

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hstylesishot
hstylesishot Posts: 19 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I used to do a lot of cardio. But I stopped in late August because I developed edema and joint problems from overdoing it. Now I just walk a lot because I live in the city, and I haven't gained weight or anything.

So I'm curious, what causes one to gain body FAT? like stomach fat, etc? because I don't want my flat stomach to go away.

Is it just eating an excess of calories consistently, or can you gain fat from eating like chicken tenders and mayo for a meal one day?

I already had a lot of pizza and pasta a few days ago, but ate fine since then. Did that meal get stored as fat?

I guess I'm confused about an excess of calories getting stored as fat, or the quality of food that causes fat gain.
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Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
    edited November 2015
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    Excessive calorie surplus.

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  • savageman69
    savageman69 Posts: 339 Member
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    excess calories causes weight gain, not the types of food you eat. You can get fat over eating any food.
  • hstylesishot
    hstylesishot Posts: 19 Member
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    So can one day of excess cause fat gain? or is it just from multiple days?
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    If you eat 3500 excess calories, you will gain a pound, just like a deficit of 3500 calories (approximately) will cause you to lose a pound.
  • Pollywog_la
    Pollywog_la Posts: 103 Member
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    If you did a lot pf carbs while doing cardio, I would cut back. They raise insulin more than protein or fat, and one of insulin's main jobs is storing glucose as fat.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    Calorie surplus, wherever those calories come from, not the type of food.

    I eat a lot of carbs and the only exersise I'm really getting right now is a lot of cardio on my treadmill, and I am consistently losing weight. And when I say carbs, I mean, ice cream, fried dough, rice, noodles, those kinds of carbs. I do eat a lot of vegetables and protein too, but honestly, I don't like "healthy" food.

    I haven't drastically changed the types of foods I eat at all, just the quantity.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
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    blankiefinder wrote: »
    If you eat 3500 excess calories, you will gain a pound, just like a deficit of 3500 calories (approximately) will cause you to lose a pound.

    This
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    Excess calories (calories consumed that your body does not utilize) will be stored as fat. Where it is stored is largely genetic.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
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    Pollywog_la wrote: »
    If you did a lot pf carbs while doing cardio, I would cut back. They raise insulin more than protein or fat, and one of insulin's main jobs is storing glucose as fat.

    I've eaten @ 190 g of carbs per day during my entire weight loss process and have had no problems at all. Unless someone has a medical condition, there's no reason to fear carbs. You've stated previously that you have a medical condition that warrants you to restrict carbs and that's fine. But there's no reason for a healthy person to be afraid of eating carbs.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    Sometimes, when a Daddy Calorie and Mommy Calorie love each other very much, they have a special hug. Now, when that hug isn't interrupted by BMR, NEAT, or Exercise, the hug lasts long enough such that at the end, a special thing called a calorie surplus happens. As that calorie surplus blossoms and grows, it turns into adipose (body fat is the slang you might here some of your friends use because they're not yet comfortable with the technical parts).

    Now before you rush out and tell your friends, keep in mind some parents don't feel their children are ready yet. Instead, they tell them that the insulin stork delivers adipose in carb basket. Many of these people want their belief preserved very much, and so they insist on it, so they'll be upset if you tell them the real story. Some of them so much so that they believe if the stork lacks a carb basket, it can't deliver an adipose baby.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Excessive calorie surplus.

    Or even a slight calorie surplus. Really any calorie surplus would put on fat over time.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Eating more than you burn.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    senecarr wrote: »
    Sometimes, when a Daddy Calorie and Mommy Calorie love each other very much, they have a special hug. Now, when that hug isn't interrupted by BMR, NEAT, or Exercise, the hug lasts long enough such that at the end, a special thing called a calorie surplus happens. As that calorie surplus blossoms and grows, it turns into adipose (body fat is the slang you might here some of your friends use because they're not yet comfortable with the technical parts).

    Now before you rush out and tell your friends, keep in mind some parents don't feel their children are ready yet. Instead, they tell them that the insulin stork delivers adipose in carb basket. Many of these people want their belief preserved very much, and so they insist on it, so they'll be upset if you tell them the real story. Some of them so much so that they believe if the stork lacks a carb basket, it can't deliver an adipose baby.

    I like it! I "feel" like I do better cutting or eliminating carbs like bread, pasta, potatoes etc. Although it may be convenient to theorize that the body is more efficient at converting and storing these carbs they are also very calorie dense. This makes portion control difficult and leads to calorie surplus. So I think I will call it the Adipose "circle of life"

    This is what I like about this sites philosophy. Its just simple math, if you have a slight consistent calorie deficit, you must lose weight. Throw anything you want into the mix, food types, exercise or whatever it doesn't matter. It worked great for me!
  • ModernRock
    ModernRock Posts: 372 Member
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    hstylesishot wrote: »
    So can one day of excess cause fat gain? or is it just from multiple days?

    Technically, yes, but a few hundred surplus on one day wouldn't even register on the scale. The next day you very well might have an equal sized deficit. It's useful to track calories daily, but to then think of how everything balances out over the course of a week.

    Also, it isn't just "fatty" foods that cause weight gain. Eat a bucket of carrots and you'll put on fat, as long as you are in a calorie surplus. So, whether your pizza and pasta was stored as fat depends on your calorie intake overall.

    Still, your intuition is correct. You should re-evaluate your eating habits--calorie intake in particular--now that you aren't as active.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    senecarr wrote: »
    Sometimes, when a Daddy Calorie and Mommy Calorie love each other very much, they have a special hug. Now, when that hug isn't interrupted by BMR, NEAT, or Exercise, the hug lasts long enough such that at the end, a special thing called a calorie surplus happens. As that calorie surplus blossoms and grows, it turns into adipose (body fat is the slang you might here some of your friends use because they're not yet comfortable with the technical parts).

    Now before you rush out and tell your friends, keep in mind some parents don't feel their children are ready yet. Instead, they tell them that the insulin stork delivers adipose in carb basket. Many of these people want their belief preserved very much, and so they insist on it, so they'll be upset if you tell them the real story. Some of them so much so that they believe if the stork lacks a carb basket, it can't deliver an adipose baby.

    LOL. Too bad there's not a 'like' button here. :)
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    Eating more calories than your body is burning.

    Maybe try to not think of it in a day to day view, but rather that it will accumulate over time.
  • Pollywog_la
    Pollywog_la Posts: 103 Member
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    thorsmom01 wrote: »
    Pollywog_la wrote: »
    If you did a lot pf carbs while doing cardio, I would cut back. They raise insulin more than protein or fat, and one of insulin's main jobs is storing glucose as fat.

    I've eaten @ 190 g of carbs per day during my entire weight loss process and have had no problems at all. Unless someone has a medical condition, there's no reason to fear carbs. You've stated previously that you have a medical condition that warrants you to restrict carbs and that's fine. But there's no reason for a healthy person to be afraid of eating carbs.

    That is true, but not every person, even those with no signs yet of metabolic syndrome (when insulin resistance is detected via high blood sugar, the damage has already been done) can handle carbs the same way. 190g is not low carb, but that is lower than the SAD. ( Last I read, the govt RECOMMENDS 300g carbs a day).
    The question was belly fat, which can be very different and a bigger issue than general weight gain.
    I mentioned lowering carbs because many athletes carb load, and this can be an issue if carbs are still high when exercise diminishes.
    Here are some pointers to reduce belly fat (with links to studies....but we can find studies to support anything we wnat is we search)
    http://authoritynutrition.com/6-proven-ways-to-lose-belly-fat/
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    Pollywog_la wrote: »
    thorsmom01 wrote: »
    Pollywog_la wrote: »
    If you did a lot pf carbs while doing cardio, I would cut back. They raise insulin more than protein or fat, and one of insulin's main jobs is storing glucose as fat.

    I've eaten @ 190 g of carbs per day during my entire weight loss process and have had no problems at all. Unless someone has a medical condition, there's no reason to fear carbs. You've stated previously that you have a medical condition that warrants you to restrict carbs and that's fine. But there's no reason for a healthy person to be afraid of eating carbs.

    That is true, but not every person, even those with no signs yet of metabolic syndrome (when insulin resistance is detected via high blood sugar, the damage has already been done) can handle carbs the same way. 190g is not low carb, but that is lower than the SAD. ( Last I read, the govt RECOMMENDS 300g carbs a day).
    The question was belly fat, which can be very different and a bigger issue than general weight gain.
    I mentioned lowering carbs because many athletes carb load, and this can be an issue if carbs are still high when exercise diminishes.
    Here are some pointers to reduce belly fat (with links to studies....but we can find studies to support anything we wnat is we search)
    http://authoritynutrition.com/6-proven-ways-to-lose-belly-fat/

    Authority Nutrition endorsing spot reduction? I'm shocked!
    Last time I clicked on an authority nutrition article, I couldn't figure out how they could say don't drink calories and drink protein shakes in the same listicle.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    senecarr wrote: »
    Sometimes, when a Daddy Calorie and Mommy Calorie love each other very much, they have a special hug. Now, when that hug isn't interrupted by BMR, NEAT, or Exercise, the hug lasts long enough such that at the end, a special thing called a calorie surplus happens. As that calorie surplus blossoms and grows, it turns into adipose (body fat is the slang you might here some of your friends use because they're not yet comfortable with the technical parts).

    Now before you rush out and tell your friends, keep in mind some parents don't feel their children are ready yet. Instead, they tell them that the insulin stork delivers adipose in carb basket. Many of these people want their belief preserved very much, and so they insist on it, so they'll be upset if you tell them the real story. Some of them so much so that they believe if the stork lacks a carb basket, it can't deliver an adipose baby.

    I love you in a completely platonic way.
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
    edited November 2015
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    Pollywog_la wrote: »
    If you did a lot pf carbs while doing cardio, I would cut back. They raise insulin more than protein or fat, and one of insulin's main jobs is storing glucose as fat.

    This is one of those things that elite bodybuilders and athletes might be concerned with, but that has no bearing on 99.9% of us.

    I limit carbs because they make me hungry. YMMV.

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