Diet and Cool Sculpting: Dieting May Not Be Enough
Elizabeth Roy
If you are losing weight by dieting, why would you need a procedure such as Cool Sculpting? Well, losing weight by dieting and removing fat through a procedure like Cool Sculpting are two different approaches to the problem of excess weight. For some people, dieting doesn't complete the job of eliminating fat for good.
Why Dieting May Not Be Enough
Your body uses some of the fat you eat for energy, but excess fat is stored in the fat cells,
also known as lipids or adipocytes.
As explained in the Wikipedia article on adipocytes in adults, the number of fat cells in the body remains relatively stable. On average, adults have about 30 billion fat cells in their bodies that account for 30 pounds or 13.5 kg of their body weight, but some adults have far more than the average number of fat cells.
Obesity occurs as more excess fat is consumed and the mass of fat in the body expands.
The fat cells expand to contain excess fat, but they can only expand to up to four times their
original size. After that point, the fat cells divide to form additional cells. The adipocyte article cites a 2010 study by Tchoukalova et al. that found that it is the fat cells in the lower part of the body that increase in number, not those in the upper part of the body.
The article on adipocytes also cites a 2001 book by Robert Pool, Fat: Fighting the Obesity
Epidemic, in which the author states:
People who have been fat since childhood generally have an inflated number of fat cells. People who become fat as adults may have no more fat cells than their lean peers, but their fat cells are larger. In general, people with an excess of fat cells find it harder to lose weight and keep it off than the obese who simply have enlarged fat cells.
Consequently,for adults who were obese as children or who have had fat cells in the lower part of their body replicate, dieting may not be enough. These individuals may need to consider the various procedures for removing excess fat cells. Cool Sculpting is a non-invasive way of removing excess fat cells.
How Cool Sculpting Works
Dr. Amanda Brimhall, a Naturopathic Physician and a developer of the approaches used in
Functional Medicine, completed a thorough investigation of Cool Sculpting before including it in her practice. She found that Cool Sculpting works as described in this Wikipedia article on cryolipolysis.
Fat cells freeze and die at higher temperatures than skin or muscle cells. So, fat cells near the surface of the skin are exposed to temperatures of +5° to -5° C. Over several weeks, the cells are absorbed and eliminated by the body. A 2015 review cited by the cryolipolysis article found an average fat reduction of 20 percent as measured by calipers.
Used together, diet and procedures such as Cool Sculpting can eliminate excess fat for everyone.
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Posted Sep 1, 2023
Before writing this blog post, I researched the cool sculpting process, how it works, and why. I then explained the process and research in accessible terms.
