Is it just me, or do our bodies have muscle and fat memory?

here's a specific example:

1) Work out consistently and eat healthy for an ENTIRE SUMMER (3 month period). Make significant strength/muscle gains and fat losses. Body is not at the ideal shape but it's still in the best shape it's ever been.

2) Completely withdraw from fitness plans. No excercise and terrible eating habits for an entire month. All hard-earned muscle mass has essentially been lost. The fat is back. Body is in the same (or worse) shape like before the summer.

3) Resume fitness habits as they were before.

4) After only about one month of resuming fitness habits, body has returned to its previous best.

5) Results plateau once the previous best has been reached.


This has actually happened to me many times! Why is it that our bodies can EASILY re-gain muscle and re-lose fat that we once had?

:confused:

You are correct. Both muscles and fat have memory. Once you build the muscle, its easier to regain it later on if you lose it. It's adding the new muscle that's hard.

The same goes for fat. Once you gain it somewhere, and lose it, it will more easily come back there since the fat cells now exist there. People generally lose fat first in the last place they gained it.

You are correct. Both muscles and fat have memory. Once you build the muscle, its easier to regain it later on if you lose it. It's adding the new muscle that's hard.

The same goes for fat. Once you gain it somewhere, and lose it, it will more easily come back there since the fat cells now exist there. People generally lose fat first in the last place they gained it.


ahh that makes sense. so when does our body finally "decide" to dispose fat cells?

i mean, say we're lean and mean for a good and steady 2 yrs. experience tells us that by then, its gonna be a lot tougher to put on fat than it was back in the obese days-------> which seems to imply that the fat cells are gone for good

From what I understand the fat cells never leave once they are developed. Aka, you can add new fat cells, but you can't get rid of them once they are there. They can, however, grow and shrink. Essentially they shrink to a nonexistant size.

My guess is the added muscle is what makes it harder to put fat back on.. You need more calories to maintain the muscle.

The only way to get rid of the fat cells for sure is lipo, I believe.

Isn't it true that we are born with a certain amount of muscles and cannot "add" any? All we can do is essentially volumize or expand them.

So when we workout, our mucle cells do not actually reproduce and become more plentiful, they just get bigger.

But we can actually "add" fat cells...

This is not fair.

Isn't it true that we are born with a certain amount of muscles and cannot "add" any? All we can do is essentially volumize or expand them.

So when we workout, our mucle cells do not actually reproduce and become more plentiful, they just get bigger.

But we can actually "add" fat cells...

This is not fair.

Why? It doesn't preclude getting extremely big and strong if you eat and train to do so. As far as adding fat cells, it can happen as a child, but does not usually happen in adults unless they are grossly overweight.

You are correct. Both muscles and fat have memory. Once you build the muscle, its easier to regain it later on if you lose it. It's adding the new muscle that's hard.

The same goes for fat. Once you gain it somewhere, and lose it, it will more easily come back there since the fat cells now exist there. People generally lose fat first in the last place they gained it.

I knew about muscle memory (and have experienced it first hand), but fat memory??? Now, that is downright depressing. :d_frown:

Isn't it true that we are born with a certain amount of muscles and cannot "add" any? All we can do is essentially volumize or expand them.

So when we workout, our mucle cells do not actually reproduce and become more plentiful, they just get bigger.

But we can actually "add" fat cells...

This is not fair.

You are born with a certain amount of fibers. You can't do anything about the number of fibers but you can alter their size. 'Adding muscle' is an expression. As is old muscle versus new muscle.

Yup
The idea behind a workout is to overload and cause damage (microtrauma) to the muscle fiber. During repair (when you rest) the muscle increases to help overcome the repeated stress. Therefore it attempts to adapt (which is why it's critical to change up the routine, angle of attack and size of the weight, ideally increasing the pounds every so often). You grow when you rest (and eat).


With fat cells....burning fat is a misnomer (according to the latest understanding)....the cells grow or shrink. New ones are not added after puberty but the ones you have, have increadible capacity to grow. If you were a fat kid....you have a bigger challenge in life (or a greater propensity towards fat) than someone who was skinny and later gained weight....just is, unfortunately.