New Professor Fatology Tumblr

After enjoying the tumblr sites of many others, I decided to create one of my own. I've also been busy creating a series of "Motivational Posters" and "Belly Memes" to use on the site.

Find it here: ProfessorFatology-Pix.tumblr.com 

I Want To Gain--But...

Hi Professor,

First I should say that I know you from your blog, which was for me a sort of introduction to the gaining process. Thanks for making it because it helped me to realize that I was not the only one excited about gaining.

I could tell you more about my story if you like. But to make it short, I have always been overweight. I'm now trying to deal with gaining intentionally... I'm growing it's a fact, and I'm excited about gaining and being fatter. And then there is the real life that makes me consider that I shouldn't. The problem is that I'm really excited about gaining. The more I think about it the more I wish to become fatter and fatter. It's a kind of inner pulse and I don't know how to deal with it.

So if I write this message it's because I'm lost in my desire and my feelings. I'm not the kind of guy who talk a lot about himself and who likes to write and share about his feelings. But for the first time in my life I think I need help to understand what happen to me.

I don't want to bother you but if you have advice or if you care to share with me that would be great. It seems that you have experience and that would be helpful for me.

Thanks for reading my message.

*  *  *  *
Thank you--it means a lot to me when people find my work helpful. There's a saying: "What you resist will persist." That means the harder you try to "stop" doing something (like gaining) the  more attention you pay to what you're trying to reduce or eliminate. We have another teaching in therapy: "Negation exists only as a linguistic concept--it's not how our brains process information."

For example, if I say, "Don't think of the color blue!" What's the first thing you think of? To make sense of something, our brains need to think about it as it exists. Just so, the very act of telling yourself you're NOT going to gain means you focus on gaining. If you were actually wanting to lose weight and you were my patient, I'd want you to focus on what you DO want to accomplish rather than on what you DON'T want to accomplish.

You're also challenged by the fact eating is an everyday human function you need for survival. This is why a lot of therapists are uncomfortable with the concept of "food addiction" the way we think about, say--drug or alcohol addiction. If you eliminated the consumption of recreational drugs or alcohol, it won't harm you (other than if you have to go through a temporary withdrawal)--but you can't just stop eating on a permanent basis.

So--I'd probably suggest you circle back to consider what your desired outcome is. Having talked with a lot of individuals in your situation, it often comes back to not feeling bad about gaining--in fact, for a lot of people, gaining is an erotic and sensual sensation. What more people feel bad about is their perception  others will reject them because they are gaining/have gained weight. Those are two very different issues, and require different approaches. Given the increase of obesity in First World nations, being larger is simply becoming the norm. As a therapist I've also found that most people spend a lot more time trying to figure out what others think of them than the actual people do. In other words, the vast majority of the population of your city and country don't know that you're gaining weight (why would they? You're a stranger to most people and they have no point of reference when they pass you on the sidewalk or in a store--they just see you as you are now). People you do see on a daily basis often don't notice initial weight gain because it tends to be gradual. If you were to gain twenty pounds in one month, that might be noticed, but a lot of your co-workers, and other peers just don't notice or care, and if they do, it's usually a momentary teasing rather than something they're going to do everyday while pointing a finger at you. I've also suggested to many who have written in to me that they learn to bring up the subject of weight-gain themselves, rather than waiting for others to do so. It's much more into the gainer's control to do so, and gives the gainer the opportunity to teach others they are happy with the gain. There's also a human tendency to "push back" so if I arrive to keynote a conference in Amsterdam and I open by saying, "What a beautiful city Amsterdam is" then there will be some audience members whose immediate response would be "What's wrong with Paris? What's wrong with Rome?" Just so, if you say, "Yeah, I bet I've gained 100 pounds since Easter!" --the response will often be, "Oh, you haven't gained that much!" This is a really useful technique to get others past the point of criticism to the point of telling you that you're NOT THAT FAT, which pretty much eliminates the problem of feeling judged for gaining.

I've also found a lot of "troubled" gainers become more comfortable about gaining as they get older. You list your age as 40. By the late 30s into the 40s, most men have developed a stronger sense of self which means they aren't as dependent upon others' opinions. They're also often financially at a point of greater independence, not having to rely on family for food and shelter, which means their wallets put them in control of their waistline and the need to buy larger pants. Related to this--I've never met a single gainer who told me, "I'm so happy I delayed gaining, even though it was something I knew I've wanted to do from childhood." What I do hear frequently is: "I wasted YEARS of all the pleasure and eroticism I could have enjoyed if I had stopped worrying about what others thought about my waist size instead of just gaining to please myself."

Also, you mention you're not someone who likes to talk about himself a lot. It's important that if you use the "hyper-exasperation technique" ("I must have gained 100 pounds since Easter") that you don't do it everyday and that you don't go into detail about it. Most of the people around you aren't interested in your kinks and sex life. The technique is something you'd use rarely--perhaps if you're seeing relatives at an event you don't see on a regular basis who only know you as a smaller person, or in a gathering of your co-workers where you joke about it once. You don't have to mention it at every meeting and workers who didn't hear you directly will probably be told about it by those who were there. The bottom line for this is that people are made aware that you are conscious of the fact you've gained weight and that you're happy about it. They aren't owed an explanation. It always comes back to -- your body--your rules.

Good luck!

My Gainer Fiction

People have asked about my gainer fiction. I had already posted about Fat Cupid. Amazon adult filtered two of them because the covers were too hot and I had to tone down Fat Cupid and Ballet Belly Bottom 2. As long as I was at it, I went ahead and did a new cover for Ballet Belly Bottom. At the present time Fat Cupid is only available on Amazon, but the Ballet titles are on other book vendors. And because Amazon is often crazy, Chubby Chaser Sex, that combines all three of the titles is NOT available on Amazon, but is on the other places. I'll put up the old covers at the bottom of the post.

Ballet Belly Bottom
Paul discovers the hottest sex he's ever had was when his boyfriend Jim convinces him to wave goodbye to his 29 inch waist and potential ballet career for unrestrained gluttony. Jim's secret fetish as an encourager gets them spending almost more time in the bedroom than the kitchen. Paul's ever-growing gut also has an unexpected carnal impact on his Dance Professor.(An Adults only tale of two hot college students engaged in explicit gay sex while exploring their secret fat fetish and the seduction of indulgence. A belly is an erogenous zone that only gets bigger.) 

Excerpt: 

Jim came back in with a wide smile and an even wider slice of pizza. "Let's see how fast we can build up that belly, Babe." After four slices and two more beers, Paul was lying on his back, rubbing his hands on the swollen part of his small belly. "God, I've never been so full," he said. "I don't think I could eat another bite." 

Jim took out another piece and started smearing it on his lover's belly, leaving a trail of grease and a little cheese. Looking into Paul's eyes, Jim started licking his belly, very, very slowly, feeling his own cock get hard as his tongue played with the roundness of Paul's stuffed gut, and enjoying the mixture of the pizza's taste with Paul's saltiness. He could smell the combination of his lover's mustiness coming up from his crotch and the pizza, and he found he was getting harder and harder. He took a bite out of the pizza and pushed it into Paul's mouth with his tongue.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ballet-Belly-Bottom-Gainer-Fiction-ebook/dp/B00B2PD7GQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430775577&sr=1-1&keywords=ballet+belly+bottom

Apple/Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id600730515

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ballet-belly-bottom-skye-eagleday/1114191144?ean=2940016364834&itm=1&usri=2940016364834

Ballet Belly Bottom 2

Life (and non-stop sex) with his boyfriend has never been better for former ballet student Paul. Nearly a year ago he joined his lover in a seeing how fat they could get and how each pound increases the pounding Paul gets. But they're about to discover there's a whole community of gainers and chubby chasers out there where "more cushion for the pushin'" is a way of life. Get ready for two college guys having hot sex with a real superchub. An adults only story that includes a threeway with Big Bob. There's also a "guest appearance" by the two main characters from Fat Cupid--, my first Gainer Fiction story. 

Excerpt: 

The next morning Jim was in the kitchen fixing breakfast. “We’re out of sausage, babe,” he said as Paul sat down at the table. “Hope you don’t mind bacon with your waffles instead.” A ripping sound pulled Jim’s eyes away from the bacon as he watched Paul’s shirt tear, surrendering to his gut. “Damn!” swore Jim, as he sat the bacon beside his lover. “I wanted to capture you ripping that shirt for our Youtube channel. I checked before I started the waffles—do you know we’re now up to 17,000 subscribers and have over 200,000 hits? Who knew we’d become Internet stars. I figure we gain about 1,500 fans per pound.” 

Paul felt the shredded edge of his ruined shirt and laughed. “Then let’s see if you can personally attract 2,500 new fans by the end of the week. This time I can upload a video of YOU ripping your shirt with that new flab you’re building.” 

“Hey,” answered Jim, his mouth full of bacon, “one of the most popular videos is when I pulled up my last pair of gym shorts and my fat ass broke the elastic waistband.” 

“Lucky thing your ass has grown so big your shorts didn’t fall down when the elastic broke. Otherwise we’d now be on Xtube with our Youtube account deleted.” Paul poured a weight-gain shake for Jim and handed it to him. “I think the solution is to get your belly big enough so it hangs down and viewers won’t be able to see if you’ve got underwear on or not.” 

Jim chugged the sweet shake and looked over at his lover. “Think that can happen?” Jim’s voice took on that old familiar husky quality. 

“As long as Haagan-Dazs stays in business—sure. And at the rate we buy their products, they’re going to stay in business for a long time. That’s the gift of flab. I’ll just get rounder, but you’ll get a proper fat apron.” They clinked their glasses together and made sure Haagan-Dazs would be a good business in which to invest.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ballet-Belly-Bottom-Skye-Eagleday-ebook/dp/B00B1YWZZM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430776461&sr=1-1&keywords=ballet+belly+bottom+2

Apple/Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id600868233

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ballet-belly-bottom-2-skye-eagleday/1114191149?ean=2940016393834&itm=1&usri=2940016393834

Chubby Chaser Sex 

Belly Up

In a world where the media pushes the ideal of a ripped six-pack abs model, there are others who secretly admire a well-bellied man. Some find every pound of flesh that represents an over indulgence can be erotic. Some want to be fat themselves—others want to help a lover outgrow his clothes. The bigger he is—the more there is to love—on so many different levels. Chubby Chaser Sex Belly Up is a sizzling sexy and tasty collection of three stories of man on man action where one or both (or more) believe that “More Cushion For The Pushin" is a lifestyle that celebrates gluttony and the pleasures of the flesh—lots of flesh. (Includes Fat Cupid, Ballet Belly Bottom, and Ballet Belly Bottom 2. An Adults only collection of carnal pleasure that is extremely well padded with an emphasis on gaining.

Excerpt:

Jim came back in with a wide smile and an even wider slice of pizza. "Let's see how fast we can build up that belly, Babe." After four slices and two more beers, Paul was lying on his back, rubbing his hands on the swollen part of his small belly. "God, I've never been so full," he said. "I don't think I could eat another bite."

Jim took out another piece and started smearing it on his lover's belly, leaving a trail of grease and a little cheese. Looking into Paul's eyes, Jim started licking his belly, very, very slowly, feeling his own cock get hard as his tongue played with the roundness of Paul's stuffed gut, and enjoying the mixture of the pizza's taste with Paul's saltiness. He could smell the combination of his lover's mustiness coming up from his crotch and the pizza, and he found he was getting harder and harder. He took a bite out of the pizza and pushed it into Paul's mouth with his tongue.

Apple/Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id597875957

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chubby-chaser-sex-belly-up-skye-eagleday/1115426387?ean=2940015947687&itm=1&usri=2940015947687

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/chubby-chaser-sex-belly-up-1

And the one that started it all:

Fat Cupid

Novelist Kevin Bannister is looking forward to finally having sex with men, after his marriage ends. But he worries the extra pounds he’s gained will stop his entry into hot man on man action before it starts. Little does he know there are guys who want a fat man—the fatter the better. Join Kevin in a seductive journey of non-stop indulgence and where the softer he gets, the harder his jock feeder gets. (An adults only sexy tale of a hot chubby guy who is on the fat train to erotic pleasure.) 

Excerpt: 

Kevin reached up and put his hand on John's...pulling it tighter against his belly, pushing against the softness...he felt the younger man's hand tracing his roll of fat and noticed that his eyes were wide and a really goofy smile was on his face. "Maybe you'd, you know...like to come over for dinner tonight?" John asked Kevin's fat. "I do some really rad pork chops...and I..." John jerked his eyes away from the dark wetness on Kevin's shirt and looked up worried into Kevin's face. "...I mean if you're Jewish or something, I hope that that didn't like, offend you...I could do a couple of steaks or something..." Their hands were still touching... 

"Nah," said Kevin, his voice a little gruff..."Pork chops sound great...dinner sounds great." He looked at the half-consumed double mocha latte and then back at John. "...and hmmm, you look great." John's smile got even goofier. 

"Eight?" he asked? 

"Well," said John nervously, "I'm actually closer to six...." 

"I meant the time." 

"Huh? Oh, yeah--eight o'clock is just fine." 

"And, well, closer to six is just fine too...look, John--I'm really excited by this"--and John glanced down to see that Kevin was telling the truth..."I mean, I just wanted to let you know this is all sort of new for me...my wife and I have been separated now for only a few months, and well..." 

"Hey, Kevin...I'm just looking forward to seeing you...make sure you bring your appetite." He finally took his hand off Kevin's midsection to reach into his wallet and pull out a card with his address and phone number.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cupid-Gainer-Erotica-Skye-Eagleday-ebook/dp/B00B1YE6R2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0B8RB5K51M34PFTDAW4D

"Dad Bod Bellies"

Here's something interesting--reportedly, women are choosing better fed men over males who look like they're trying to be fitness models. 

Why Girls Love The Dad Bod

Mackenzie Pearson in 500 Words On on Mar 30, 2015

In case you haven't noticed lately, girls are all about that dad bod. I hadn't heard about this body type until my roommate mentioned it. She used to be crazy over guys she claimed had the dad bod. After observing the guys she found attractive, I came to understand this body type well and was able to identify it. The dad bod is a nice balance between a beer gut and working out. The dad bod says, "I go to the gym occasionally, but I also drink heavily on the weekends and enjoy eating eight slices of pizza at a time." It's not an overweight guy, but it isn't one with washboard abs, either.

The dad bod is a new trend and fraternity boys everywhere seem to be rejoicing. Turns out skipping the gym for a few brews last Thursday after class turned out to be in their favor. While we all love a sculpted guy, there is just something about the dad bod that makes boys seem more human, natural, and attractive. Here are a few reasons that girls are crazy about the dad bod:

It doesn't intimidate us. 
Few things are worse than taking a picture in a bathing suit, one being taking a picture in a bathing suit with a guy who is crazy fit. We don't want a guy that makes us feel insecure about our body. We are insecure enough as it is. We don't need a perfectly sculpted guy standing next to us to make us feel worse.

We like being the pretty one.We love people saying "they look cute together." But we still like being the center of attention. We want to look skinny and the bigger the guy, the smaller we feel and the better we look next to you in a picture.

Better cuddling. No one wants to cuddle with a rock. Or Edward Cullen. The end.

Good eats. The dad bod says he doesn't meal prep every Sunday night so if you want to go to Taco Tuesday or $4 pitcher Wednesday, he'd be totally down. He's not scared of a cheat meal because he eats just about anything and everything.

You know what you're getting. Girls tend to picture their future together with their guys early on. Therefore, if he already has the dad bod going on, we can get used to it before we date him, marry him, have three kids. We know what we are getting into when he's got the same exact body type at the age of 22 that he's going to have at 45.

So there you go. A simple break down of why girls everywhere are going nuts over this body type on males. We like it. We love it. We want some more of it. So here's to you dad bods, keep it up. Men, confidently strut that gut on the beach because while you stare at us in our bikinis we will be staring just as hard.

http://theodysseyonline.com/clemson/dad-bod/97484

Free from 3/24-28/2015: Fat Cupid Gainer Erotica

Amazon "Adult Filtered two of my Gainer Erotica Titles because the

covers were too hot. I had to revise them. As a promotion, I'm putting one of them as a free download for 5 days.  After that, it goes back to its regular price. You can download it here: http://www.amazon.com/Cupid-Gainer-Erotica-Skye-Eagleday-ebook/dp/B00B1YE6R2/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1427202116&sr=1-2&keywords=fat+cupid

Novelist Kevin Bannister is looking forward to finally having sex with men, after his marriage ends. But he worries the extra pounds he’s gained will stop his entry into hot man on man action before it starts. Little does he know there are guys who want a fat man—the fatter the better. Join Kevin in a seductive journey of non-stop indulgence and where the softer he gets, the harder his jock feeder gets. (An adults only sexy tale of a hot chubby guy who is on the fat train to erotic pleasure.) 

Excerpt: 

Kevin reached up and put his hand on John's...pulling it tighter against his belly, pushing against the softness...he felt the younger man's hand tracing his roll of fat and noticed that his eyes were wide and a really goofy smile was on his face. "Maybe you'd, you know...like to come over for dinner tonight?" John asked Kevin's fat. "I do some really rad pork chops...and I..." John jerked his eyes away from the dark wetness on Kevin's shirt and looked up worried into Kevin's face. "...I mean if you're Jewish or something, I hope that that didn't like, offend you...I could do a couple of steaks or something..." Their hands were still touching... 

"Nah," said Kevin, his voice a little gruff..."Pork chops sound great...dinner sounds great." He looked at the half-consumed double mocha latte and then back at John. "...and hmmm, you look great." John's smile got even goofier. 

"Eight?" he asked? 

"Well," said John nervously, "I'm actually closer to six...." 

"I meant the time." 

"Huh? Oh, yeah--eight o'clock is just fine." 

"And, well, closer to six is just fine too...look, John--I'm really excited by this"--and John glanced down to see that Kevin was telling the truth..."I mean, I just wanted to let you know this is all sort of new for me...my wife and I have been separated now for only a few months, and well..." 

"Hey, Kevin...I'm just looking forward to seeing you...make sure you bring your appetite." He finally took his hand off Kevin's midsection to reach into his wallet and pull out a card with his address and phone number.

Share Pictures Of Your Belly For A Good Cause?

Since I started this blogsite, I've had nearly half a million views. I have been overwhelmed by the positive response and feedback from visitors and private messages on various gainer sites letting me know they have found my blog useful and that I've helped them with some problems.

One of my friends in the gaining community contacted me to say this site had gone down. I have no idea why that happened, or how long it was down (and it was when I tried to log on). I contacted the host and it's on-line again. But I dreaded the idea of trying to start a new one from scratch. However, I've been concerned about losing it again, particularly because it has meant a lot to people who have let me know it's answered many of their questions.

Just so, I've decided to publish this in ebook form and offer it for free. That should keep it available to others and perhaps even easier to read in an ebook format. It would be available to download on Amazon, B&N, Itunes, and other vendors.

However--I've always "illustrated" (enhanced?) the blog with images I've found  and saved from the Internet for more than a decade. I frankly have no idea where most of them are from. I started before Tumblr was a reality, so I don't have a good way of trying to contact the people in the images to ask for their permission to use their photos. For that reason I'm asking for volunteers to send me their own pictures they would be willing to share in the new ebook. If you want to crop off your face or other identifying items (like a tattoo)--that's fine with me. I'm especially interested in progress shots and images of happy couples (both m/m and m/f--I get a lot of questions from straight male gainers asking if having a belly will mean not having a girlfriend --and the answer to that one is also "no."). As I do with this blog, I'd also like to present a wide (yes--that's a pun) variety of body shapes and sizes and I'm always happy to feature men of color, since people like me (I'm American Indian) are rarely shown on so many of the gainer sites. I'm a strong supporter of inclusion.

If you are willing to volunteer images of your belly to use in the new ebook, I would also appreciate it if you could include a statement you are giving me permission to use them in the new ebook with the understanding that the book will be offered free of charge, so there will be no financial compensation (for either of us). You can PM them to me on Grommr (ProfessorFatology) or email them to me: ProfessorFatology@gmail.com

If you're unfamiliar with epublishing--normally indie authors buy the publishing rights for images from photostock agencies. Unfortunately, the vast majority of images of well-bellied men available on those sites are intended to be comedic ("Let's make fun of the fat guy!") or Shame-based ("Join the gym and get rid of this awful gut!"). Just try to find a sexy or confident looking male plus sized model on those sites. Which is why I have so appreciated the Internet for helping me discover the images I have used on this blog. But to make sure I am squeeky clean when it comes to publishing an ebook, I am uncomfortable in using most of the images on my blog. I want to feature people who are giving permission to be seen.

I also apologize for not updating this blogsite as often as I should. In the summer I was walking to the grocery store and a kid pulled out of the parking lot and hit me. I'm told I shattered his windshield with my body. He fractured my spine and tore my meniscus, among other injuries. My recovery has taken longer than I had anticipated and my "down time" has really thrown off my work schedule.

I look forward to creating the ebook and I want to thank in advance all the wonderful people who will help make this a reality. I also want to include an acknowledgment to the ones who will share their images, so please let me know how you want to be listed in the ebook. If you have your own tumblr or blog, I'll be happy to include it in the acknowledgment.

Getting Fatter Can Make You Healthier. (Get the Details)

I get asked many questions dealing with the health related issues of gaining. For example,

most recently a gainer reported the “dreaded” discussion his family has had with him over his “expansion.” This sort of well-meaning “intervention” is usually based on the “sound bites” of how most people receive the news, and these days the 3 minute TV version

simply reads: “Fat is Bad.”

The “truth” is often more complicated than dividing things into “Bad/Good” categories. Science has come to understand human fat as being another type of organ that is extremely active within the body and it produces its own set of hormones. Perhaps most importantly is a growing realization of how much humans can vary in how they deal with weight gain (or weight loss) in their very individual ways. By the way, if fat reduction automatically resulted in greater health, then we would see that those who had their fat

cells “sucked out” (surgically removed through various types of liposuction) would improve their health. But this isn’t what we see in actual research. Physical reduction of body fat doesn’t grant better health to those who have had liposuction.

A new study has been released that shows in specific cases—getting fatter can actually make you healthier. It’s just part of a growing (pun intended) body of research that shows how complex fat can be.

Here are the details and you can find the original source here: http://blogs.plos.org/obesitypanacea/2014/05/26/scienceoffat/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+plos%2Fblogs%2Fobesitypanacea+%28Blogs+-+Obesity+Panacea%29

A new study in obese mice suggests that increasing the growth of fat located under the skin (subcutaneous) actually led to an improvement in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, both precursors to diabetes. The expansion of subcutaneous fat was also associated with a reduction in the fat stored in places that aren’t meant to store fat, such as the liver.

The study, published online at the journal Obesity, induced the growth of subcutaneous fat through hyperplasia (increasing the number of fat cells) rather than hypertrophy (growth of existing fat cells) by injecting “acellular adipogenic cocktails” around the subcutaneous fat depots in obese mice. Ten weeks post-injection, the mice showed evidence of subcutaneous fat expansion and the corresponding metabolic improvements described above.

So, just to recap: obese mice became healthier by getting fatter.

Should we be surprised? Not if you’ve been following our blog over the years.

Let’s do a quick review.

First, it is important to understand that fat, or adipose tissue, which is mostly composed of many individual fat cells (adipocytes) is not inherently unhealthy. To the contrary, adipose tissue is absolutely necessary to allow the body to store excess calories during times when we ingest more calories than we expend through activity and resting metabolism. By doing so, adipose tissue acts as a buffer of excess calories, and thus protects other tissues of the body from accumulating fat (i.e. heart, liver, muscle). This notion is best represented by the fact that individuals who completely lack fat tissue (a disorder known as congential lipodystrophy) are very unhealthy and are almost guaranteed to develop diabetes and heart disease, despite having an athletic and lean appearance.

In other words, fat tissue is essential for health.

Where many people get into trouble is when they have exhausted their body’s ability to store more calories in adipose tissue – we all have a certain threshold to which our fat depots can expand. When we get to that point, our fat cells become so big that they are no longer able to buffer excess calories and thus cannot protect other tissues from fat accumulation and damage. This is when many of the classical metabolic problems of obesity become apparent – increased blood fats, blood glucose levels, etc.

But wait, isn’t losing fat through diet and exercise good for health?

Yes, when we expend more energy (exercise) or reduce the amount of food we ingest (diet), or both, our body draws on our extra stores of energy in our adipose tissue – this process gradually reduces the size of the individual fat cells. That is, fat loss occurs due to a reduction in size of fat cells, not a reduction in the number of fat cells. Not surprisingly, your pants start fitting better. Also, this process makes fat cells more efficient at sucking up excess calories the next time we again eat more than we expend.

What about liposuction?

Fat loss through diet/exercise is completely different from the scenario of liposuction, where a whole bunch of fat cells are removed from the body – that is, you reduce the number of fat cells, but the remaining ones don’t get any smaller or healthier. In fact, the opposite may be true, with less place to store excess calories than before surgery, so enlargement of those fat cells left behind.

In a 2004 study, obese women who underwent abdominal liposuction, losing approximately 30- 45 % of the subcutaneous fat in the abdominal region (~10kg of fat), did not show improvements in any of the metabolic markers assessed, including insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, blood glucose, insulin, or lipid levels.

Just to recap: simply surgically removing subcutaneous fat tissue does not make one healthier.

How about increasing subcutaneous fat stores in obese people? Do they also become healthier like the fat-gaining obese mice?

In a prior study, 12 overweight or obese and metabolically unhealthy subjects were given a drug (Pioglitazone) for a duration of 12 weeks. Pioglitazone belongs to the thiazolidinediones (TZD) class of drugs that seem to upregulate the production of healthy new fat cells (a process known as adipogenesis) – that is they make you fatter. By doing so, these drugs increase the storage capacity of your fat tissue – something that is limited in unhealthy obese individuals.

And that is precisely what happened in these subjects following 3 months of pioglitizone administration. First, they gained about 2kg of body weight. Their amount of subcutaneous fat in the belly went up by about 10% and that in their butt/thigh by about 24%. Interestingly, their amount of dangerous visceral fat decreased by about 11%.

Also, a fat biopsy from the belly of the subjects showed that the increase in fat mass was due to an increase in the number of small and healthy adipocytes (hyperplasia – just like in the mice study) which are better able to take up more circulating fat.

And what happened to their insulin sensitivity?

It improved by over 28%!

That’s right – they got fatter and yet healthier. Just like the mice.

As we have attempted to highlight over the years, fat is not inherently unhealthy. Losing fat isn’t always beneficial nor is gaining it always detrimental to health. Matters related to excess fat and health risk are much more nuanced than previously thought.

Peter

References:
1. Qiqi Lu et al. Induction of adipocyte hyperplasia in subcutaneous fat depot alleviated type 2 diabetes symptoms in obese mice. Obesity. 2014
2. Klein S. et al. (2004). Absence of an Effect of Liposuction on Insulin Action and Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease New England Journal of Medicine, 350, 2549-2557
3. McLaughlin, T et al. (2009). Pioglitazone Increases the Proportion of Small Cells in Human Abdominal Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue. Obesity.