Why Not Just Cut It Out? Surgically Removed Fat Returns Within a Year

Researchers at the University of Colorado (Denver) conducted a study to investigate the long-term effects of liposuction on body fat. They tracked 14 liposuction patients for a year after their surgeries. They found that the fat returned, although to a different part of the body; it had been removed from the thighs and returned to the belly area. They reported their results in an article called “Fat Redistribution Following Suction Lipectomy: Defense of Body Fat and Patterns of Restoration” in the scientific journal Obesity.

Although the results of the study may seem surprising at first, they are expected from basic weight loss principles. Body fat accumulates when more calories are eaten than are burned through basic metabolism and physical and mental activity. This is a biological expression of the principle of physics known as the law of conservation of mass and energy. You can’t destroy energy (also known as calories). It’s got to go somewhere. If you eat it, you then have to either burn it (through metabolism or exercise) or store it (as fat). There’s no way to get around this law. Good genes, bad genes, and even hormone imbalances must obey this law, and scientific studies have shown that genes and hormones affect body weight mostly by affecting behavior. Some affect your appetite, while others make you either more or less inclined toward physical activity. Some affect basic rates of metabolism, but those effects are usually too small to be serious obstacles to weight loss.

But that’s a topic for a different post. Back to the liposuction. Surgical removal of fat would not normally affect your eating habits, inclination to exercise, or metabolism. If these are out of balance, you will continue to gain weight, and soon be back to where you were before the surgery.

Relevance to Natural Weight Loss:

Weight Loss Tip: Don’t waste time looking for shortcuts. Focus instead on getting on the right side of basic weight loss principles. That’s what natural weight loss is about, and that’s why, if you lose weight naturally, you will be more likely to keep the weight off. Natural, lasting weight loss requires changing habits, not paying for a procedure.

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