If you want to shed extra body fat, understanding how your metabolism works can help you get results without punishing diets or endless hours in the gym. We’re all guilty of it … a generous helping of comfort food here, a missed workout there, and suddenly your favourite shorts seem to have shrunk in the cupboard.
And the hangover from months of comfort food is a legacy of extra kilos. Cue drastic diets, ambitious training schedules, and promises to give up carbohydrates forever. Fortunately, the science of fat loss offers a considerably more sensible approach, and some of it is quite fascinating.
Your metabolism has a few tricks up its sleeve
Your body is constantly using energy, even when you’re doing absolutely nothing. Breathing, circulating blood, regulating temperature, and maintaining essential functions all require calories. One particularly interesting part of this process is thermogenesis, the body’s ability to generate heat.
Humans have a specialised type of fat called brown adipose tissue, or brown fat, which helps produce heat when we’re exposed to cold temperatures. Unlike white fat, which primarily stores energy, brown fat uses energy to help keep us warm. It’s a remarkable biological mechanism, although its contribution to everyday calorie expenditure varies between individuals.
Researchers have also investigated compounds that may influence thermogenesis, including capsaicin, the substance that gives chillies their heat, and catechins found in green tea. Some studies suggest these ingredients may modestly increase energy expenditure or fat oxidation. However, their effects on actual weight loss are generally small, and they won’t compensate for consistently consuming more calories than your body needs. So, unfortunately, ordering the hottest curry on the menu isn’t a shortcut to a smaller waistline.
Lose the fat, keep the muscle
When people talk about losing weight, what they usually want is to lose excess body fat. Losing weight too aggressively, however, can mean sacrificing valuable muscle along with body fat. This is where body recomposition comes into play. The aim is to reduce body fat while maintaining, or potentially building, lean muscle. Achieving this requires a manageable calorie deficit, as severe restriction can leave you exhausted, compromise your training, and increase the likelihood of muscle loss.
Protein is particularly important during this process, supplying the amino acids needed for muscle maintenance and repair while helping you feel satisfied after meals. Including protein-rich foods such as eggs, fish, lean meat, dairy, lentils or tofu throughout the day, alongside regular resistance training, can help protect your hard-earned muscle. A quality protein supplement can also be useful when meeting your requirements through food alone proves difficult.
An interesting ingredient called HMB
One lesser-known ingredient in sports nutrition is beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, or HMB, a compound the body produces naturally when it metabolises the essential amino acid leucine. Researchers have been investigating its potential to reduce muscle protein breakdown and support recovery, with some studies suggesting it may help preserve lean muscle during periods of physical stress or demanding training.
Although findings vary, particularly among experienced athletes, HMB may be worth considering for individuals reducing their calorie intake while maintaining a regular exercise programme. Its potential benefits lie primarily in muscle maintenance and recovery, and it works alongside adequate protein intake and resistance training.
Don’t let your summer cut cut your performance
There’s a temptation to increase exercise intensity dramatically when trying to lose body fat. Suddenly, every workout becomes a race against the clock, and rest days start feeling suspiciously unproductive. High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, can improve cardiovascular fitness and contribute to energy expenditure, but strength training deserves just as much attention because it helps preserve muscle while you’re eating fewer calories.
Certain sports nutrition ingredients may also support performance during demanding workouts. Creatine, for example, is extensively researched for its ability to improve strength and repeated high-intensity exercise performance. Creatine nitrate combines creatine with a nitrate component, although research into this specific form remains limited.
Nitrates and ingredients such as citrulline malate are being studied for their potential effects on nitric oxide production and circulation, while beta-alanine can help buffer muscle acidity during intense exercise. Their effectiveness depends on the formulation, dosage, and type of activity, and while none directly burns body fat, some may help you maintain the quality of your training. Recovery also deserves a place in your programme, giving your muscles sufficient time to repair and adapt between workouts.
What about fat-burning supplements?
The supplement aisle is full of products promising to accelerate fat loss, and it’s a good idea to approach those claims with a healthy dose of scepticism. Thermogenic formulations may contain ingredients such as caffeine, green tea extract and capsaicin, which have been investigated for their effects on energy expenditure, alertness and metabolism.
Some may offer modest benefits, although the evidence for meaningful long-term fat loss remains limited. Concentrated extracts and stimulants can also cause side effects, making product quality, dosage and individual suitability important considerations. Any supplement should serve a specific purpose within your nutrition and training programme, with realistic expectations about what it can achieve.
Make your results last longer than your tan
Fat loss ultimately comes down to consistently maintaining a manageable energy deficit, eating sufficient protein, staying active and allowing your body to recover. Adequate sleep, good hydration, and enjoyable activities such as walking, swimming, or cycling can all contribute to your progress, without requiring every workout to feel like a punishment.
Pay attention to how your clothes fit, improvements in strength and your energy levels, rather than obsessing over daily fluctuations on the scale. And leave room for the occasional ice cream, braai, or meal out with friends. After all, summer is far too good to spend hungry, exhausted, and miserable in pursuit of a number on the bathroom scale.
Article by: Andy Moore, Research & Development and Quality Control Manager at NPL Nutritional Performance Labs
