When it comes to weight loss, most people just want to get rid of the fat. But it does serve a purpose.

Each fat cell stores an oil droplet that the body uses via a chemical reaction when it needs the energy. Therefore, fat is necessary as emergency rations when food is scarce. An overweight person can survive for a long time without food.

Take for example the study carried out by a Scottish Phd student in 1968:

She found a 450lb man who was desperate to lose weight. He fasted for a year and 2 weeks under her medical supervision, without eating any food. He managed to lose an incredible 275lbs of weight, just by drinking water and vitamins. In comparison, a slim person would survive for about a month.

As hunter gatherers, we needed fat to survive the feasts and famines that were typical back then. During a famine, it was thought that approximately 2/3 to 3/4 of the population would disappear, so you can see how fat could have its uses centuries ago. In contrast, it is the slimmer person that lives a longer and healthier life today.

The trouble is, these days we have so much food on offer. The availability of food is so abundant in Western society, that we seldom go without food for more than a few hours. Fat was useful in the past, but not so much today.

Bod Pod

This weight gain study by Horizon becomes more interesting; with the participants being measured in a “Bod Pod” by Dr. Carel le Roux. This space age looking gadget measures the displacement of air surrounding the naked subjects and with their age, gender and weight considered, he can determine how much fat and muscle is carried by each person.

Men typically had half the fat of the women, which is not surprising as is it expected within the general population. From the results of the “Bod Pod”, the daily calorie requirements were calculated and this figure was doubled to give the total calories per day needed for the experiment. The participants were given a pedometer and told to stay below 5,000 steps per day and to avoid exercising.

In the next installment the participants get their menus ready, becoming the subjects of envy of those of us on various weight loss diets…