Introduction: The Difference Between Fat Loss and Weight Loss
It is of extreme importance for every single reader to understand the difference between the commonly (and wrongfully) touted phrase of “weight loss” when the reality is that the goal most individuals who wish to use Clenbuterol are striving for is, instead, fat loss. Somewhere along the line in the past, society and even the medical establishment as a whole became fixated on “weight loss” without any regard for the composition of said weight. It does not occur to many people that ‘weight loss’ does not equal ‘fat loss’. It also seldom occurs to many individuals that weight consists of not only adipose tissue (fat), but also lean mass (muscle), and (mostly) water. Water weight is what in fact comprises the majority of the weight that one sees when stepping up onto the scale, and is responsible for the extreme fluctuations that are observed on an daily (and even hourly) basis. To many individuals, a spike in weight of 4 pounds the next morning from a binge meal the previous night might seem alarming, and is often mistaken for 4 pounds of fat. The reality is that those 4 pounds is almost exclusively water, perhaps 90% water with the rest possibly being fat storage. Weight should be the very last thing on the minds of those looking to lose fat.
The same can be said for the opposite: weight gain. Weight gain is very common when an individual engages in a resistance training routine (weight training). However, it is commonly known that weight gain as a result of such training is from the addition of lean muscle mass rather than fat mass. However, for those uneducated on the matter, the added weight can become a false alarm as the person irrationally believes that the weight gained is fat when in reality it is for the most part muscle tissue. Clen in particular, in addition to its fat loss effects, has been demonstrated to increase lean mass by a small degree in different animals (although this has not been proven in humans). Therefore, Clenbuterol fat loss that is experienced can also be accompanied with an overall weight gain as Clenbuterol’s potential anabolic effects on muscle tissue is experienced. From an overall weight gain, does this mean that although an individual using Clen has experienced fat gain? Highly unlikely (provided the individual is engaging in proper dietary and training habits alongside Clenbuterol use).
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But where does Clenbuterol fat loss factor into this brief explanation of the difference between weight loss and fat loss? Clenbuterol is a compound that exclusively targets fat cells to initiate lipolysis (the breakdown of stored triglycerides in fat cells into free fatty acids). Because Clen specifically targets very specific receptor sites located on the surface of fat cells, one can expect exclusive fat loss with Clenbuterol alongside very little weight loss through other means. Because Clenbuterol is a sympathomimetic amine and is classified as a stimulant closely related to other stimulants in the same family (such as Caffeine, Ephedrine, Adrenaline, etc.), a portion of the weight loss experienced from Clenbuterol can in fact be the result of water loss through a slight diuretic effect. Regardless, if one is seeking a compound that will provide a higher percentage of fat loss from the overall weight loss experienced, Clen is indeed a primary candidate. The key message of this introduction here is to essentially teach the reader that weight loss as a whole means nothing unless the weight monitored on a scale is accompanied with body fat measurements, and close observation to body composition changes, as Clenbuterol will provide mixed elements of fat loss, potential lean mass gain, as well as a degree of water loss through diuresis.
Clenbuterol Fat Loss: How It Works
The process of fat loss should be understood loud and clear by the reader, as it is perhaps the most misunderstood metabolic process out of all of them. Fat loss (and especially Clenbuterol fat loss) is a multi-step process with two major steps of particular importance. It must first be understood that fat is stored within fat cells, which can also be referred to as sacks. These cells (or sacks) are where fat tissue (as triglycerides) are stored. As more and more triglycerides are stored within these fat cells, the cells will grow in size and become larger. This is the process of fat storage, known as lipogenesis. These fat cell sacks can only increase in size through the storage of more triglycerides, or they can shrink in size through the loss of triglycerides. These fat cell ‘sacks’ do not die off and they cannot be removed by any methods other than invasive methods such as mechanical (i.e. liposuction or surgical removal) or radiological (i.e. radiation) methods. While fat storage is known as lipogenesis, the opposite process is known as lipolysis.
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Lipolysis is the first step to overall fat loss, which is the process whereby fat in the form of triglycerides are removed from the fat cells only to be transported into to the bloodstream as free fatty acids. Triglycerides break down into free fatty acids, which then circulate in the bloodstream prior to the second step: free fatty acid oxidation. Up until free fatty acid oxidation, no fatty acids are actually consumed (or rather, metabolized) by the body as fuel. Free fatty acid oxidation is the step whereby the different cells of the body will utilize the free fatty acids in circulation as fuel to be ‘burned’ by the mitochondria of the body’s cells. Free fatty acids will diffuse into muscle fibers and enter muscle cells (and other cells of the body) in order to be utilized for energy in the mitochondria. Free fatty acid oxidation is the rate limiting step in the overall fat loss process. What this means is that body fat can only be reduced as fast as the body can oxidize the free fatty acids that are being released from the fat cells. This is a very important detail to remember as Clenbuterol fat loss is discussed.
Clenbuterol comes into play as a sympathomimetic amine that is a beta-2 selective sympathomimetic. What this means is that Clen initiates its effects in the body through primary interaction with the beta-2 receptors located on the surface of many cells in the body, including fat cells. Although Clenbuterol does interact with other adrenergic receptors such as alpha receptors and other beta receptors, its primary interaction is with beta-2 receptors, which is why it is referred to as being beta-2 selective. What Clenbuterol does in this case is bind to and activate beta-2 receptors located on the surface of fat cells, which sends a signal to the cell and triggers the process of lipolysis. Triglycerides within the fat cell are then broken up into free fatty acids by lipases, and the free fatty acids are then released into the bloodstream. Clenbuterol’s role in overall fat loss serves to speed up and enhance the lipolysis process. It is then up to the user to find methods of increasing free fatty acid oxidation so that those free fatty acids that have been freed up by Clenbuterol can then be appropriately burned off in the mitochondria of the cells in the body.
Maximizing Clenbuterol Fat Loss: Free Fatty Acid Oxidation
The previous description of the overall fat loss process, which includes the two steps of lipolysis and free fatty acid oxidation, must be taken advantage of in order to maximize Clenbuterol fat loss. Going back to the important detail that free fatty acid oxidization is the rate limiting step, this means as previously mentioned that body fat can only be reduced as fast as the body can oxidize the free fatty acids that are being released from the fat cells. In Clenbuterol’s case, lipolysis will be accelerated to allow greater amounts of lipolysis from more fat cells throughout the body, but fatty acid oxidization is not maximized through diet and training, what will occur is this: free fatty acids will be continually released at a heightened rate due to the Clenbuterol, but these free fatty acids can only be utilized at a maximum rate as fuel for the mitochondria of the body’s cells. If free fatty acids are floating around the bloodstream and are not being utilized, the body will simply re-synthesize these free fatty acids back into triglycerides only to be stored right back into the fat cells they originally came from.
What this means in plain English is this: without a caloric deficit, fat loss will not occur with Clenbuterol. Likewise, without proper training and physical exercise to increase the activity of the mitochondria of the body’s cells to utilize the free fatty acids, fat loss will not occur with Clenbuterol. At best, fat loss will be minimal if Clenbuterol is utilized without conjunction with proper nutrition and training. In order to effectively maximize Clenbuterol fat loss, either a clean and proper diet that places the user into a caloric deficit and/or cardiovascular aerobic exercise will be required. These two components of a fat loss program will allow the free fatty acids released by Clenbuterol to be taken up by the mitochondria and effectively be metabolized as fuel for the body’s energy needs as a result of either exercise or a caloric deficit (or both). Many individuals opt to consume their Clenbuterol dose immediately before cardio in order to take full advantage of the lipolysis that Clenbuterol initiates. Some even do this on an empty stomach in the morning.
Bottom line is: Clenbuterol must be combined with an effective diet and exercise regimen in order to maximize its fat loss capabilities. Clen is not magic and will not be responsible for fat loss in individuals who are sedentary, sit around all day, never work out, and engage in poor nutritional habits.
