 Recently I had the pleasure of listening to a lecture on Fat Loss Physiology from Professor Bill Campbell, Ph.D. Professor Campbell has a Ph.D. in Exercise, Nutrition, and Preventive Health from Baylor University. He is currently a Professor of Exercise Science and Director of the Performance and Physique Enhancement Laboratory at the University of South Florida. His work has been published in over 200 scientific papers and abstracts, three textbooks, and 20 book chapters in areas related to physique enhancement, sports nutrition, resistance training, and dietary supplementation. He knows what he is talking about but his greatest skill is breaking down complex subjects in ways that most lay people can understand. A skill I admire. Below is a summary of the lecture that will hopefully help you see how fat loss actually works in the body and why an energy deficit and exercise are so important to achieve this goal. After reading this I hope you can dispel a lot of the nonsense out there and be more confident about your own approach. Enjoy. How Fat Loss Really Works: A Simple Guide
We hear it all the time: burn fat, melt fat, torch fat. But what actually happens inside your body when you lose fat? Let’s walk through it step by step, without the science jargon so you can dispel the nonsense when you see it. Fat Cells: Balloons That Shrink, Not Disappear Your body has fat cells (adipocytes). Think of them like balloons filled with fat. When you lose fat, the balloons don’t vanish, they simply deflate. Once you reach adulthood, you’ll have roughly the same number of fat cells for life. They may slowly “turn over” (about 10% die and get replaced each year), but the total number stays about the same. This is one reason why losing fat you gained as a kid or teenager can feel harder: childhood obesity often means you end up with more fat cells in adulthood. More balloons to keep filled. Breaking down fat vs Burning fat vs fat loss. The way that we lose fat is by being in a calorie deficit or expending more energy. But how does the body go about that. It doesn’t just vanish into thin air. It happens in 3 steps. Breaking Down Fat: The Peanut Analogy Losing fat happens in stages, a bit like eating a peanut:
Without a calorie deficit, the “chewed peanuts” just get re-packaged and stored again. Step 1: Breaking It Down (Lipolysis) When you have fat in your cells you must first break it down. Inside fat cells, fat is stored as triglycerides (three fatty acids plus a glycerol backbone). To use it for energy, enzymes act like scissors, cutting the fatty acids free. Now you have primed your body to lose body fat as long as other conditions are present (such as being in a calorie deficit or exercising). Can you see a theme here? This process is triggered by (hormones) signals, mainly adrenaline and norepinephrine (the same chemicals that fire when you exercise or are in a calorie deficit). These signals tell the receptors on our fat cells to do something. This is how hormones work - they are chemical messengers. We have two types of receptors that are important in this process:
There is a theory that the areas of your body that are “stubborn” (belly, hips, thighs) often have more alpha receptors, which is why fat there is usually the last to go. But that’s for another summary. Step 2: Burning It for Energy Once freed, fatty acids enter the bloodstream and hitch a ride on a protein called albumin (because fat and water don’t mix). They then travel to your muscles. There, they go through several “checkpoints” to get inside the mitochondria (your cell’s power plants). This is where they’re chopped up, piece by piece, in a process called beta-oxidation. That’s the real fat burning stage. Step 3: Actual Fat Loss Here’s the key:
That’s why exercise and diet are so important. They suppress this “re-esterification” (the re-packaging process) and make it more likely that fat actually gets burned and lost. If we are going to lose fat we have to:
Why Exercise Helps During exercise, especially cardio, your body releases more norepinephrine, flipping the “on switch” for fat breakdown. During strength training, you mostly burn carbs in the moment, but afterwards fat burning stays elevated for hours. This is also why a mix of lifting weights and cardio is so effective. What About Dieting? Fat loss only happens when you consistently use more energy than you eat. That doesn’t mean starving yourself forever. In fact, long diets backfire because people burn out. A smarter approach:
Most people can lose fat. Fewer can keep it off. Maintenance is a skill worth practicing. Key Takeaways
In short: Fat loss isn’t magic. It’s biology. The more you understand the process, the easier it is to ignore the fads and nonsense online.
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 You’re not lazy. You’re not broken.
You’re just living in a world that makes staying healthy really, really hard. We call it an obesogenic environment — a fancy term for “the modern world that encourages us to eat more and move less.” If you’ve ever wondered why staying consistent feels like a daily battle, this is why. Let’s explore what this means and then talk about what you can actually do about it. 1. Food Is Everywhere (and Designed to Be Irresistible) You can order a meal without leaving your couch. There’s a snack at every checkout. Coffee often comes with dessert in a cup. Food companies are brilliant at creating combinations of sugar, fat, and salt that light up your brain’s reward system. The result is that you’re surrounded by foods that are easy to overeat and hard to stop eating. How to combat this:
2. We Move Less Than Ever. Most of us don’t walk to work. We sit for hours, then unwind on the couch. Even chores like shopping or mowing the lawn are easier than ever. Movement used to be built into daily life. Now we have to schedule it. What helps combat this?
3. Our Brains Haven’t Caught Up. Your brain evolved to keep you alive, not lean. It’s wired to seek food, conserve energy, and avoid discomfort. The problem with this is the modern world gives your brain unlimited access to both food and comfort. That’s why motivation fades, and why “just be more disciplined” doesn’t work for long. What can you do about this?
👉 Keep fruit washed and ready to eat. 👉 Store crisps in the garage or high cupboard. 👉 Cancel junk food subscriptions or delivery shortcuts. 4. Environment Beats Willpower. When your environment is set up right, consistency takes less effort. You don’t rely on bursts of motivation, you rely on design. Think of it like this:
The goal isn’t perfection, it’s progress that feels sustainable. The Bottom Line. You don’t have to fight the modern world. You just need to outsmart it. The fittest people are not always the most disciplined. They make their environment work for them. Make your setup work for you, not against you. Small environmental changes compound into massive long-term results. If you’d like accountability, structure, and help designing an environment that makes fat loss easier and more consistent, I’m opening one spot in my 12-Week Reset Personal Training Program so you can shed some excess fat and start feeling comfortable in your own skin again. Click here and we can have a chat and I'll show you how the program works and you can go away and think about it. No pressure to sign up to anything.  Lifting to prevent arthritis? ⬇️
Does hitting the weights really make your bones stronger? The answer is a resounding yes! Let’s dig into the science behind this: 🔍 How Does Lifting Improve Bone Strength? Strength training increases bone density and fortifies bone strength. This is due to the osteogenic response, where bones adapt to the stress of weight lifting by becoming denser and tougher. 📚 Research Insights: A pivotal study by Kohrt et al., published in 2004, shows that regular resistance training stimulates bone formation and reduces bone resorption, leading to an overall increase in bone mineral density. 💪 Benefits of Stronger Bones: - Reduced Risk of Fractures: Stronger bones mean a lower chance of fractures as you age. - Improved Posture and Balance: Increased bone strength supports better posture and balance, essential for everyday activities. - Enhanced Athletic Performance: Strong bones provide a solid foundation for muscle attachment, improving athletic performance. 💡 Training Tips for Bone Health: - Focus on Weight-Bearing Exercises: Incorporate exercises like squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses. - Progressive Overload: Gradually increase the weight and intensity of your workouts to continue challenging your bones. Consistency is Key: Regular training is crucial for maintaining and improving bone density.  One of the most debated topics in fitness⬇️
Should you start with cardio or lift weights first? Here’s what the research says.... 🔍 What Does Research Say? A study by Cadore et al. (2012) found that the order of exercise can affect the acute hormonal response and long-term adaptations to training. For strength gains, it’s generally better to start with resistance training when you’re freshest, as pre-fatigue from cardio can impair your strength performance. Conversely, for goals focused on endurance or fat loss, starting with cardio can be beneficial. It can warm up your muscles and help you burn more calories from the start of your workout. 📊 Guidelines for Workout Order: - Strength Priority: - Begin with weight training to maximize your power output without the fatigue from cardio. - Endurance or Fat Loss Focus: - Start with a cardio session to kickstart calorie burning and enhance cardiovascular endurance. 💡 Why It Matters: Your primary fitness goal dictates the optimal order. Maximising performance in your first activity ensures you get the most benefit where it counts.  A lot of people don’t realise this:
GLP-1 weight loss drugs are meant to be taken forever. If you stop taking them without building better eating and exercise habits, it’s like doing a hardcore diet, then going back to “normal” afterwards. We all know what happens next, weight regain. I’m not against these drugs. Some of my clients have lost 10–20kgs with them and are thriving. But whether you’re on them now or thinking about it, you need to protect your muscle, bone, and metabolism. Here’s how. 1. Strength Train Twice a Week
2. Build Balanced Meal Plates At most meals, aim for:
Why?
Why It MattersWhen you stop GLP-1s, your appetite often bounces back hard. Without an “after plan,” you risk:
Muscle loss is even more serious after 50. Every decade, we naturally lose strength and power. Add drug-related muscle loss on top, and it’s harder to stay active, confident, and independent. Workouts to Keep Your Muscle Notes:
Day 1: A1: Machine Leg Press — 3 sets × 12 reps — 30 secs rest A2: Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press — 3 sets × 12 reps — 60 secs rest B1: Machine Leg Curl — 3 sets × 12 reps — 30 secs rest B2: Close Grip Lat Pulldown — 3 sets × 12 reps — 60 secs rest C1: Goblet Squat — 3 sets × 12 reps — 30 secs rest C2: Dumbbell Prone Row (45° Bench) — 3 sets × 12 reps — 60 secs rest D1: 45° Back Extension — 3 sets × 12 reps — 30 secs rest D2: Dumbbell Bench Press — 3 sets × 12 reps — 60 secs rest Day 2: A1: Machine Leg Extension — 3 sets × 12 reps — 30 secs rest A2: Wide Grip Lat Pulldown — 3 sets × 12 reps — 60 secs rest B1: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift — 3 sets × 12 reps — 30 secs rest B2: Barbell Shoulder Press — 3 sets × 12 reps — 60 secs rest C1: Dumbbell Split Squat — 3 sets × 12 reps per leg — 30 secs rest C2: Inverted Row — 3 sets × 12 reps — 60 secs rest D1: Dumbbell Hip Thrust — 3 sets × 12 reps — 30 secs rest D2: Push-Ups — 3 sets × 12 reps — 60 secs rest Weekly Schedule:
Week 1: Day 1 → Day 2 → Day 1 Week 2: Day 2 → Day 1 → Day 2 Bottom Line GLP-1 drugs can help you lose weight, but they’re not magic. If you strength train and eat balanced meals, you’ll protect your muscle, bone, and metabolism, both on and off the drugs. Muscle is lost five times faster than it’s gained. Don’t let it disappear.  🍔Are processed foods responsible for obesity? 🍕 A relatively new study (2 years) was conducted by Hall and colleagues. It is extremely intensive on participants (locked in a lab for a month) and so provides quite sensitive results. Basically, to summarise, researchers found that diets higher in ultra-processed foods lead to increased energy intake weight gain, and increases in several other metabolic risk factors. But this finding wasn't because processed foods are poisonous or inherently fattening. It was because they promote the excessive intake of energy. Why? Well, the study showed that on average, the ultra-processed diet had almost twice the energy density of the non-processed diet. This meant that participants needed to eat almost double the quantity of food to get the same amount of calories when in the non-processed diet phase. Why does that matter? Well, the volume of food consumed is one of the primary factors responsible for your fullness and satiety levels. These, in turn, will impact your immediate and later food intake, and thus calories. Therefore, the more full a food or meal makes you, the less likely you'll be to over consume. ..... If you have any questions or want the link to the study, be sure to send me a message! 3 Ways I Can Help You Get Fit And Lose Weight And Actually Keep it Off.
1. ONLINE 1-1 Personal Coaching. Train with me from anywhere in the world at any time. I now offer fully bespoke 1-1 personal training via my Truecoach online platform. Check it out here 2. Small group coaching sessions (max 4-5 people) Small Group Coaching. 3. 1-1 Personal Training at my Studio in North Sydney. My top level service. In-depth personalised training programs, nutrition coaching and weekly sessions at my boutique studio in North Sydney. Check out my Personal Training Options here:  I'm an advocate of following a high-protein diet especially during a fat loss phase. But let's look to the research, at this interesting study, that aimed to answer the question; "Do higher protein diets enhance weight loss?" - Farnsworth and colleagues were one of the first groups to examine this question in 2003. How did they do it? 🔍 👉66 overweight or obese participants (43 females; 14 males, 9 dropouts) 👉Randomized to either an High Protein (HP) or Standard Protein (SP) energy-restricted diet for 12 weeks, followed by a 4-week maintenance phase (16 weeks total) 👉Participants were mostly sedentary and instructed to maintain current activity levels (not controlled) ..... The two diets Both diets were matched for energy 💪High-Protein Diet 💪 -- Composed of 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fats. Low-fat cheese, and skim milk powder are provided to make up the difference in protein Standard-Protein Diet --Composed of 55% carbs, 15% protein, and 30% fats. Rice and rice noodles are provided to make up for the difference in carbohydrates. Significant weight loss occured in both groups (mean = 7.9kg) with no differences between diets Fat loss (mean = 6.9 kg) was observed in both groups with no difference between diets Females had little to no losses (-0.1 kg) of lean mass in the HP group vs. the SP group (-1.5 kg) Glycemic response to a test meal as well as serum triglycerides were reduced in the HP diet more so than the SP diet. ..... But, there were some things to consider... 🧐 🤷♂️ Was it really "High" Protein? Because protein was calculated based on % of total energy intake, males consumed much less per kg of body weight than females (1.1 vs. 1.4 g/kg) 🤷♂️ The Test Meal The test meal against which they measured insulin and glucose reponses were the same as the respective diets. 🤷♂️ Should these have been the same for both groups, to truly assess the difference between the diets? .... Takeaways ✊ "Higher" protein diets improved the retention of lean mass in women during weight loss Protein intake should be calculated as grams per kg of body weight, not % of energy intake. Energy balance is KEY! 3 Ways I Can Help You Get Fit And Lose Weight And Actually Keep it Off.
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