Adipose tissue growth occurs in the body at specific sites called adipose tissue depots. These fats depots form from the accumulation of adipocytes, the predominant cells of adipose tissue that are filled with triglycerides. Lately, adipose tissue is considered much more than an energy storage site. It is a source of hormones, growth factors, cytokines, and signaling molecules that regulate body metabolism. Furthermore, adipose tissue growth occurs through increases in size and number of adipocytes, which in turn is determined by a balance of lipolysis, lipogenesis, and adipocyte proliferation. Recently, a life cycle for adipocytes is acknowledged, which includes proliferation, growth arrest, clonal expansion, terminal differentiation, and apoptosis. Several factors affect adipocytes in their life cycle, and in the current chapter, major factors that influence the adipocyte life cycle are categorized into adipokines, transcription factors, hormonal factors, and nutritional and environmental factors. Studying these factors that influence and target different stages of the adipocyte life cycle might prove beneficial in understanding the physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms underlying adipose tissue development.