One of the most common things people ask when they are new to losing weight is : “how can you lose belly fat?”. Or maybe it’s thigh fat, or fat on your butt, or your back. Maybe it’s a problem of losing fat under your arms. The general response that they get from most everyone in the health community is no.
Bodybuilders and nutritionists all say that you can’t lose fat in specific areas. If you are a lady who has fat thighs, and you’ve lost weight everywhere else, then what can you do? And it’s not just women. Guys who have dropped down their bodyfat and exercise 4 or 5 times a week all have the same question when it comes to ab muscles hiding behind that layer of fat.
So, if you can’t spot reduce, why does fat tend to stick around on some places for some people. The unscientific term is trouble spots. For some guys, they might get that “hollow” face look, but still have love handles or fat on their back. Ladies might have thin thighs, skinny arms, and yet, still have some belly fat.
It’s simply a matter of genetics. Honestly, there is only one solution to this problem and that is to lower your bodyfat. That does not mean losing weight. In fact, if you crash diet and drop weight too fast, you might end up with an even more noticeable and severe trouble area. That’s right. Diet wrong, and that little belly, or chunky things, might show up even more because you are destroying your body composition.
The solution is to drop bodyfat, and raise muscle mass. This is done by having proper diet and exercise. Honestly, crash diets don’t work. Starving yourself will put you into a state of starvation mode and you will start to conserve energy by dropping your metabolism. This can have devastating effects long term, which can make it even harder to maintain a healthy weight.
Now, you don’t have to hit the gym and start squatting huge weight, but it does help to do some sort of resistance training. Also, you really can’t get a good body and drop that fat by cutting calories and eating garbage. You can have sweets, but it’s best to make healthy desserts at home yourself.
Spot reduction is not viable, it’s essentially a myth. If you see someone telling you that you can drop fat around your stomach, and only your stomach, then know that something isn’t right. You have to lose fat from everywhere on your body.
The best method to spot reduce, is to simply reduce fat and put on muscle. When you have more muscle on your body, it will make you look better. If you have trouble sticking with a diet plan, and need motivation, then you should get a recipe book that will help you make better food. A store brought “diet” meal is not going to fill you up.’
The one true thing to be aware of is that eliminating healthy sweet foods, including chocolate, from your diet is likely to cause problems. You’re more likely to fail your diet and end up binging on junk food. So, just go easy and eat some healthy sweets (such as dark chocolate) once in a while and feel good about yourself.
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Hi Everyone!
Jenny O’Brien here. Nutritionist & personal trainer. Just your average vegetarian and smoothie fanatic!
If you have any questions, or you’d like me to cover a particular topic, drop me a line and let me know!
Thanks!