Almost everyone would like to change or improve some part of their body. Something I would hear regularly from my clients is 'I want to lose weight around my belly’. Unfortunately the body doesn’t function that way when it comes to fat loss.
The idea of targeting areas to lose fat has been called ‘Spot Reduction’. While there has been research into the area, very little significant evidence has come from the research, leading scientists to believe that it is very unlikely that we can target areas to burn fat. In fact a number of studies have strongly disproved the theory of spot reduction. For example, one study in 24 people who only completed exercises targeting the abdominals for six weeks found no reduction in belly fat. Another study that followed 40 overweight and obese women for 12 weeks found that resistance training of the abdominals had no effect on weight or belly fat, compared to dietary intervention alone.
Due to hormonal differences and other factors men tend to accumulate excess fat around their belly, while females tend to around their thighs and glutes, however during the menopause fat accumulation occurs around the belly due to hormonal changes. Trying to lose this weight around these ‘problem areas’ can prove difficult depending on a number of factors including age and gender. Many studies show that men tend to lose this fat around their waist quicker than what women would. Women tend to lose fat generally all over their body but it takes longer to come off in stubborn areas such as the thighs and hips.
Although we cannot target areas for fat loss that doesn’t mean that we still can’t improve and work on these stubborn areas. In these cases I would strongly advise performing a mixture of cardio and strength training. These will help to burn calories and develop the muscles leading to a more ‘toned’ look. This training should be in conjunction with good nutrition which is key here. Doing this while in a calorie deficit (burn more calories than we consume) is essential in order to lose fat. The best way to make sure you are in a calorie deficit is to work out how many calories you need in order to maintain current weight and then take 500kcal off this maintenance target per day and this will result in healthy fat loss.
The point here is that there is no quick fix to achieving this fat loss but with commitment over time to nutrition and exercise it can be achieved.
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