Where Does Fat Disappear First?
Do you find when you lose weight it disappears from the places you want to stay big? Yet seems to stay attached to the places you really want to slim down?
HINT: Spot reduction is a myth.
There Are 2 Kinds of Fat
We have adipose tissue all over the body. This tissue is made of adipocytes (fat cells) whose sole job is to store energy in the form of fat. Body fat distribution differs from person to person. There are generally two types of fat storage: visceral (surrounding organs), or subcutaneous (beneath the skin – about 80% of all body fat (src)).
Where Do We Gain Fat?
Basic Areas
- Women – generally around the buttocks and thighs (gluteofemoral): “pear-shaped”.
- Men – generally around the abdomen: “apple-shaped”.
These are the predominant patterns – but both ‘apple’ and ‘pear’ shaped distribution can be found in either gender.
Specific Areas
| Knee | Fat often builds up on the inside region of the knees in women. |
| Upper Arm | Also common in women, fat build up can occur in the middle to upper area of the upper arm – typically covering the tricep area. Some women elect to have arm liposuction procedure to remove fat from this area without the marks caused by surgery. |
| Abdomen | Fat buildup around the navel area is common in both men and women. It is also one of the few fat deposits that are also found in slim women. |
| Inner Thigh | Fat storage between the thighs is common in women – but also occurs with men. It is more noticeable in women due to the width of the pelvis that in turn influences the position of the thigh (femur). |
| Outer Thigh | Sometimes called "Riding Breeches" – this area is the most likely place for the pitted or ‘quilted’ appearance of cellulite. This fat concentration also blends with fat tissue on the inner thigh and the buttocks. |
| Buttocks | Without fat here – sitting would be quite uncomfortable. Fat is held in place by the gluteal fold. If significant fat is lost from the buttock, then only appropriate training can prevent the buttock from sagging down against the thigh. |
| Lower Back | This fat concentration often merges with the buttock area. |
| Chest | Breast tissue comprises the mammary gland (one’s ‘endowment’) surrounded by fat. Men also have atrophied glands and fat in this area. Both sexes gain fat in this area. In men this can sometimes be mistaken for the condition of gynecomastia – a condition that includes not only fat build up, but growth in gland tissue. |
Ethnic Variation
There is considerable research showing that fat distribution varies between ethnic groups. For example Asian adults are more prone to visceral and central obesity than Europeans. Mediterranean women are prone to fat gain in the outer thighs.
Where You Lose Fat First
Fat is like the layers of an onion. It doesn’t disappear from a particular place, but comes off layer by layer from the whole body.
Moreover, the way fat is shed is different from person to person.
It tends to go from the most recent place it appeared. If your tummy started gaining first – this will be the very last place for the fat to disappear from.
This is why a man can get thin in the face – and yet still have a small ‘spare tire’ around his waist. Or a woman may complain of a smaller bust, and yet the hips may have barely moved an inch.
Cellulite is Different
This is further compounded by cellulite. With cellulite tissue, fatty acids are contained in a net of fibrous connective tissue. As fat loss occurs the net becomes compressed – making it difficult for the blood supply to readily remove the fat from these stubborn areas.
Surface fat loss can be seen,
along with hidden fat around internal organs.
Why Do I Lose Weight But Look the Same?
- Obese men tend to lose more visceral (internal) fat while obese women lose more subcutaneous fat (src).
- Exercise seems to result in more subcutaneous fat loss. Diet alone results in more visceral fat loss (and less surface fat loss) (src). This explains how you can lose weight – but not necessarily have any radical change in appearance.
What You Can Do
There is very little you can do to influence specific subcutaneous fat distribution. However there are some special cardio techniques you can use to burn more fat.
Exercise should always be a part of any fat loss program – but vigorously exercising a specific body part will not have any influence on local fat in that area. This myth has been debunked again and again.
Neither will high-repetition (e.g. 20-30 reps) weight training lead to greater fat loss. In fact the loss of intensity may ultimately result in less fat loss than lower-reps with heavier weights. Higher reps are good for muscular endurance (more).
It can be very frustrating but everybody is different.
Stay committed to your training and nutrition – and don’t be dissuaded by the commercials and images that show perfectly proportioned clones. Understand how your body works, and set achievable goals accordingly.
And yes, I lost fat in my face, triceps, forearms, chest, thighs, neck, and abdomen too.
Thank you so much for this article! I am male, 5”6, age 20, Spanish. I used to weight 180lbs now I’m 140.5lbs. I lost 33lbs of fat with just diet alone and the last 6.5lbs with “vigorous cardio” plus diet (I bought a magnetic stationary bike).
The information in this article answered my question! I keep losing weight and yet I still my belly looks terrible!!!
Answer #1: diet caused me to lose visceral fat mostly.
Answer#2: the belly will be the very last place for me to lose fat since it was the first place I had fat and also because I am male.
This means: 1) once I run out of visceral fat my body will be forced to turn to subcutaneous fat, and 2) with cardio I can make my body lose subcutaneous fat.
Thanks so much! I now understand why I’ve lost nearly 40lbs of fat and yet my stomach still looks terrible!
From my understanding and from what I read or seen on a show on HBO (can’t recall the name-something about I call Bullshit?), organic is a gimmick to make you pay more. Also, farmers do use pesticides, which are the same that have always been used since pesticides were introduced. The inorganic farming methods use pesticides, but are in actuality more safe, because it is synthetic and has been updated. Also, without hot houses, because of the lack of land, we wouldn’t be able to feed our enourmous populations. Just my thoughts.
what is the name of the book You read and is it available in South Africa or online
Years back people ate what they planted on land and lived a long life, in a healthy way and without health issues or conditions, directly from the earth.
I would disagree 1500 calories of mainly sugar and refined carbs will definitely have a different effect on your body than 1500 calories of healthy carbs, fats , and proteins.
Absolute BS. What you eat has zero to do with weight loss. Calorie balance determines weight. Unless you were over a hundred pounds overfat, you are lying about how much weight you lost.
For myself, I went organic about 10 months ago. Before that, I was already eating healthy…lean meat, lots of fruits and veggies, etc. I found it very difficult to lose weight, even eating healthy and watching my portions. I read a book about how various chemicals and how our food is grown/processed could affect our health, and this changed everything. Before going organic, I suffered every other week from migraines, had problems with acne, suffered from insomnia, and experienced several other mild issues. After reading the book, I learned that dyes, “preservatives”, additives, hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, etc. could all have an effect on your health! These things could mess with your thyroid, bring hormonal levels out of balance, and cause all kinds if issues. One in particular for me, I had all the symptoms of being estrogen dominant…which was a key factor in my insomnia, migraines, disabling cramps, etc. I started eating as organic as possible and avoiding things like Styrofoam and plastics near my food whenever possible. I didn’t change my calories, food distribution, etc. at all! I eat the same meats in the same amounts, only I choose grass-fed or free-range, without added hormones or antibiotics. I eat plenty of fruit and vegetables…only difference is that I eat organic. Same with my grains, dairy, eggs, etc. I have lost 15 lbs in the last 6 months, have not had a migraine in over 6 months (when I had at least one every other week for at least 20 years), allergies aren’t as bad as they used to be (this time of year with the current juniper levels, I should be miserable, but I’m not), monthly cramps are now very mild, and for the first time in my life, I’ve been on consistent 28-day cycles every month for the last 6+ months!
Now, the effects of switching to organic weren’t instant, but I believe this is because it took time for my body to reset itself and clean out the crap. I don’t know about what research is out there about organic vs. non-organic, but I do know what I have experienced by making the change, and from what I can see, organic IS healthier! I mean, if I had all these problems eating the SAME foods in non-organic form, but the problems went away with eating organic instead, that speaks volumes to me!
Those vitamins and minerals that you are so afraid of losing because you kill the bugs on your vegetables with a chemical, are there regardless of how you grow your plant. If they were removed the plant would die, just like removing your heart, you would die. Without these things the plants wouldn’t grow in the first place. I know that so many of you are trying to legitimize horrifically overpaying for produce, but the basic process of growth in all organic life requires that copious amounts of these vitamins and minerals be present. Before you all through a big tantrum and get all bent out of shape open up your grade school science book and do some elementary research into a topic before jumping in with both feet and trusting someone that happens to be making millions of dollars off of a “new” diet scheme, actually has your best interest at heart. Commonsense people, use it.
WASHING IT BEFORE EATING IT IS A CARDINAL RULE. REGARDLESS WHAT IT IS
YOU ARE EATING.
carbon is actually in all living things. We’re carbon based life-forms.
Well that would be the definition wrt organic chemistry, has nothing to do with organic farming.
Well that would be the definition wrt organic chemistry, has nothing to do with organic farming.
Andy, are you saying you have only drank water in the past 14 days? I have done the the lemonade fast before, however you get nutrients from the maple syrup. My question to you is, is that healthy?
I am currently on Day 12 of a water fast. I found this is the quickest and healthiest way to lose fat, I have gone from 93.6kgs to 85.1kgs. I mainly wanted to lose fat around my mid section, yet I found it has only really been the last couple days this is really starting to fall off. Before that, it has disappeared everywhere else.
Hey guys, I love reading all the comments, this gives me insight and the pros and cons help me to make good decisions. I am 40lbs over weight, this weight gain has been over a 30 year period. I have never lost a pound in my life, my concerns are my overall health and I so want to feel better about myself too. Just this week I lost 3 lbs and I tell you what, I was elated. I will try to make the right decisions concerning food and exercise and I thank you all for taking the time to publish your comments….
to Joanne
hey i just read your comment and i can relate to you in the round face.Although i’m good with my body’s proportions my face keeps me from feeling good about myself.
I completely agree, men do have it easy. They’re a lot less self-conscious. If I had a nickle for every overweight man I’ve seen walking around in the summer in a pair of swim trunks and not thinking anything of it, I’d never have to work again. My problem area is my face. My measurements are all what they’re supposed to be, my BMI (I got it from my doctor, not the internet, don’t worry) is 18, and I still have a very round face. I get the apple cheeks and the double chin when I smile and I HATE it! If there was some way I could take all the fat from my face and move it to…say, my chest….I’d be ecstatic.
Wiki is usually a solid choice when researching facts.
An interesting read here on Organic Food;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_food
I didn’t move out until I got married. My husband and I bought the food we liked and both managed to put on weight together. When we were broke here and there, we bought less junk food and I think managed to lose a few pounds. I have no excuse for being overweight except that sometimes organic and healthy foods cost more.
I cannot claim to have found any research to prove that organic is heathier,but have you ever thought about why Americans tend to be heavier than their counterparts in Europe, Canada, and Australia? I’m originally Canadian and have also spent time in Italy. Outside of fast food portions (which I’ve always kept to a minimum) they eat well and often (in Italy pasta was practically a food group in and of itself). What I found to be a big difference was that the sources of food are more natural and less processed. After my last stay in Italy I ‘d lost about 8 lbs in the month I was there, but didn’t eat any less or exercise at all. Once I returned to the States (where I live) I decided to “go organic”. I ate anything I wanted, from pastries, to pasta, to meats, cheeses and desserts; without trying lost 28 pounds over about 4 months. To be frank, I think I actually ate more during that period of time, because the deli and bakery at my local Whole Foods was too good to resist. There is something to be said for organic foods- whether you like it or not.
Also, growth hormones are used make animals grow larger faster, so why after eating that meat wouldn’t a human also “grow”- just a bit of food for thought.