A Hip Slimmin’ Good Time? The Myth of Spot Reduction
There is no such thing as spot reduction. I repeat: there is no such thing as spot reduction. Fat is lost throughout the body, therefore, overall fat must be reduced in order to lose fat in any particular area. Putting all of your time and energy on just one area of your body only works the muscle under the fat. When you ingest more calories than you can burn, your body stores them as fat. You must realize that muscle and fat are two different tissues, which are completely independent of each other. What this means is that you need to follow a program that involves both weight training and cardiovascular training.
Our body consists of adipose tissue. This tissue cushions and insulates the body, but its main function is to store energy in the form of fat. Generally, there are two types of fat storage: visceral, which surrounds the organs, and subcutaneous, which lies beneath the skin. This body fat distribution differs from person to person, therefore you must keep in mind that the areas on your body containing the most fat, will take the longest to slim down. For instance, if you carry excess belly fat and are constantly working out, you may see that your thighs are slimming down faster than the main area of concern. This is normal, so just keep exercising and eventually, you will lose the fat.
There are two main types of body shapes: apple shaped, where fat storage tends to build in the abdomen area, and pear shaped, where fat tends to build in the buttocks and thigh area. Generally, women are shaped like the pear and men, the apple. However, it is not uncommon to be affected by either type of fat distribution, no matter what your gender may be. As stated before, fat distribution differs from person to person.
Main Fat Distribution Areas
- Knees
- Upper arms
- Abdomen
- Buttocks
- Inner thighs
- Outer thighs
- Chest
- Lower back and upper back
Remember your body has layers. When you consistently exercise, fat usually sheds in layers—not just from one specific area, hence the reason spot reduction is a myth. Changing your diet will help more with reductions of visceral fat more so than the subcutaneous fat in the beginning. This is why the scale will say you’ve lost weight even though you may not see a change on the outward surface. With time, proper exercise and diet combined, those unwanted pounds will come off.
So, what do you do to lose the weight? First, forget hopping on the scale every day and calculate your body fat percentage instead. Focus on the fat percentage so you don’t get stressed about the numbers on the scale. After all, if you’re reading this article, you are more worried about the fat distribution than you are with your actual body weight.
Once you have found your body fat percentage and become familiar with the calculations, it will be easier to track your progress. By measuring the fat instead of the pounds, you will know what areas are really slimming down. You will become less discouraged if you know your exercise is working. Don’t expect results overnight, but do expect results over time.
Remember, there is no such thing as spot reduction! If you keep this in mind, you can lose the fat one layer at a time until you have the body you desire.
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