Silly question alert..

I know that SPOT REDUCTION is not possible :#

For those who are apple shaped, it is true that the visceral fat is stored in tummy area. Hands & legs are sooo lean with hardly any fat. For some even the shoulders & chest are lean. Only a big round tummy. Does this mean that when they workout for weight loss (or fat loss), it uses the fat stored in tummy area, coz there is hardly any fat elsewhere? B)

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited March 2016
    No. When you are in the process of losing weigh your body loses fat from all over. You will get leaner in the arms/legs/shoulders/chest. Your midsection will lose fat too, of course, but you probably are going to find that it seems disproportionately slow there, or at least it does until you get down to the last pounds of fat loss.

    To clarify: you may lose your visceral fat first but you will still have enough subcutaneous fat in your midsection that it is going to look bigger than your other areas. (Again, this is the tendency for apple-shaped people. I can't speak to what happens with other shapes as I'm speaking from experience only.)
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    Sadly, we don't lose weight from the area that we have the most. I'm pear shaped. I'd love to lose weight in my stomach and thighs. Instead? It comes from my face ... my hands ... I need smaller sized shoes ... etc.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    ... I need smaller sized shoes ... etc.

    hahaha this is great :)

    Yes unfortunately I'm like MostlyWater. I'm pear shaped and the 8 lbs I've lost since I started are not from anywhere near my waist, hips or thighs....
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    gebeziseva wrote: »
    ... I need smaller sized shoes ... etc.

    hahaha this is great :)

    Yes unfortunately I'm like MostlyWater. I'm pear shaped and the 8 lbs I've lost since I started are not from anywhere near my waist, hips or thighs....

    If only I hadn't gained the weight. Easier said than done .......
  • Mydailytrack
    Mydailytrack Posts: 39 Member
    I can spot an apple from anywhere & any distance
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    I know that SPOT REDUCTION is not possible :#

    For those who are apple shaped, it is true that the visceral fat is stored in tummy area. Hands & legs are sooo lean with hardly any fat. For some even the shoulders & chest are lean. Only a big round tummy. Does this mean that when they workout for weight loss (or fat loss), it uses the fat stored in tummy area, coz there is hardly any fat elsewhere? B)

    I feel you. My arms and legs keep getting thinner. Bust and waist exactly the same. Eventually it will come out of my tummy though, and supposedly after you lose weight / get to maintenance your fat will sometimes redistribute a little, even out a little, though I think you are still stuck with your particular genetics.
  • charlieandcarol
    charlieandcarol Posts: 302 Member
    I am an apple, my usual pattern for weight loss is that I lose off my hips and legs but still have to wear the same jeans because I have lost nothing around my waist (attractive saggy pants look) then I will drop just a few more kgs and suddenly my waist shrinks enough to go down a jean size. The the same thing repeats again. I also have large upper arms and chest and they shrink at about the same rate as my tummy, rather than my legs and hips. Frustrating but that's how it goes for me.
  • Lydilod
    Lydilod Posts: 135 Member
    Sadly, we don't lose weight from the area that we have the most. I'm pear shaped. I'd love to lose weight in my stomach and thighs. Instead? It comes from my face ... my hands ... I need smaller sized shoes ... etc.

    I always though it was only me that lost weight of their feet :)
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    I am an apple, my usual pattern for weight loss is that I lose off my hips and legs but still have to wear the same jeans because I have lost nothing around my waist (attractive saggy pants look) then I will drop just a few more kgs and suddenly my waist shrinks enough to go down a jean size. The the same thing repeats again. I also have large upper arms and chest and they shrink at about the same rate as my tummy, rather than my legs and hips. Frustrating but that's how it goes for me.

    Same here! Makes me nuts! The last place I want to lose is in my hips as I barely have any in that area to begin with, yet I always seem to shrink there and arms and legs first.
  • xtina315
    xtina315 Posts: 218 Member
    I'm a pear shape. I typically lose in my legs, breasts, and face first. My gut and hips are always my last spot.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    To follow on from @jemhh up thread-

    Because it is metabolized into fatty acids more easily, the omentum, visceral fat, responds faster to exercise and weight loss than subcutaneous fat.
    However you still have the subcutaneous fat on your belly as well, so 2 lots of fat to get rid of.

    Cardio is reported to help decrease visceral fat.

    I am a post menopausal apple and I did lose the fat, so it is possible.

    Cheers, h.
    ( pic of my tummy in my profile)