Is belly fat really the last to go?

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heathermae81
heathermae81 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a large mid section. I have to wear pants a size bigger just so it can button over my waist. I heard recently that the belly is the last to go. Did anyone have similar experiences?
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Replies

  • ilmb87
    ilmb87 Posts: 216 Member
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    I think it depends more on where you carry your weight and where you put weight on first. For me, it's my hips/thighs/butt, and I only recently started losing a considerable amount of weight there. My belly, on the other hand, was one of the first places I noticed weight loss.
  • iulia_maddie
    iulia_maddie Posts: 2,780 Member
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    That really depends on the way your body is built. In my case, I'll have a flat stomach before my thighs start slimming down.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,771 Member
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    In 2 months, I have lost 4 inches from my hips and 1.5 inches from my thighs. Zero, zip, nada from my waist. But I have to believe that my belly will eventually let go.
  • Annieapple12
    Annieapple12 Posts: 122 Member
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    I think everyone has areas that are harder to shift. I have lost 3 inches from my waist and 2 from each thigh and my face has slimmed down a lot but not a mm from my hips / bum.
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
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    My belly tends to be the second to go after my face. Why I lose off my face first I will never know, but I don't like it. It's about the last place that needs to lose fat.
  • xMonroeMisfit
    xMonroeMisfit Posts: 411 Member
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    Everyone carries weight differently, but yes, generally, the abdominal area is the last to go.
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
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    Some people lose weight evenly all over, but a lot of people don't and generally the first place they gained weight will be the last place they lose it. That's very commonly the belly, though not universally. I'm apple shaped as you appear to be and the last of the flab I lost came from my belly and midsection.
  • corrinnebrown
    corrinnebrown Posts: 348
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    Not for me. My *kitten* and thighs are the last to go. lol
  • Jstarr77
    Jstarr77 Posts: 24
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    Everyone tells me that too - and I am definitely finding it to be true - though it is sadly where I carry my wieght :(
  • pepgab
    pepgab Posts: 80 Member
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    Are you an apple shape or pear shape? If you are an apple, then belly will be the last to go. If your are a pear then hips will be last to go.
  • mistesh
    mistesh Posts: 243 Member
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    Let me first say that belly fat is not visible by the outside skin, but is the fat wrapped around your internal organs by your belly.

    "Dr. Joel Fuhrman: Well, let me just say that anyone who makes that claim, that their diet can target midsection fat and burn belly fat, or something like that, take that book and just throw it in the garbage because now that completely takes away a person's scientific veracity and honesty."

    Can A Diet Target Fat In The Midsection Or Belly?
    http://blog.peertrainer.com/diet/2011/04/can-a-diet-target-fat-in-the-midsection-or-belly.html
  • bar4872
    bar4872 Posts: 5
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    Hi Heathermae: I am the same way! Have to wear a larger size pant just to fit around my waist; it is definitely my worst trouble spot. All the situps in the world won't help I suppose, just general weight loss, which I have not have much success with lately. Thinking maybe part of it is bloat, trying different things with diet to help with that issue. We're in this together! I just joined MFP recently with the birthday gift of my first smartphone. Good luck, let me know what works for you!
    Jan
    :flowerforyou:
  • christabel6
    christabel6 Posts: 173 Member
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    I've lost over 20lbs and my waist measurement hasn't changed. I feel your pain!

    What is finally starting to help is doing strength work focused on the abs, though it redistributes the belly at first so initially the measurements go up. Also, CV work like running.
  • CrimsonDiva7
    CrimsonDiva7 Posts: 171 Member
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    Belly fat is the worst. I've seen change but not nearly as much as the other problem areas like hips, thighs and bottom. I'm just trying to keep the area working _ Jackie Warner crunchless abs DVD is very good.
  • lewcompton
    lewcompton Posts: 881 Member
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    Purely a genetic response to where you lose your body fat... crunches can help strengthen and tone the abdomen, but genetics can keep that extra fat over the muscle... Some people lose their hip and leg fat first some their waist and some their chest... It is simply a matter of genetics... My wife adds tummy and chest fat which is more typical for guys but its a genetic trait. I add from the waist south... Gender plays a role but number one is genetics. If you add in your middle first then that is the last place that it will leave.
  • tatd_820
    tatd_820 Posts: 573 Member
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    Not for me! My thighs are my problem area.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    I have quite a small waist and that lost weight quickly, but it's my lower belly that's the problem, and it seems to lose more slowly than the rest of me. Not sure if it's because I've had children or not. My hips used to be the last to get smaller, but this time they're smaller than they've been for 10 years. It's my lower belly that stops me wearing smaller sized trousers.
  • Wende3
    Wende3 Posts: 41
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    That is the first place I lose. My outter thighs is the last. Ugh
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Wherever you put it on first is where it's the last to come off. For men, it is often the belly...the belly area is a primary fat storage area for men.
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
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    No, it depends on your body type. I carry most of my weight below my waist so I tend to see my stomach get smaller fairly early.

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