Possibly stupid question about weight-loss

SrClaire
SrClaire Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I would google this but I have no idea how to even phrase what I'm asking!

I'm eating a pretty clean, low-carb, calorie restricted diet (yes, I'm making sure that I get enough calories, fat and protein ;-) ) and I'm doing my exercise training programme as set out by the trainer at the gym. I'm doing things sensibly, that's not where the stupid questions come in, don't anyone panic or get ready to lecture me :-D

I also know that the body loses weight pretty evenly and you can't target a specific area for weight-loss, you can only target muscle groups to build muscle and firm things up, etc, etc, I get all that.

Here's what I'm wondering though, and you'll see why I'm struggling to "look it up":
The body is a pretty intelligent, responsive, constantly adapting, energy conserving machine, so for the initial weight-loss it makes sense to me that it would siphon off as little as possible from the entire body's fat reserves. Sort of like skimming off the surface without making too much of a dent in any one fat store.

But for someone like me, who has a pretty even layer of fat over most of my body and then a huge fat store on my stomach - I'm not kidding! The fat layer on my stomach is visibly 3-4 inches thicker than it is on the rest of my body - there has to come a point where the body doesn't want to skim off the other areas and starts to properly dip into the proper fat reserves right?

I can't imagine that I'll continue to lose evenly to the point where I have almost no fat at all on my arms, legs, back, etc, and I'm flat chested but still have a huge amount of fat on my belly. At some point the body is going to have to re-valuate its stock levels and start dipping into the main fat store with a bit more enthusiasm.

I'm just wondering, a) if I'm right to think this might happen, and b) if anyone knows, roughly, at what point the body starts to do this?

If I need to justify these musings at all, then it's purely because I'm actually fairly happy with the rest of my body and it's only my stomach that I feel I have to hide/disguise/work around. I have weight to lose and I'm happy to keep doing that, regardless of what the answer is, It would just be nice to have a little light at the end of the tunnel. Something to work towards.

Replies

  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    I wouldn't really say the body loses fat evenly - you just can't decide where it's going to lose fat. In this case, since you hold a lot of fat in your stomach, chances are a lot of the fat you lose will be from your stomach. You'll lose weight in proportion to how much is already there, and shrink rather than change shape.
  • Carlos0371
    Carlos0371 Posts: 7
    I wouldn't really say the body loses fat evenly - you just can't decide where it's going to lose fat. In this case, since you hold a lot of fat in your stomach, chances are a lot of the fat you lose will be from your stomach. You'll lose weight in proportion to how much is already there, and shrink rather than change shape.

    ^^ What she said :)
  • pennyllayne
    pennyllayne Posts: 265
    Actually, belly fat is one of the easiest places to lose fat from. Lower body fat is more stubborn so apple shaped people seem to have an easier time losing weight than pear shaped. I'm pear shaped and my fat is super stubborn! Also, abdominal fat is a sign of insulin resistance or high levels of cortisol. You might want to try a diet that is helpful with those hormones, so one that is moderate in carbohydrates (from fruit veg and some starchy veg). A diet that is too low in carb actually increases cortisol as studies have shown.

    You might find this article helpful as well: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2590236/Bingo-wings-Thunder-thighs-Shift-fat-hotspots-hormone-diet.html

    I wouldn't agree about the body wanting to let go of less fat in the beginning because this is the time when most people lose the most amount of weight. Sure a lot of it is water initially, but it's only when the body starts to freak out and realises you are not eating enough to keep your fat reserves that it will make things more difficult. It takes a while to adapt and lower metabolic rate etc. This is why first time dieters have a pretty easy time losing weight whilst continuous dieters have more difficulty. If you have no fat anywhere else on your body apart from your belly your body really has no choice but to lose fat from your stomach. It's gotta get energy from somewhere if not from food so aside from your muscles, it's only other option is to take it from places that have a lot of fat.

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