Can anyone contradict "you can't spot reduce weight"?
katie1234
Posts: 74 Member
Obviously in order to lose weight you have to be creating a calorie deficit on a consistent basis.
And all the advice you see online is that 'you can't spot reduce weight'
But surely there are ways to 'encourage' the inches to come off my belly and not elsewhere? My core is my problem area and I really need to get rid of a couple of inches there.
And all the advice you see online is that 'you can't spot reduce weight'
But surely there are ways to 'encourage' the inches to come off my belly and not elsewhere? My core is my problem area and I really need to get rid of a couple of inches there.
30
Replies
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Nope you cannot dictate where your body loses fat from.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
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Unfortunately no you cannot spot reduce, and I also had issues with belly fat that I never thought would come off! But, it finally did over time- you just have to keep on weighing food, logging, and counting calories- I did have to be especially strict when I got closer to my goal weight.4
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Obviously in order to lose weight you have to be creating a calorie deficit on a consistent basis.
And all the advice you see online is that 'you can't spot reduce weight'
But surely there are ways to 'encourage' the inches to come off my belly and not elsewhere? My core is my problem area and I really need to get rid of a couple of inches there.
Nope...
The midsection is primary fat stores for many people and most men...primary fat stores are more or less a first on, last off proposition.
Your body burns visceral fat first. Subcutaneous fat has to be converted to triglycerides and moved into your blood stream...your body isn't going to take subcutaneous fat from a specific area for that process...it's going to take it from all over.10 -
Obviously in order to lose weight you have to be creating a calorie deficit on a consistent basis.
And all the advice you see online is that 'you can't spot reduce weight'
But surely there are ways to 'encourage' the inches to come off my belly and not elsewhere? My core is my problem area and I really need to get rid of a couple of inches there.
Nope, you can't choose where the fat comes off. You can choose where you build muscle and tone up, but you don't choose where your fat comes off at all. Not even a little bit.
Fat loss works genetically. Your DNA decides that. Let's say, for example, your DNA (your body's blueprint) says "when we start gaining weight we will first gain on the thighs, then the butt, then the arms, then the belly" then that's what will happen you you start to gain weight. When you start to LOSE weight, it'll happen in the opposite order that you gained if. So "belly, arms, butt, thighs". This is obviously an incredible simplification, but this is the general idea. There is no way you can choose where fat comes off your body and there are no exercises that will make you lose fat on your belly but not the rest of your body. All this will do is lead to general fat loss and strength of the area you are working. Hope this helps!!
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Although you can't spot reduce, for me, at least, strength training makes a profound difference. Back when I first stuck with it consistently, I was shocked by how positive the results were and wished I'd done it years earlier.15
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Obviously in order to lose weight you have to be creating a calorie deficit on a consistent basis.
And all the advice you see online is that 'you can't spot reduce weight'
But surely there are ways to 'encourage' the inches to come off my belly and not elsewhere? My core is my problem area and I really need to get rid of a couple of inches there.
Nope1 -
Liposuction?38
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When you reduce fat you lose it from all over. If the rest of your body is already pretty slim then you will see a more noticeable size change in your belly than your legs. It isn't spot reducing. It is just losing fat from the places where you have excess fat.
I think of it like piles of snow. Small piles of snow melt first. The larger piles melt at the same time but take longer and will continue to melt after the small piles are gone.
You can strengthen your core muscles to help improve posture, balance and reduce pain.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/the-real-world-benefits-of-strengthening-your-core15 -
How is the statement that strength training can significantly change your appearance woo-worthy?
No, it's not spot reducing (in terms of losing fat there), but it can tighten up the appearance. That's controversial?13 -
Chunkahlunkah wrote: »How is the statement that strength training can significantly change your appearance woo-worthy?
No, it's not spot reducing (in terms of losing fat there), but it can tighten up the appearance. That's controversial?
I wouldn't get too put out about being woo'd half of MFP thinks it means woohoo.22 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Chunkahlunkah wrote: »How is the statement that strength training can significantly change your appearance woo-worthy?
No, it's not spot reducing (in terms of losing fat there), but it can tighten up the appearance. That's controversial?
I wouldn't get too put out about being woo'd half of MFP thinks it means woohoo.
Oh! 2 -
Chunkahlunkah wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Chunkahlunkah wrote: »How is the statement that strength training can significantly change your appearance woo-worthy?
No, it's not spot reducing (in terms of losing fat there), but it can tighten up the appearance. That's controversial?
I wouldn't get too put out about being woo'd half of MFP thinks it means woohoo.
Oh!
I have 54 under my belt - some from advice as straightforward as "You need a calorie deficit to lose weight"14 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Nope you cannot dictate where your body loses fat from.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
This ^. "The belly is the last to go" wouldn't be a cliched truism if it was possible to "encourage" fat loss there. Fit individuals work for years to get their stomach how they want it. That's why you see all those candid pictures of celebrities on the beach looking great but being criticized for letting themselves go because they have a little belly. We also tend to have unrealistic expectations of what our midsection should look like, but that's a whole other story!9 -
Sorry to burst your bubble if you thought there might be an alternative reply, but no there's no way to spot reduce, its an unfortunate fact.5
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Chunkahlunkah wrote: »Although you can't spot reduce, for me, at least, strength training makes a profound difference. Back when I first stuck with it consistently, I was shocked by how positive the results were and wished I'd done it years earlier.
This is absolutely true. What you're touching on is aesthetics e.g.minimize the appearance of a large waist by increasing chest size. Body builders do this to develop symmetrical perfection...or as close as they can.
You cannot spot reduce fat loss, but you can build muscle as an aesthetic offset, which will also aid fat loss, although by a very small margin.4 -
Nope. You can't spot reduce, period.0
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Chunkahlunkah wrote: »Although you can't spot reduce, for me, at least, strength training makes a profound difference. Back when I first stuck with it consistently, I was shocked by how positive the results were and wished I'd done it years earlier.
Yup. Having muscle underneath the fat makes the fat look better.7 -
Only way to spot reduce is liposuction.
Alternatively, muscle development will help the area appear smaller. Fat that gets to hang from muscle looks way better than fat that just hangs there. Muscle development will require a different nutritional plan calorie-wise than fat loss.
Fat typically follows a LIFO (Last In Fire Out) approach. So, if your tummy got fat and then your arms got fat, the first fat to go will be from the arms.3 -
Wish spot reduction was proved before I bought those CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) pills years back when Herbal Magic recommended them They suggested it as an aid for Subcutaneous fat.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2826589/6 -
Can anyone contradict "you can't spot reduce weight"?
No, because it's the truth. Not only can you not contradict it, there are studies which show it's not possible:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/218044274 -
crabbybrianna wrote: »Liposuction?
hahah this.
also +1ing the people who mentioned weight training, you cannot spot reduce (without liposuction) but you can add muscle to a specific area which can improve the look of that area and make it appear leaner.0 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Chunkahlunkah wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Chunkahlunkah wrote: »How is the statement that strength training can significantly change your appearance woo-worthy?
No, it's not spot reducing (in terms of losing fat there), but it can tighten up the appearance. That's controversial?
I wouldn't get too put out about being woo'd half of MFP thinks it means woohoo.
Oh!
I have 54 under my belt - some from advice as straightforward as "You need a calorie deficit to lose weight"
I have a woo stalker so I have hundreds! :laugh:15 -
TavistockToad wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Chunkahlunkah wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Chunkahlunkah wrote: »How is the statement that strength training can significantly change your appearance woo-worthy?
No, it's not spot reducing (in terms of losing fat there), but it can tighten up the appearance. That's controversial?
I wouldn't get too put out about being woo'd half of MFP thinks it means woohoo.
Oh!
I have 54 under my belt - some from advice as straightforward as "You need a calorie deficit to lose weight"
I have a woo stalker so I have hundreds! :laugh:
Thanks for making me check. I just broke my 100th woo for asking why a post is funny. I really hate that little button.14 -
diannethegeek wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Chunkahlunkah wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Chunkahlunkah wrote: »How is the statement that strength training can significantly change your appearance woo-worthy?
No, it's not spot reducing (in terms of losing fat there), but it can tighten up the appearance. That's controversial?
I wouldn't get too put out about being woo'd half of MFP thinks it means woohoo.
Oh!
I have 54 under my belt - some from advice as straightforward as "You need a calorie deficit to lose weight"
I have a woo stalker so I have hundreds! :laugh:
Thanks for making me check. I just broke my 100th woo for asking why a post is funny. I really hate that little button.
I'm over 130. I know a lot were in jest and don't really care about the rest. The button has become meaningless to me, so I don't love it, hate it or even consider it.8 -
Wow, I have 144, I'm extra woo-ful. To be fair, I have posted a lot in threads about the woo button, where we all prove it's silly by wooing all the other posts in the thread
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Spot reduce WEIGHT through muscle atrophy (break an arm or leg, can't use for several months)...
Spot reduce FAT...nah (ahhh English language...)6 -
The perfectly normal subcutaneous fat healthy overfat people have no, you can't spot reduce.
Visceral abdominal fat (that surrounds your organs and is believed to be harmful) seems to respond better to low carb diets than low fat in studies. (Low carb studies are often confounded by improved diet quality though so it might not be the low carb bit that does it.)
Tl;dr cutting carbs and/or junk food might result in a greater reduction in waist circumference for some people.22 -
Chunkahlunkah wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Chunkahlunkah wrote: »How is the statement that strength training can significantly change your appearance woo-worthy?
No, it's not spot reducing (in terms of losing fat there), but it can tighten up the appearance. That's controversial?
I wouldn't get too put out about being woo'd half of MFP thinks it means woohoo.
Oh!
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I have 226. I win!4
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