Is your belly fat the last to leave?
Ain’t that the truth…
Here’s the deal:
WHERE we store fat is determined by our body shape and genetics.
One area (i.e. belly, thighs) is not universally more difficult than others…
It’s just that that one area may be harder FOR YOU.
Take a look around at your coworkers, friends, or people in a crowd.
You’ll notice some people have fuller bellies but leaner legs, others have larger thighs but flat stomachs. Some people may appear even across the board…
Wherever YOU store the most of your fat...
THAT is the last place you’ll see results.
AND since that bulkier area tends to be the place we focus all our attention on…
We often miss the reduction happening in other areas.
For example, I carried the bulk of my weight on my back (under my bra) and in my thighs.
All my focus was on those areas.
I was practically obsessed with pinching my thighs and stare at my back in the mirror looking for some kind of proof they were reducing.
Point is, because I didn’t hate my arms, or think they were “fat”, I never paid attention to them.
It wasn’t until I put on a jacket that used to be very tight and fitted in the arms, that I realized, “Holy smokes! This jacket is sooo loose! My arms shrank!”
I had a similar experience with the butt part of a pair of pants.
I was surprised each time, but secretly frustrated.
Why there and not my thighs?
Meanwhile my husband had super lean legs after losing just 10lbs. It felt so unfair until I realized he had his own “trouble area” and that was a spot where I’d lost weight easily. GENETICS.
Here’s the good news: No matter where you store fat, the prescription is still the same.
You have to reduce your OVERALL body fat.
Just remember that where you gain weight first will likely be the last place to go.
Likewise, the last place where you gained weight (which in women is often the boobs), that id usually the first place to reduce.
(Yes, I KNOW. Nature can be cruel to our egos sometimes.)
The best way to reduce body fat is through your diet.
Create a deficit from the “input” side.
Unfortunately, you can’t “spot train” or target one specific area.
Genetics don’t play that way.
This means if you carry most of your fat in your midsection, you’re not going to have “abs” until you reach a very low body fat percentage and all OTHER areas where you store fat (i.e. hips, legs, butt, back, arms, so on) are very lean. It doesn’t matter HOW many crunches you do… you’ll build muscle, sure, but it won’t SHOW until you pull back the curtain of fat.
One (small) caveat: Sometimes our midsections appear bigger or “fatter” than they really are because of bloating, often caused by eating salty or junky foods, though if you have IBS or food allergies, bloating could be caused from contamination with the allergen.
Here’s a picture of our VIP members posted during the March Madness challenge:
This happened within ONE WEEK of her eating “clean” specifically, following the meal plans and quitting her habit of chips and sugary vegan treats.
I found that as I lost weight, my bloating was a lot more noticeable. Even “overeating” on healthful foods would make my stomach look so much bigger.
If you think this could be you too, I recommend doing the Detox meal plan or the Elimination Diet plan (available in the member library on your dashboard) to see.
Cutting back on salt (or at least being more mindful of my use of hidden salts, like hot sauce) has also made a DRAMATIC difference in my midsection. In fact, it was the only way I could get my washboard abs.
Final note: If your have reached a healthy weight but don’t like how you look, or like me, you still had a lot of excess body fat even at a “goal weight”, your focus needs to be on CHANGING YOUR BODY COMPOSITION.
Meaning reducing your body fat percentage (BMI), so you are literally “leaner.”
This all came down to diet for me, but exercise to increase muscle mass can help.