At the conclusion of the 12-week study, MRI scans revealed no loss in fat between either arm.<\/p>\n
So arms are out (as are legs<\/a>), but what about the one a lot of people really fat: belly fat?<\/p>\n Well, in a recent (2011) study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning\u00a0Research, participants were divided into two groups and asked to perform abdominal exercises. The control group was allowed to train relatively unsupervised, while the experimental group was put on a controlled abdominal exercise workout plan.<\/p>\n The results for both groups?<\/p>\n \u201cSix weeks of abdominal exercise training alone\u00a0was not sufficient<\/b>\u00a0to reduce abdominal subcutaneous fat or other measures of body composition.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n No matter how many crunches or planks you do, you can\u2019t target the fat that hugs your belly. \u00a0You might develop some very strong ab muscles, but the fat will stay put.<\/p>\n So what\u00a0can<\/b>\u00a0you do to get rid of stubborn fat in your problem spots? \u00a0Are we to conclude that there is no point in working out different parts of your body when you want to lose fat? How does fat loss even work?<\/p>\n To answer these questions, we have to start with how fat gets there in the first place.<\/p>\n Body fat by itself is not bad; you need it to survive. \u00a0However, excess body fat can cause health problems ranging from diabetes to hypertension to metabolic syndrome to a host of other serious problems.<\/p>\n Body fat mass is created when you are in a caloric surplus<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 taking in more calories than your body needs, or in plain speech: \u201covereating.\u201d This is true for all humans, regardless of whether you\u2019re male or female.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the thing: it\u2019s actually a lot easier to get into a caloric surplus than you might think. \u00a0Just because you\u2019re eating until you feel full doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re eating what will keep your body weight stable.<\/p>\n The 2,000-calorie diet you\u2019re likely familiar with was designed to be the best estimate of people\u2019s daily caloric needs, but since\u00a0everyone has a unique body composition,<\/b>\u00a02,000 calories may be too little \u2013 or too much, especially if you\u2019re inactive.<\/p>\n How can 2,000 calories be too much? Take the example of someone who is metabolically obese but has a normal weight \u2013 someone popularly termed \u201cskinny fat.\u201d<\/p>\n Body composition analysis reveals that this person (a female) has a body fat percentage of 35%, over the normal range for women. However, a closer look at her composition reveals that she bears the\u00a0hallmarks of skinny fatness<\/strong>: a \u201cnormal\u201d weight caused by underdeveloped muscle and overdeveloped fat.<\/p>\n She also has 88 pounds of Lean Body Mass, corresponding to a BMR of 1231 calories.<\/p>\n Assuming she lives a mostly sedentary lifestyle with no exercise, her Total Daily Energy Expenditure would be roughly\u00a01477.2 calories.<\/b><\/p>\n This would mean that if she kept to a 2,000-calorie diet, she would be in a caloric surplus of\u00a0522.8 calories a day \u2013\u00a0<\/b>meaning she could expect to gain roughly a\u00a0pound of fat every week if she remained consistently on this diet every day.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re a man or women; fat accumulation occurs in the same way. Where it ends up, however, can be a different story for both men and women.<\/p>\n Android obesity is a subset of obesity that most frequently occurs in\u00a0men. \u00a0It is characterized by weight gain in the midsection and upper chest and gives men a more rounded look. This is sometimes called \u201capple-shaped\u201d obesity.<\/p>\n Men store more of their fat here\u00a0because of their hormones<\/a>, specifically, their testosterone levels. \u00a0Women can also experience android obesity after menopause due to the decrease of estrogen in their bodies relative to testosterone.<\/p>\n Gynoid Obesity is another subset of obesity that most commonly occurs in pre-menopausal women. \u00a0It is characterized by fat accumulation in the hips, legs, and buttocks. \u00a0Because the fat accumulation generally takes place in the lower half of the body, gynoid obesity is referred to as \u201cpear-shaped obesity.\u201d<\/p>\n While everyone gains it the same way, fat accumulates \u00a0in different places depending on gender, hormones, and other factors. Having fat show up in some places but not others\u00a0creates the desire in people to want to target fat, which can lead them to look for strategies that\u00a0help them do it.<\/p>\n Is there\u00a0really no way to target fat?<\/b><\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a look at targeting certain areas by exercising an area more than another.<\/p>\n What actually happens when you work out a muscle group? \u00a0You challenge your muscles. \u00a0Muscle fibers get torn and rebuilt, and with proper exercise and nutrition, they become more developed.<\/p>\n Although this\u00a0can<\/b>\u00a0lead to localized blood flow in the exercised muscles leading to some interaction with the subcutaneous fat,\u00a0the effects are very minimal<\/a>\u00a0and don\u2019t contradict the studies that discount spot reduction.<\/p>\n In order to lose Fat Mass, you have to use more calories than you take in. This is called being in a\u00a0\u201ccaloric deficit.\u201d<\/b>\u00a0For example, if your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is 2200, and you consume 1800 calories, you\u2019re in a caloric deficit of -400 calories. \u00a0If you can maintain this over time with proper nutrition, you\u2019ll lose Fat Mass.<\/p>\n When you lose fat,\u00a0you generally lose it in across\u00a0your body at the same time<\/b>. \u00a0You can\u2019t target any particular area over another.<\/p>\n However, fat loss does occur in some areas\u00a0more rapidly<\/b>\u00a0than it does in others. \u00a0Case in point: visceral fat.<\/p>\n Visceral fat is the fat you don\u2019t see. \u00a0It collects in your abdominal area and surrounds your internal organs. \u00a0This type of fat is very dangerous in large quantities, and as associated with several serious health complications including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Metabolic Syndrome, high blood pressure, and more.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also dangerous because it\u2019s not typically visible. \u00a0People can have significant amounts of visceral fat but not know it because their weight\/appearance doesn\u2019t give it away. These people are sometimes called \u201cskinny fat<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n There is some good news, however. \u00a0Although you can\u2019t \u201ctarget\u201d it per se, visceral fat is particularly responsive to cardiovascular exercise, so if you start significantly increasing your running, biking, swimming, or whatever your cardio exercise of choice is, you can expect to \u201csee\u201d a reduction in visceral fat. \u00a0One study has even shown that for people whose BMIs exceed 25.0, cardiovascular exercise alone, even without a caloric deficit<\/b>,\u00a0can have a positive impact on visceral fat reduction<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you have problem fat areas, you should let go of the idea that you can target them by doing exercises in that area. It\u2019s been\u00a0proven<\/a>\u00a0conclusively<\/a>\u00a0that you\u00a0cannot do this<\/a>, and the sooner you let it go, the sooner you can focus on what does work:\u00a0proper diet and exercise<\/b>.<\/p>\n So to target your problem fat areas, you need to target your entire body and follow the same basic guidelines for effective fat loss that will last.<\/p>\n This is an important first step, and one that a lot of people skip:\u00a0get your body composition determined<\/b>. This will allow you to learn your body fat percentage, which will reveal\u00a0valuable information about your body, including:<\/p>\n With that information, you can find out even more useful information, such as:<\/p>\n These two are particularly important because they\u2019ll help you determine how many calories your body needs in a day. \u00a0If you need help with figuring that out,\u00a0here\u2019s a guide to get you started<\/a>\u00a0on planning a diet using your body composition data.<\/p>\n Your TDEE will be an extremely useful number for you. You can think of it like a \u201ccalorie budget.\u201d\u00a0You can \u201cspend\u201d your \u201cbudget\u201d on different foods and beverages throughout the day, with the goal of \u201csaving\u201d calories at the end of the day (your caloric deficit). How you \u201cspend\u201d your budget is up to you, but you will still want to make healthy choices throughout the day.<\/p>\n There are numerous diets that you might follow. Don\u2019t follow any that ask you to eat a certain number of calories or one that worked for someone that you know. These won\u2019t necessarily work for you. \u00a0Use your own, personal TDEE\u00a0<\/b>as a guideline to determine how much you should be eating in a day.<\/p>\n Cardio, particularly HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) cardio,\u00a0can be an effective way<\/a>\u00a0to increase your TDEE, and if your diet holds constant, will increase your caloric deficit and lead to fat loss.<\/p>\n However, just focusing on cardio alone isn\u2019t a good idea. If you only run, bike, or do some kind of other type of cardio exercise without any strength training,\u00a0you can start to lose<\/a>\u00a0Lean Body Mass (which your Skeletal Muscle Mass is a part of).<\/p>\nVispute et al, 2011<\/a><\/h6>\n
How Fat Mass Is Created and Stored<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0832\/8945\/files\/skinnyfatbodycomp_ded1f35f-7f23-4436-b3b2-ec35e2a957a9_1024x1024.JPG?9270007908749069525\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0832\/8945\/files\/skinnyfat_1024x1024.JPG?8578706164283805728\")
<\/p>\n\n
Android Obesity<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n
Gynoid Obesity<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/h2>\n
Here\u2019s What You Can and Can\u2019t Target<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0832\/8945\/files\/skinny_fat_9_4e627a08-bc8f-49f9-8300-7b1418c63227.jpg?17845927346268688962\")
<\/p>\nTo Target Your Fat \u2013 All of It \u2013 Get Back to Basics<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0832\/8945\/files\/backtobasics_1024x1024.jpg?3999305625409173051\")
<\/p>\n\n
Get Your Body Composition Determined<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\n
\n
\n
Using Your TDEE, Plan a Diet For Fat Loss<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\n
If you plan to work out to increase your TDEE, include cardio and strength training.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n