MYTHBUSTING: targeting fat loss

Listen to the podcast episode here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bell-moody/episodes/42--MYTHBUSTING-targeting-fat-loss-e23at4a

You've seen the posts, the Pinterest graphics, the instagram reels, saying "do this and snatch your waist", "do this and lose belly fat", "this one exercise will lose you 30lbs", etc.

So do these claims have any merit to them at all?

For the most part no.

To clear things up we need to know how fat loss actually works.

Fat itself (adipose tissue), is excess stored energy within the body. Genetics and lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and diet can influence where your body chooses to store this excess energy. An accumulation of fat in the abdomen/stomach area is very highly linked with metabolic and endocrine disorders such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, high cholesterol etc. Fat accumulation in this area is not ideal-and can have dangerous affects on your overall health.

Fat accumulation in extremities such as arms, legs, and even throughout hips is preferred and has less associated risk factors than visceral fat.

To summarize: diet, genetics, and lifestyle factors like smoking/alcohol consumption/and high stress levels can influence fat accumulation to the abdomen.

Now when it comes to using up your stored energy (fat loss) can it be influenced to be burned from certain areas?

No-there is no evidence that you can target fat loss from a certain area. The body is a system that will pull from it's gas tank wherever it can get its energy from.

Some people might be biased to burn fat from certain areas more than others but truly there is NO WAY to target fat loss to certain areas.

What you CAN do though is build muscle in certain areas. This can be accomplished by applying maximum tension through specific muscle groups and by creating "overload" (head to our "no pain no gain" blog post for more info on this) And as you build muscle your metabolism is going to be more efficient and burn fat at a quicker rate than before you had built that muscle. But still, you cannot target fat loss to a certain area.

AND, if you change your mindset to "BUILDING" over trying to lose something, it's much more attainable and sustainable.

Ready to build muscle from home? Join our new Studio Stream program where we've created a tailored weekly workout plan geared to increase muscle mass, flexibility, and mobility. https://www.thestudiobarreandwellness.com/plans-pricing