“I Want to Lose Weight from My Stomach”

Have you ever said or thought this?

Losing weight from a particular area, especially the stomach, is probably the number one request I get from people. Definitely top three.

Spoiler Alert: Build some muscle and learn to accept where your body loses fat from first.

As a coach/trainer it’s sometimes hard to not immediate jump down people’s throats with a comment that begins with, “Well according to science…….” because most people don’t care they just want to be told how to do it.

But sometimes things aren’t that simple or deserve a little more explanation if I’m going to be successful in changing your mindset permanently.

Rule #1: In order to lose weight from a specific area, you need to decrease overall body fat composition. (BF%)

Let’s break that down.

If you want to lose weight from your “bat wings”, lower belly, inner thighs, hips, anywhere you must either 1) decrease the amount of fat on your body or 2) increase muscle mass so that the body fat has to cover more surface area (thus looking leaner overall) — both of which are means of decreasing your overall BF%.

Rule #2: Your body will lose weight “first” from wherever the heck it genetically tends to.

My upper body likes to stay lean. I could probably gain 20 lbs and still have shoulder definition. However if I want to see lots of definition in my glutes/hamstrings, I’ve got to get to a much lower BF%.

I know plenty of women who are the opposite. One of my friends has awesome quad definition, but wishes she stored less fat in her mid back/arms. You may think one side of the coin is better than the other, but you probably just want you don’t have (#grassisgreenermentality).

You body naturally stores weight how it is genetically determined too.

Research has shown time and time again that training one area or even just one limb doesn’t result in spot reduction.

Here’s your best option: slowly and steadily work on improving your overall BF%. Increase your muscle mass (maybe targeting your “problem area”) and decrease your body fat and over time you will see results!

Do that while learning to love your body for it’s strength and uniqueness and you may just come to love your “strong thighs” or “belly that carried 3 kids” or “arms that can do a full chin up”.