Diet and Exercise Myth #17: You can spot reduce body fat

Many people are bothered by body fat in a particular spot, and wish they could just zap it out of there.

The area just below the navel is a common one for men, while for women it can often be the thighs or upper arms.

Everybody is different, but most people can identify a certain area of fat accumulation that they particularly dislike. To add insult to injury, these wobbly areas are often the first to appear when body fat starts to increase, and the last to disappear at the end of a weight loss campaign.

So it’s natural to want to focus fat-loss efforts on those particular areas. There is also no shortage of diets, supplements, and membership programs that will try to sell you on the idea that it’s possible.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible. The science is simply not on their side.

The reason that spot-reducing isn’t possible is down to the very fundamentals of how the body burns fat. Our cells hold fat as a form of stored energy. Under storage conditions, that fat exists as triglycerides. When required to fuel metabolism or activity, these triglycerides are converted into smaller components that enter the bloodstream and are converted into energy in cellular processes.

That response to exercise occurs in fat cells all over the body, wherever they might be. It’s not just the fat cells near the site of the movement or exercise that respond – that’s just not the way the physiology works.

Study after study has debunked the myth of spot reduction. Fat loss is generalised across the whole body.

The take-away here is that the best (in fact the only) ways to reduce fat in those stubborn or problem areas, are the very same ways of reducing body fat anywhere: Get into a reasonable calorie deficit, set up your macronutrient profile - including enough protein - and lift heavy things!