Targeted Fat Loss Secrets!
Where's your problem area? Belly, arms, legs, butt? It really doesn't matter - with a bit of proper information and technique, you can remove stubborn fat from anywhere in your body!
Let's pause for a moment, cause quite frankly, I need to explain something. Nothing I've stated above is a lie per se, but it is a bit misleading... The sad simple truth is, targeted fat loss is a weight loss myth. It simply cannot be done! Let's take a look at an example: Male breasts is a common problem these days, and most people seem to think that with some basic chest exercises they can be reduced. That's just not true, folks. By doing chest exercises you are strengthening your chest muscles, you're not burning fat in that one specific area. You're actually doing the exact opposite of what you'd like to achieve. You see, your muscle layer lies underneath your fat layer; thus, when you build muscle in one specific area it will actually cause the area to become larger - at least in the case that you are not burning enough calories to actually burn fat.
It's a bit more complicated than that unfortunately. For male breasts specifically, the cause is more often than not an excess build up of breast tissue. Sure there's likely some fat there as well if you're overweight, but most men find that if they achieve their ideal weight and had a problem with large breasts, much of the issue will remain. Surgery is the only option for this, and one of the few situations in which I would actually approve of surgery. Breast tissue, at least from all the studies I've read (and trust me there have been many), can not be reduced by any natural means once it has already accumulated.
In order to fully understand why this is not possible, we must first understand how fat is removed from the body. At the most basic level of operation, fat loss is achieved by metabolic processes (metabolism). In turn, metabolism is achieved in a few different ways:
1) Metabolism is a normal bodily function that takes place in us all. Personal metabolic rate is determined by your level of physical activity, eating habits, and genetics.
2) Cardio exercise burns fat during the exercise, as well as for some time after while the heart rate is still elevated.
3) Strength training will also burn fat during, since your heart rate inevitably rises (varying on your fitness level of course). The main purpose of strength training, aside from bulking up, is increased calorie burning/metabolism while at rest. The more muscle mass your body contains, the more fat it burns while you do nothing.
4) Eating habits - I'm sure you've heard of eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day, right? Well, the reason for this is to activate your metabolism. If you put less food into your body more often, you're essentially reactivating metabolism when it's starting to taper off. Whereas putting more food into your body less often seems to exhaust your metabolic function more quickly as your body is working much harder to metabolize it. Since stomach contents (aside from acid) are what generally activate metabolic processing, you can't just not eat and expect to lose weight for more than a few consecutive days. In addition, this is one of the many, many reasons that lots of water is ideal for weight loss and maintenance.
So, according to the information above, yes you can lose weight by just working out a specific part of your body, but it's not an efficient way of doing things. Ideally, when you do strength training exercises, you want to target larger muscle groups - or at least do exercises that target multiple muscle groups simultaneously. This is how to get the most bang for your buck so to speak. Throw in a little cardio, and get your eating habits in order and you're on the road for optimal results.
"But you still haven't explained why I can't just target my belly fat!" I'm getting there. This part is really simple: fat loss occurs evenly throughout the body. That's not my theory, it's a proven fact. Any time someone claims otherwise, they're usually trying to sell you some useless garbage.
Don't believe me? Well if you feel like wasting some time, try it. Take your measurements and perform the exercise of your choice for the area of the body you want to work on. When you feel like you've made progress, measure everything again and compare the results. After you realize that I'm right you can take comfort in knowing that if you work on larger or multiple muscle groups at once you can achieve the same, if not better, results in the same time frame provided that you keep your diet consistent as well.
If by some freak oddity you did in fact manage to lose inches in only one part of your body, one or more of the following is likely true:
- you didn't measure in the same location as your initial measurements
- you can't read measurements
- you're a rare breed and should be thankful
As the title suggests, this is the "secret" to targeted fat loss. The secret being, it's unattainable. Health education, my friends -- get it!;)
Jesse Eldridge is an up and coming writer, perhaps best known for his unique, free weight loss information and progress reports available on his blog Less of Jess. Notable for being an inspirational mentor, he is always willing to help out in your current weight loss goals.
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