By Alexis Louise Reda
This is a tough thing for a lot of people, because we cannot target specific areas of the body telling it to lose fat predominantly there.
There is an illusion that hovers about in the fitness realm, that if you focus on training that specific region of the body you can “spot reduce” – but what happens to the target region instead, which contributes to this misconception, is that you build muscle in that region, therefore, that new, bigger muscle would show through at a higher body fat percentage than you would need to be at otherwise to see that definition you most likely desire.
You wanna look “tight” a.k.a. “toned”, as some may say, after all, right? That is what you wish to accomplish when you think you want to lose fat?
Totally cool đ
Now with that prologue out of the way, the truth of the matter is: Body fat distribution is primarily genetic – including where you hold it most, and where it comes off of you last.
This implies an unfortunate situation: If you are not “genetically blessed” with even body fat distribution across the whole body (meaning you store a proportional amount of fat all over), you’re gonna have to diet and exercise with quite a discomforting amount of relative intensity and/or training volume to burn off the “stubborn” stuff. Point: You must simply lose body fat overall.
Indeed, train the muscles you really want to see “pop” so that you can limit the fat you need to lose to see good definition – just don’t confuse that process as being “targeted” fat loss, because it’s not.
That said, I understand that trouble arises, because stubborn means stubborn. So how the heck do you do this as painlessly as possible?
Disclaimer: Some people may have a severe hormone imbalance, nutrient deficiency, or unhealthy relationship with Self and/or food that MUST be attended to BEFORE starting any diet. This is not only for general health reasons, but also because imbalances/deficiencies/toxicities may greatly affect your ability to lose fat and/or build muscle as they drain you both mentally and physically, leaving you spinning your wheels in absolute frustration.
**I advise getting some professional data on your estrogen/progesterone/testosterone balance, thyroid health, and typical blood panel as a baseline reference, as your bodyâs outputs WILL CHANGE the deeper you go into a diet.
Good news time!: When digging into stubborn fat loss, I donât have too many steps for you – but itâs indeed a protocol thatâs simpler said than done. The hard part is sticking to these Fundamentals when it gets hard. But then I have âSpecial Strategiesâ for that later.
Fundamentals first:
#0: Mindset is a great start. But Iâm gonna assume you know that đ
#1: Understand overall energy balance. This is the base of the Nutritional Hierarchy for Body Composition which you can check out deeper in another post. The idea is: What you burn off in terms of energy, i.e. food calories, through simply moving more than you relatively know of yourself over the course of a day or week, must surpass that energy which you are consuming! No ifs, ands, or buts about this one. NOTE: Some people have the tendency to feel hungrier when they move more; so be aware if this is you, and it may be very useful to track your energy intake and expenditure [How to Track Your Progress] to make sure you donât sabotage yourself unintentionally.
#2: Eat higher protein. Very well-researched people say the âgold standardâ is 1g/lbs of bodyweight. However, if youâre cutting fat and trying to preserve as much muscle as possible, you can go much higher than that and itâs completely safe for your kidneys. I will note still that different people at different times within their life (e.g., even within a day, and considering emotional variables, too) burn different macronutrients better than other ones. This is testable using biofeedback to get an average idea for your bodyâs metabolic preferences, but since you wonât be hooked up to a machine all day I would rely on intuition and interoception. Get a handle on that here, in Developing Intuition & Interoception. In short, avoid foods and amounts that give you stomach aches, too much gas, or any undesirable symptoms including brain fog after a meal.
#3: Stress less. Ahh, yes. Cortisol. Adrenals. COFFEE! (But actually, coffeeâs good. Has many benefits at the right times. Just know your own limits which means, when you get the jitters, a headache, or a stomach cramp, you know itâs too much. Same for pre-workouts or any type of stimulant.) But the body runs metabolic processes to the likes of muscle-building and fat-burning most efficiently when it isnât experiencing a real or imagined threat. Meditate, go for 10-minute fresh-air walks (rain or shine, both give the effect), and do whatever makes you happy. Again, be interoceptive; âlisten more than you speak.â
These fundamentals are the basis of your success so long as youâre on your fat-loss, full-muscle journey. But what about when it gets HARD?!?
Then you need . . .
Special Strategies:
#0-b: Remember your WHY. Also remember that you donât have to do this; you only put the pressure on yourself.
#1-b. Do a maintenance phase. Scratch that calorie deficit for anywhere between five days to several weeks to reset your mind and metabolic processes. For the ultimate resetter, consider spending equal time at maintenance to the number of days or weeks youâve been dieting. Key: You will be maintaining your weight on slightly lower calories than you did when you started due to metabolic adaptation. Do not overshoot it! And if you accidentally binge, you wonât be the first . . . but for your health, I strongly advise doing your utmost to forgo the urges when your ego wrongly tells you that youâre weak.
#2-b: Revamp your food selection. Eat more fibrous foods – typically whole foods, like fruits and veggies – because they will keep you fuller longer, are full of water and nutrients, and low in calories, offering the feelings of satiety, vitality, and resilience. NOTE: If you tend to measure your body weight on a scale, do not be alarmed: the number may temporarily go up several pounds due to fluctuations in fluid retention accompanying any change in food selection. This should subside in a few days.
This should really be all you need. If youâre still struggling, donât take it upon yourself. If losing stubborn body fat was easy, everyone would have a flat stomach! Any dieting is a mental game which requires skill and skills can be trained. Train them by being your own experiment; and donât ever get down on yourself for inevitable screw-ups in the process. After all, your perceived screw-ups are probably not as bad as they seem.