So many of us have a particular area in mind when we talk about wanting to lose weight. For some, it’s the thighs, for others, it’s the stomach – and so on.
Is there a magic trick for getting these particular areas to lean out more quickly?
Unfortunately, when we lose body fat, we can’t really choose where the fat comes from – and so you’ve got to lose body fat throughout your whole body.
The other unfortunate truth is that the place you store the most fat is also likely the place the fat seems to go from last!
Losing weight is a bit like letting the water out the bath. Even though the drain is at one end, the water still empties equally. You can’t make one end shallower than the other!
And so, if you have more fat in one particular area, it will reduce at the same rate as the fat elsewhere on your body, but because there is more there in the first place, it will appear to be reducing more slowly.
And so, what can we do?
Well, we revisit the old-faithfuls of losing weight:
We brush up our diet, and get into a calorie deficit and maintain our protein intake
We boost our metabolism and promote maintenance of muscle with strength training
We make sure we’re staying generally active
We prioritize good quality sleep
AND we can do a bit more exercise in the area you really want to see change. This isn’t because this will promote more weight loss in this area, but because building the muscles will make them more visible, which gives you more of a toned look.
And then… we must be consistent – and patient!