Geschatte leestijd: 3 minutenIs spot reduction of fat possible, and if so, how? Many people who go to the gym aim to lose weight, and often some spot fat needs to be burned around the so-called ‘problem areas’. There are also people who are relatively lean but may have a weak area with some extra body fat.
Table of Contents
- Is spot reduction of fat possible?
- How can I burn spot fat?
- Slim Belly and spot fat burning
- Conclusion
Examples of places that often contain more body fat include the areas around the hips, abdomen, thighs, and buttocks, or loose skin around the triceps. The question is often asked whether it is possible to lose fat in these specific areas and how exactly this works. It turns out that many people do not understand the spot reduction theory well because many also think that when they do abdominal exercises, the fat around the abdomen disappears.
Is spot reduction of fat possible?
Traditionally, it would be said that spot reduction of fat is not possible. However, there has been much research lately on whether this is really the case. For example, a study was conducted in 2006 by the University of Copenhagen. The researchers had male test subjects do thirty minutes of single leg extensions with light weights. The blood flow to the fat cells was measured in both the trained and resting thighs. The breakdown of fat cells was also examined. The researchers observed an increase in blood flow and fat cell breakdown in the trained thighs compared to the resting thighs. The study suggests that body fat is likely to be preferentially burned from the area being trained. However, the differences were so small that there is still no evidence of spot fat burning or spot reduction.
The annoying thing about all this is that many people often have only one or two spots on the body with some extra body fat. Conclusively from the research, it appears that when you eat less and exercise around the problem areas, body fat will not disappear from these places first. First, it is often genetically determined where someone stores and accumulates the most fat. The remaining fat from the body must be burned before the fat from the problem area is burned. However, when you do strength training exercises around the problem areas, you do build muscle tissue and increase muscle tension, which can make the area look tighter and better.
How can I burn spot fat?
Losing weight is theoretically not so difficult. You need to ensure a negative energy balance, meaning you need to consume fewer calories (eat) than you expend (with activity, metabolism, etc.). Therefore, it is important to monitor this so that you have an idea of your calorie expenditure. There are useful apps for this such as our own FITSociety app that can help you track your food and calories.
There are also supplements in the form of fat burners that you can use if you want to lose weight. These are a support, but it starts with adjusting your diet and increasing physical activity.
Slim Belly and spot fat burning
The Slim Belly is a fitness tool that also suggests helping with spot fat burning. You often train with a Slim Belly around your waist and do some cardio exercises. In addition, attention is paid to your diet. A combination of these factors will ensure that you lose weight. This would also happen if you don’t wear a Slim Belly but still do the same exercises and monitor your diet. The Slim Belly will not help you lose weight if you just sit on the couch with it. Unfortunately, there has been no research comparing one group training with Slim Belly and one group training without Slim Belly to compare the results.
Conclusion
Research into spot fat burning is still ongoing, but so far, there has been no research to show that spot fat burning is possible. Although it is likely that body fat is preferably utilized where muscle exercises are performed, the effect is too small to achieve results. Again, the best way to burn fat is to find a good combination of exercise and diet. This ensures that yo-yo effects are avoided, and a healthier lifestyle is adopted. Creating a negative energy balance will definitely cause excess body fat to disappear. Unfortunately, not immediately in the areas where we would like to see results first, but with enough perseverance, these areas will also become slimmer.
