Do you dream of first losing belly, thighs or arms? Before launching an express program to target a particular area, you have to know one thing: the body does not work on order. SO, How does fat really melt ? Can we hope to refine a specific area? Dr. Gérald Kierzek, medical director of True Medical, enlightens us.
Weight loss does not follow a universal scheme
Each body reacts differently when you lose weight. No strict rule, no magic equation. “Different people lose body fat in different places and at different times,” explains Fatima Cody Stanford, specialist in obesity at the Harvard Medical School, cited by Men’s Health.
For Dr Gérald Kierzek, some main principles emerge: “The first area to lose is often the abdominal region. On the other hand, hips and thighs are generally recalcitrant areas, especially in women because they play an important role in the energy reserve for pregnancy and breastfeeding“. In other words, the sex, genetics and individual physiology influence directly the way the fat melts.
But no need to look for an exact formula: the order of casting of fats varies from one individual to anotherdepending on age, metabolism, level of activity and even hormones.
Can we really target an area to melt?
Many hope, but the answer is final: no, You can’t choose where you lose your fat. “”We cannot target fat loss and specifically decide where the body will lose fat. Weight loss is global, our physiology and our body determine the areas where fat will be burned in priority“Said Dr. Kierzek.
This myth of localized loss persists, especially with certain exercises supposed to “melt” such or such part of the body. Gold, Even targeted exercises do not burn the fat locallybut can tone and strengthen the muscles of an area.
It is therefore useful to practice movements that strengthen the abs, glutes or arms if you want Save your silhouette. But these exercises will not allow, by themselves, to melt the fat precisely on this area.
What really matters to lose weight
The only real rule remains that of energy imbalance : “You burn more calories than you absorb“. Weight loss therefore starts with a balanced diet, adapted to its real needsassociated with regular physical activityboth cardiovascular and muscular.
This process is progressive, often frustrating … but more reliable than miracle solutions. And above all, it works without having to point a precise area. It is not your will that decides where you lose weight first, but Your body itself.