About Stubborn Fat

About Stubborn Fat
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So you started your fat loss journey and are making good progress, but you are noticing that the fat around certain body parts is more stubborn to lose than others, why is this happening and what can you do about it? Swipe left for more!
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When you consume fewer calories than you expend, your body signals fat cells to release energy in the form of fat. These signals are received by 2 types of receptors, Beta- and Alpha-Receptors. Beta-Receptors speed up the release of fat, whereas Alpha-Receptors slow it down [1]. It has been theorized that the stubborn areas of your body (like the lower stomach/hips) contain more Alpha-Receptors than Beta-Receptors [2]. This causes you to lose less fat from these areas.
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So how can you lose this stubborn fat? Some might think about using fat-burners, but there is no fat loss pill that will burn off your stubborn fat. Also, directly training stubborn areas like the stomach won’t help reduce abdominal fat, as indicated by a 2011 study [3]. Wearing a waist trainer also won’t help. You might sweat more, but that does not result in actual fat loss. What works is staying in a calorie deficit and being patient. By simply losing more fat overall, the stubborn areas will eventually have to become leaner. It won’t happen overnight though. This takes time.
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With all this said, it’s important to emphasize that some fat around the stomach or low back area is perfectly normal and healthy. To completely get rid of stubborn fat, you often have to get to unhealthy body fat levels. If you try to get too lean, you will often find that your energy levels tank. For instance, when I cut down to low body fat levels before, I had little stomach fat, but I felt less energized and less strong than when I was 8-10 pounds heavier. So the goal doesn’t have to be to get rid of all stubborn fat.