Where Do You Lose Weight First?

There are various reasons why people want to lose weight: for health, enhanced performance, desire for look, and strength to cater for the children or grandchildren. However, identifying which part of the body will be the first to lose weight is even more unpredictable. Unfortunately, there is little scientific information that would indicate that weight reduction takes place in localized zones in the body for people. 

Though change in some areas of the body can help encourage people, it is usually impossible to determine where the change is going to occur and how to make it happen. 

This article explores weight distribution, or more specifically, the contributors to regional weight loss.

Genetics and Weight Distribution

Genes can be used to predict how and where fat is going to be distributed on the body. Research shows that the relationship between the genes and fat distribution is stronger in women than in men. For example, if your family was known to put on weight in certain areas such as the hips or thighs, you will also be disposed to it just in case.

Also, genetic factors determine how people interact with weight loss measures and programs. For example, if high-protein or high-fiber diets have helped your parents, then these diets will surely help you. Experts are investigating to what extent scientific information about genes can be used to optimize weight loss programs.

The Role of Sex in Weight Loss Patterns

Gender also plays a major role in where weight loss is most prominent. The survey involved 2,500 participants drawn from around the world and pointed out that while men were less adherent with the low calorie diets than women, they lost slightly more weight. 

It shows that men lose considerably more fat from their trunk whereas, women are likely to lose significant fat from hips. These differences are associated to the biological and hormonal features that determine the distribution and the processing of fats.

The Impact of Age

Weight loss patterns may vary with age. Some people, for example, begin to lose weight first in the abdominal area, others in the face or chest. Hormonal changes that are associated with aging, for example, such as those experienced by postmenopausal women, lead to fat accumulation in the abdominal area. 

Research indicates that for these women, weight loss and the shedding of the abdominal fat in particular requires both dietary changes and exercise.

Exercise and Targeted Weight Loss

People often try to lose fat in specific areas of the body by exercising and it is actually not very useful. Research backs this up, for instance a 2013 study wherein participants trained one leg for 12 weeks but fat was lost from the upper body and not in the leg being trained. 

Likewise, a study from 2010 that involved the female soldiers who were asked to do an intense total–body workout proved that the fat was lost principally from the arms and the trunk but not the legs.

While the concept of spot reduction is unproven, exercise is well known for having numerous advantages that include but not limited to; enhanced cardiovascular health, improved cognitive ability, enhanced muscle strength and better endurance. Exercise also is beneficial in normal weight loss and general health improvement.

Why Losing Weight Around the Midsection Matters

Abdominal obesity, also referred to as visceral fat, is worse for your health than fat located in other locations, such as hips and thighs. That is the fat that is located around the organs, including the heart and is associated with more severe conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart attack, and stroke.

It is of great importance to lose that abdominal fat, even though it may not be visible. Some of the measures that can be taken to control this type of fat include increasing your intake of lean proteins and green weight foods as well as avoiding foods with high glycemic index and taking minimal sugar and alcohol. High intensity exercises such as running also lower visceral fat concentration.

The Science Behind Fat Loss

When you lose weight, fat cells are broken down and their contents are used as fuel for everyday activities and to regulate temperature. The waste products of this process are released through sweating, in urine and breathing out carbon dioxide. 

Knowledge of this process explains why consciousness of activity and eating habits is critical when aiming at long lasting weight loss. Understanding the science behind fat loss emphasizes the importance of consistent physical activity and a balanced nutrient rich diet.

Safe and Sustainable Weight Loss

Thus, the success of your weight loss plan can often be judged by its feasibility. According to nutritionists, it is important to shed weight in a slow process, between 1 to  2 pounds per week. The rapid weight loss system is difficult to sustain and most of the time results in weight gain later on.

Eliminating fad diets from our lifestyle not only creates realistic and healthier ways to lose weight in the first place, but also helps one maintain this weight loss process for the long-term.

Conclusion

The body parts where weight loss occurs first are determined mostly by one’s genes. Like everything in your body, weight loss also follows some set pattern and so does the gain in weight. Other aspects such as sex, age as well as hormones also come into play in dictating where and how fast weight loss occurs.

However, fat loss targeting isn’t possible, but understanding how the body functions, and managing one’s diet as well as engaging in regular exercises is beneficial to the body as a whole. Activities that can be done in order to decrease abdominal visceral fat include; increase in intake of lean proteins and vegetables, decrease in carbohydrate and sugar intake and taking high intensity workouts.

Despite the fact that it is impossible to choose where fat is lost first, developing these healthy behaviours will improve overall fitness and health and ultimately make weight loss possible.