3/15/10 Spot Reduction
March 15th, 2010 |
Spot Reduction
So far on this blog, I’ve been pretty safe. I’ve kind of been attacking things on the fringe. You may have learned some new information, but deep, down, you probably knew those things were nonsense before I even started. Today that changes. Today I go after one of the most widely believed and profitable myths in the fitness industry: Spot reduction.
Various devices, exercises, and supplements are marketed to target your body fat in a certain area: your hips, your underarms, your thighs, wherever. Because most people will believe anything that someone athletic-looking in athletic attire says, these all sell like hotcakes. And, if they work as intended, it is by pure chance. Your body’s personal fat distribution is determined from the day you’re born, and if you want to attack fat, you have to attack it all.
“But why the stomach?’ You might ask. The answer is simple; that’s where your internal organs are. Early in human history, leading scientists say, people with fat distribution to their stomach were able to keep their organs warmer and more resistant to impact, and thus were able to survive longer and produce more offspring. It’s only very recently in human history that we in the civilized world have enough food to eat and don’t fight wars with swords and shields. Thus, we’re genetically programmed to store fat efficiently and to store it in our abdominal areas. Spot reduction is a physiological impossibility, and anyone who says different is lying.
Within your genetically determined body type however, there are a multitude of ways to make yourself look and feel better. Probably not as good or as fast as you want, but deal with it. And keep in mine, the people selling these false hopes and outrageous claims are the same mesomorphic meatheads who made fun of you (and me) for being fat in high school. Don’t let them lie to you again.
Very cool article. People grow up the way their genes say, like in height and eye color, so why shouldn’t weight follow the same pattern?
Quick weight loss in general is a myth. Quick gain is a natural process and weight loss also takes time..
Ibrahim, weight is VERY manipulatable within certain genetic restraints. It’s how people end up hundreds of pounds overweight despite solid genetics. It’s weight distribution that’s genetically determined.
Bishnu, you’re exactly right. I preach that the safe limit for fat loss is about 2 pounds a week, representing a caloric deficit of 1000/day.