Are you dreaming of achieving a well-defined body shape? Do you want to lose weight from specific parts of the body? Losing weight is a taxing and challenging task - it requires a lot of physical effort, along with maintaining self-discipline, changing your lifestyle and opting for healthy diet plans.
People generally want to lose weight from certain areas of their body, for example, belly, armpits, arms, thighs, etc. Most of these people want to slim down their belly fat and look for quick fixes. Few people also look for surgery to reduce certain fatty areas.
What is spot reduction?
In recent times, a new phenomenon has been coined known as 'spot reduction.' It is also sometimes called ‘targeted fat loss’ and is a relatively new idea. The phenomenon involves working out in specific ways to eliminate fats from a specific portion of the body. Is this possible?
One famous example of this type of exercises is crunches. Some trainers suggest that a person can lose midsection body weight by doing a specific set of crunches. Many research studies have been conducted on spot-reduction, but none have not found substantial evidence supporting it.
Spot Reduction: Myth or Reality?
With the exception of liposuction and other surgeries for targeted weight loss, spot reduction is a myth. Very few studies have supported it and the ones that do tend to fail to consider the fact that every person has a different body. Weight can only be lost if the calories burnt are greater than calorie intake. You cannot target a specific area and lose fats within that particular section. When a body burns fat, it does not choose the muscles and fats to be burnt first. The whole body loses weight at the same pace.
Why is spot reduction impossible?
Working out increases the body’s metabolism and burns fat. A person generally gains mass on the stomach initially and when embarking on a weight loss journey, they tend to lose most weight from that same spot but also the rest of their body. This does not support the spot reduction theory. Your body will typically lose fat in your extremities first before you gut. I know this is difficult to hear, but belly fat is usually the LAST place you see significant fat reduction.
Why was there a hype of spot reduction?
Spot reduction is hype promoted by advertisers and shady online “Gurus”. Many trainers devised programs for spot reduction techniques and advertised weight loss pills. All of these were mainly money-making businesses, and they had no evidence supporting their proposed outcomes. These weight loss supplements might also be detrimental to vital organs of the human body. Other advertisers promoted a cream that could speed up the process of losing weight in certain areas. These claims have also been widely dismissed in recent studies.
The following are promising and practical ways to lose weight:
· Opt for a healthy lifestyle
· Exercise regularly
· Have a healthy diet
· Incorporate strength training in your routine
· Perform cardio exercises
· Stay hydrated
· Get 8 hours of sleep each night
· Reduce stress
· Maintain a weight journal
There are no shortcuts or easy ways out when trying to lose weight. Always remember you must put in genuine and consistent efforts if you want to achieve your dream body.
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