Having localized fat around the body is something that bothers many people. They generate discomfort when wearing a tighter outfit or a bathing suit to the beach or pool.
However, cultivating a lot of fat in the body is not good for your health. Excess body fat can damage the kidneys and be linked to sleep apnea and increased blood levels of substances that cause inflammation.
It would help if you were especially careful with fat located around the waist. It further increases the health risks associated with having fat in other body regions.
Women with a waist of more than 88.9 cm and men with a waist of more than 101.6 cm are more likely to develop diseases associated with obesity.
Being overweight and obese can also increase the risks of having type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, some types of cancer, osteoarthritis, and fatty liver disease.
The Problem Does Not Only Affect Those Who Are Overweight
But localized fat can also insist on staying even in the body of those who have already lost weight or have difficulties gaining muscle mass.
Stubborn fat can be located in the hip, lower thigh, arms, or belly.
Why does this happen? Why does this localized fat persist in not going away even with the efforts of a balanced diet to lose weight and physical exercise?
And what would be the solution to combat the problem? Stay with us because we will bring answers to these questions in today’s article.
First: Get To Know Your Localized Fat Better
There are two types of fat. Subcutaneous fat is under the skin and is what we call localized fat because it is more evident. And the visceral fat, a deeper fat.
Subcutaneous fat is much more reactive to insulin. The hormone helps turn blood glucose into energy or store it in the muscles, liver, or fat for later use.
When insulin enters the bloodstream and prepares to store glucose in fats, the place where this glucose is stored is precisely the subcutaneous fat.
Thus, if there is a very high production of insulin, which occurs due to blood glucose spikes resulting from the consumption of simple carbohydrates, there will be a considerable increase in this localized fat.
The Answer Is Not In Restrictive Diets
In the quest to eliminate localized fat, some people may adhere to diets with drastic calorie reductions. For example, they involve a daily consumption of 1,100, 1,000, 900, or even fewer calories.
It is very difficult to provide the energy and nutrients that the body needs through these diets, leading to health problems such as nutritional deficiencies and side effects resulting from lack of energy. In addition, they are inefficient in losing localized fat.
When adhering to such a food program, the person loses weight on the scale. However, the localized fat persists in remaining in the body. In part, this is explained by the fact that these regimens cause the loss of mass in the form of muscles.
In addition, in search of survival by being in this state of calorie deprivation, the body will store fats to have access to energy.
In short, restrictive diets will make it even harder to lose localized fat. Not to mention that it is very difficult to maintain this type of diet.
So, What To Do To Lose Localized Fat Faster?
The first tip we have already detailed here: stop once and for all crazy and radical diets in which a lot of daily calorie consumption is reduced, as in the egg diet or military diet.
Second, adhere to strategies that mess with the metabolic and neurotransmitter part of the body that can help you burn more fat:
Intermittent Fasting
It doesn’t have to be extreme and start with a heavier fast, like those starting at 16 hours, which are very challenging for some people. A 12-hour fast already produces a greater activation of lipolysis or fat burning.
For example, on a 12-hour intermittent fast, a person can have dinner at 7 pm and eat again at 7 am, which doesn’t seem that difficult since the person will spend most of the hours sleeping and fasting.
However, everyone else needs to consult a doctor before starting the diet to ensure that intermittent fasting cannot be dangerous.
Calorie Cycle
Studies have shown that weight loss and diet adherence results are better when calorie cycling is done. But how can this work?
One approach to weight loss is to deduct several calories from your daily diet based on how much weight you want to lose. This also takes into account the number of calories you burn daily.
Know the exact number for your particular case; you need to have the guidance of a nutritionist. It will calculate based on weight, height, gender, and existing health conditions, among other individual factors.
An Example
But let’s take the example of a person who normally consumes 2,000 calories a day and has reached the discount value of 500 calories. Therefore, she will consume 1,500 calories daily.
The idea is to multiply the daily calorie content in the calorie cycle. In this case, 1,500 calories for seven to get the total weekly calories – 10,500 calories. So, instead of consuming 1,500 calories every day, the person diversifies the calorie content depending on the day of the week.
Also Read: Five Strategies To Improve Metabolism And Lose Weight
