Why Is Some Fat Easier to Lose Than Other Fat?: Creekside Family Practice: Family Medicine (2023)

FAQs

Which fat is easier to lose? ›

Visceral fat is actually easier to lose than subcutaneous fat. This is because it metabolizes quicker and your body can get rid of it as sweat or pee. If you start regularly exercising and eating a healthy diet, you should start to see results in two to three months.

Muscle mass matters

If someone has more muscle mass than you, they are likely to lose more weight (whilst eating more calories). This is because muscle is directly related to metabolic rate and the amount of energy your body burns.

Some people seem to lose weight more quickly and more easily than others. But everyone loses weight by burning more calories than are eaten. The bottom line is calories count. To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories or burn more calories through physical activity.

Compared to men, women are more likely to store soft fat in their bellies. Luckily, soft fat is considerably easy to lose. With regular exercise and a healthy diet, soft belly fat may melt on its own.

The goal is to proceed at sustainable pace and one that does not compromise health or performance. That said, generally speaking, the heavier you are the easier it is to shed those first few fat pounds simply because you can eat more than a lighter person (the heavier you are the more calories you burn).

on 17 May, 2022. Years of sedentary living and excess food intake gradually make people overweight or obese, but once they control their calorie intake and increase their physical activity, obese individuals can lose weight much faster than their leaner counterparts.

Unfortunately, subcutaneous fat is harder to lose. Subcutaneous fat is more visible, but it takes more effort to lose because of the function it serves in your body. If you have too much subcutaneous fat, this can increase the amount of WAT in your body.

Some fat cells have receptors that allow easy access to the fat stored within, while others have receptors that tend to protect the fat. Abdominal fat cells tend to have the receptors that do not allow for easy release of fat; this is the key to why belly fat is so resistant to weight loss efforts.

If you have a slow metabolism, your genes may be to blame. Or you may not have enough lean muscle mass. People with lean, muscular bodies burn more calories than people with a higher percentage of body fat.

As we reach our 30's, our bodies usually need less energy, meaning we may not be able to eat the way we did in our 20's. Then, as you move past 40 and head to middle age, changes in muscle, hormones and metabolism all make it harder to stay trim.

What foods slow metabolism? ›

Foods high in fat are difficult to digest and can slow down metabolism. Carbohydrate-rich foods like potatoes, full-fat curd, parathas, a plate of brown rice, and whole milk can also help slow down a fast metabolism.

If you diet and hit the gym regularly but are not seeing the results you hope for, it could be down to your genes. In a new study, thin people were shown to have specific gene regions in their DNA keeping them slim, while also having fewer gene variants that have been linked to being overweight.

As against areas such as legs, face and arms, our stomach and abdominal regions possess beta cells that makes it difficult to reduce the fats easily and lose weight in these areas. However, as per research, belly fat is the most difficult to lose as the fat there is so much harder to break down.

You can lose stubborn jiggly fat by modifying your lifestyle to include regular aerobic exercise, strength conditioning and proper nutrition.

You'll see changes in your body composition. Losing pounds or losing inches is the primary sign you're burning fat. It leads to a slimmer appearance and more muscle definition. Your exercise stamina increases, and you are getting fitter.

As your body metabolizes fat, fatty acid molecules are released into the bloodstream and travel to the heart, lungs, and muscles, which break them apart and use the energy stored in their chemical bonds. The pounds you shed are essentially the byproducts of that process.

Setting a realistic time frame

Generally, most health experts recommend aiming for about 1–3 pounds (0.5–1.4 kg) of weight loss per week, or approximately 1% of your total body weight ( 33 , 34 ). Therefore, it may take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to lose 30 pounds safely.

For example, a person weighing 300 pounds (136 kg) may lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) after reducing their daily intake by 1,000 calories and increasing physical activity for 2 weeks.

Why is my belly fat so soft? ›

In most people, about 90% of body fat is subcutaneous, the kind that lies in a layer just beneath the skin. If you poke your belly, the fat that feels soft is subcutaneous fat. The remaining 10% — called visceral or intra-abdominal fat — lies out of reach, beneath the firm abdominal wall.

One of them is trans fats, which are found in meats and dairy as well as in deep-fried or processed foods. Also bad are sodas, candy, processed baked goods, and other foods sweetened with fructose.

You're Into the Wrong Foods

Unhealthy eating is the biggest driver of big bellies. Too many starchy carbohydrates and bad fats are a recipe for that midsection to expand. Instead, get plenty of veggies, choose lean proteins, and stay away from fats from red meats.

Most research recommends between 150–300 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise weekly, or roughly 20–40 minutes of cardio each day (41). Running, walking, cycling and swimming are just a few examples of some cardio exercises that can help burn fat and kick-start weight loss.

You were born with tens of billions of fat cells and they aren't going anywhere. You'll likely have them, and maybe more, for the entirety of your life. That's because, while you can't naturally destroy fat cells, you can add more adipose tissue. And once it's there, it doesn't go away, either.

Muscle is denser than fat.

While one pound of fat weighs the same as one pound of muscle, muscle occupies about 18 percent less space. In addition, muscle burns calories while fat stores them. So, if your weight isn't decreasing but your clothes are starting to fit more loosely, you may be building muscle.

Here's something to ponder as you consider whether to ditch that New Year's resolution to exercise more: Your 20s are your prime weight-gaining years, according to data from the CDC. The charts above are approximations of typical lifetime weight gain, based on CDC data, which is reported in 10-year increments.

Losing weight after turning 70 is a lot like losing weight after turning 30 or 40 or 50: It's often way harder than you think it is going to be. But it is also very doable, and if your health depends on it, it's very worth it.

At what age does weight begin to decline? ›

Men often gain weight until about age 55, and then begin to lose weight later in life. This may be related to a drop in the male sex hormone testosterone. Women usually gain weight until age 65, and then begin to lose weight.

Hormones

A shift in your hormones can put the brakes on your body's energy use. That can make you tired. Some conditions, like an underactive or overactive thyroid and diabetes, are hormonal diseases that affect your metabolism. Stress also releases hormones that can trigger a slow-down.

People with more muscle mass often have faster metabolisms that burn more calories. Age: You lose muscle as you get older, which slows down the metabolism. Sex: Males tend to have faster metabolisms than females. They have more muscle mass, larger bones and less body fat.

Many underweight people are physically healthy. Low body weight is due to a variety of causes, including: Genetics. If you've been thin since high school and it runs in your family, it's likely that you were born with a higher-than-usual metabolism.

The 'skinny' gene

The gene may play a role in resisting weight gain in the metabolically healthy, thin people. It is found in the hypothalamus, the region in the brain responsible for controlling appetite and how a person controls fat.

Research has found that men tend to lose more weight from their trunk area, while women lose more weight from their hips.

The first place men typically lose weight is the belly, while women tend to lose weight all over, but hold onto weight in their thighs and hips, Dr. Block explains.

You exhale the carbon dioxide and the water mixes into your circulation until it's lost as urine or sweat. If you lose 10 pounds of fat, precisely 8.4 pounds comes out through your lungs and the remaining 1.6 pounds turns into water. In other words, nearly all the weight we lose is exhaled.

Endomorph You tend to have more body fat than the other body types in this framework. Catudal says that women who are endomorphs may be described as curvaceous, while men may be called stocky. You tend to carry weight in your belly, hips, and thighs.

Does old fat take longer to lose? ›

Yes, unfortunately. Although it is possible to lose weight at any age, several factors make it harder to lose weight with age. Even those who remain active lose muscle mass every decade beginning in their 30s, research suggests, replacing it with fat.

The most stubborn fat of all is subcutaneous fat, and for females it is much more difficult to lose this type of fat compared to men because it holds 9 to 10 times more alpha receptors than male body fat.

As against areas such as legs, face and arms, our stomach and abdominal regions possess beta cells that makes it difficult to reduce the fats easily and lose weight in these areas. However, as per research, belly fat is the most difficult to lose as the fat there is so much harder to break down.

Unfortunately, subcutaneous fat is harder to lose. Subcutaneous fat is more visible, but it takes more effort to lose because of the function it serves in your body. If you have too much subcutaneous fat, this can increase the amount of WAT in your body.