Losing weight in a localized way, that is to say on the stomach, the thighs or under the arms for example, was the main goal of several people that I met when I was working out in the gym. Laval University.
These people generally had a very specific idea of the exercises they wanted to do:
- Sit-ups in order to have cut abdominals;
- Triceps exercises to be able to do "byebye" like a princess, that is to say "without it moving";
- Hip adductions in order to have firm thighs;
- Etc. Etc. Etc.
And each time I remembered my childhood, when we listened to the channel Infomercials and that we spent 20 minutes hearing about AbKingPro.
Besides, a short search on Kijiji will allow you to find AbKingPro at a ridiculous price. Surprisingly, most would have been used only a few times. No wonder when we talk about equipment that can make us do just one exercise!
The dream: to lose weight in a localized way
This type of advertising creates two major problems:
- Implicitly, it's as if we were saying that by doing sit-ups, the person would be able to lose weight close to the muscle worked, which is (probably) wrong.
- This type of advertising tries to make us believe that it is possible to sculpt your body as you carve a statue of snow; which is not completely wrong, but not completely true either.
Obviously, everyone has their own goals and I have the greatest respect for each person's personal goals. On the other hand, when an advertisement is almost false, it is worth mentioning it.
Is it possible to lose weight in a localized way?
Based on the data we currently have, the answer is probably no. So it is not by doing abdominals that you will lose your beer bottle! Here are the conclusions of some studies on the subject:
- The training program was effective in reducing a person's body fat, but this reduction did not materialize in the part of the body being trained (Ramírez-Campillo, 2017);
- MRI scans found a gender-independent decrease in body fat, supporting the notion that targeted weight loss is not a consequence of resistance training (Kostek 2007);
- Despite the large difference in muscle contraction between the dominant arm and the non-dominant arm in tennis players, there is no difference in the amount of subcutaneous fat (Sanchis-Moysi, 2019);
- In conclusion, abdominal exercises are effective in increasing abdominal strength, but not in decreasing the amount of abdominal fat (Vispute, 2011).
However, there is a study published in 2017 which states that localized weight loss might be possible under certain conditions.
So, when you take into consideration all of the available data, one can, with some confidence, think that targeted weight loss is not possible.
If you want to lose some of the fat that covers your belly, then you have to lose weight by having a calorie deficit. It sounds simple, but in general, weight loss is a complex phenomenon that should not be oversimplified.
Moreover, a new guideline on the clinical treatment of obesity has recently been published. Karine Gravel wrote an excellent article which summarizes this post here: Five things to know about the obesity guideline.
Is it possible to sculpt your body?
Regarding the possibility of sculpting your body, it is obviously possible. We only have to watch competitions of fitness to realize it.
On the other hand, it often comes at the cost of great sacrifices and it is not always healthy.
Moreover, I believe that it is starting to be time to question our relationship with the body and the control we would like to have over it.
My perception, as of this writing (September 2020), is that the fitness and health industry is ripe for a change like the one happening in the fashion business.
In the coming years, we will see more diversity in the bodies highlighted in advertising related to training.
Will this be the end of the before - after extreme photos? I doubt.
On the other hand, I suggest that we seize the opportunity that we have to bring more diversity, openness and benevolence into training.
In the end, the most important thing, no matter our weight or how we look, is to move and feel satisfied.
Moreover, it is one of the objectives that we will pursue with Altterre, a project that we created in order to reconnect the world of fitness to nature.
In conclusion, if you want to lose your belly, it is probably not effective to force yourself to do sit-ups every day because the loss of abdominal fat is linked to the overall weight loss of the body.
Other suggested articles related to this topic:
- How many calories should you burn to lose 1 kg?
- Running to lose weight?
- How to calculate the calories burned?
- Do weight training to burn more calories at rest?
Excellent ticket, well done!
Thank you very much!
It is possible to lose fatty tissue locally by liposuction but not by exercise. I firmly believe that at the beginning of a fitness the local muscle tightening causes a loss of volume which can be perceived as a loss of weight, it is often the opposite which happens, the exercise Often makes you gain weight and lose inches around the waist. I think we have to accept that our body will take the form of the type of life we have adopted. The goal of people should be healthy, not a goal of losing weight.