Busting the Spot Reduction Myth – Understanding Fat Loss

We’ve all seen the videos on YouTube. ‘3 EXERCISES TO GET RID OF BELLY FAT!’ ‘The SECRET Method to lose cheek fat!’ or ‘How To Get Rid Of Your Stomach Fat!’ We at Kofuku are tired of these clickbait titles, over-the-top thumbnails and straight-up lies that are told in the videos. And what’s sad is that these videos have MILLIONS of views.

So, we’re here to stop the misconception of spot reduction of fat and teach you how you can actually lose that stubborn fat.

What exactly is ‘fat’? It is essentially stored energy. When you eat that extra slice of pizza or sneak into the kitchen for those extra gulab jamuns, this gets stored in your adipose tissue all over your body. And when you eat less than you need, this fat gets burnt as energy.

The storage and burning of fat happens all over the body. So, whenever you run on the treadmill or you’re lifting some weights, the body burns fat from all over the body and not just in one specific part of the body.

The way you gain and lose fat is purely genetic and hormonal, so some people might have their fat stored in their belly, while for others it can be in their arms or even their cheeks.

The simple answer is no. In a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, participants performed exercises on just one leg, while the other leg was inactive. And while one worked out while the other was just there, both legs showed very similar amounts of fat loss, much like every group project. This study effectively debunked the myth of spot reduction and focused on specific areas.

If one study isn’t enough, another one by the American Journal of Physiology conducted a similar study, but this time with abdominal fat. The ones who did only abdominal exercises showed no real difference in abdominal fat loss compared to the ones who didn’t exercise at all.

With a lot of misconceptions, misleading marketing, and our natural tendency to want results quickly, the myth of spot reduction and focusing on specific areas has become popular. So let’s just tell you why it’s a load of full split:

The Process: When you burn calories, fat cells are released into the bloodstream. These ‘burned fats’ are used as energy all over your body. Various hormones such as adrenaline and norepinephrine take part in this process of taking fat from adipose tissue which is all over your body.

Genetics: Your genetics plays a significant role in determining fat distribution. Some people naturally store more fat in their belly, while for others it can be in their hips, thighs, or other areas. This distribution pattern cannot be altered through targeted exercises. So, blame your parents, not us.

Energy Burnt: When you work out on just a part of your body like crunches or leg raises, you don’t lose fat in just that part, but rather your body works to burn calories all over your body. To lose fat you need to burn more calories than you put in your mouth. So, we would recommend a good mix of cardio and weight training combined with a healthy, low-calorie diet.

So, if you want to lose fat, try to take a more holistic approach by following these methods:

Cardiovascular Exercises: Regular cardio exercises like running, cycling, HIIT, and swimming. These exercises use your entire body and you can burn a healthy amount of calories when you do these exercises regularly.

Strength Training: Go to the gym, and get ripped! When you exercise with weights, it not only builds muscle but also increases your metabolic rate so you’ll be burning calories even when you’re sitting after your workout, regretting your choices.

Balanced Diet: The most unsurprising one in this list, we all know the benefits of a balanced diet. Try to add a healthy amount of protein and fiber into your meals and avoid, you guessed it, sugary drinks and processed foods.

Stay Consistent: Consistency is key. But a cheat day now and then keeps you locked in. Remember to stick to your goal and work on it every day, but a rare KFC popcorn never hurts anyone!

Common Fat Concerns

Now, you might have clicked on this blog because you want to know how to reduce fat in a specific part of your body. And that’s an admirable goal because you are here to take control of yourself! So, let’s take a look at some common fat concerns:

Belly Fat: This is the most common concern when trying to spot-reduce fat. While you can’t get rid of just your belly fat, by combining cardio and weight training, along with a balanced diet, you can definitely get rid of your body fat, including the stubborn one in your belly!

Cellulite: This happens when fat cells push up onto the skin, creating a bumpy type texture on your skin. While it causes insecurity for a lot of people, especially women, don’t worry, you can definitely reduce it with regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Cheek Fat: In the world of mewing and looksmaxing, your cheek fat cannot only go down with some funny face exercises. Remember to burn more calories than you consume to get rid of that fat.

All of us at Kofuku are tired of the lies that influencers spew out about the targeted fat loss misconception and we wanted to be your very own mythbusters. So, here are some common myths and the real truth about them:

Myth: Doing 100s of crunches will give you a six-pack

Fact: Crunches strengthen your abdominal muscles, but visible abs require reducing overall body fat through a combination of diet, cardio, and strength training.

Myth: Spot reduction works if you do enough reps.

Fact: No amount of targeted exercise will reduce fat in a specific area. Focus on overall fat loss and muscle strengthening instead - a better way to say that we need to torch fat and increase lean muscle mass

Myth: You can turn fat into muscle by targeting specific areas.

Reality: Fat and muscle are two different types of tissue. You can reduce fat and build muscle, but one doesn’t transform into the other.

So, now you have all the tips and tricks to lose fat and most importantly you’ve learnt to bust some myths about spot reduction of fat and focusing on specific areas! Just know that it’s okay to have a goal to lose fat in a specific part of your body, but working out on just that part will not be as effective as a holistic exercise plan.

Remember to work out your entire body, burn more calories than you eat, and who knows, we might just see you as a Salman Khan stunt double in his next movie!