Fat Friend Question

First of all I want to thank the guys
that replied to my previous thread.
On helping out my fat friend get in shape.
Any way, today he asked me a question, that I couldn’t answer. So I’m going to ask my T-Nation family. The question was
when someone is losing weight (working out + cardio)where dose the fat shed-off
from first or most from. I told him that it might be overall an even loss, but that abs would the less because men tend to store fat in the mid section.
What do you guys think?

[quote]t-dude wrote:
I told him that it might be overall an even loss, but that abs would the less because men tend to store fat in the mid section.[/quote]

I think you’re basically right. Essentially, the fat you shed comes from all over at once, until you reach a certain minimum amount of fat. So the areas with the most fat are the areas that stick around longest.

Which is just another way of saying “spot reducing doesn’t work”.

Obviously it’ll vary per person but I’ve always heard that its in the reverse order of where you gain. So if the abs are the first place you put on fat then that’s the last place you’ll normally lose it.

Also, men in general tend to store fat in the mid section, ie lower abs and love handles so I’m guessing that’ll be the last to go. I haven’t heard much about “targeting fat” and if that works or if it’s just trainer myth. Any thoughts?

Hey t-dude,

Like willr3 said it really varies from person to person. I’ve seen people lose torso fat first and still have fat arms,face,legs etc. I have seen people where the exact opposite happens.

I myself struggle with fat in lumbar and upper back. And when I start a bulking cycle my face and neck can accumulate some fat. When I diet down my face and neck are the first to lose fat then abs,pecs,legs,etc. And my back is the very last place for me.

So in my opinion it’s an individual thing.
“Sancho”

I think that Don Alessi wrote and article about this siting some scientific studies about women and men. If memory serves me, and its Friday so bear with me, men lose outside in first and women stomach or inside out, thighs and legs last.

I know in my case this is true, b/c I am pretty lean except for the belly that is going away.

So do a search for Don Alessi, Body type. I think the article had to do with being a pear shaped guy or an apple shaped guy and how to train. I believe it was called train for your shape

Read I think its in there

T

It depends on the individual.

According to Don Alessi, in meltdown training, men shed fat in the following sequence:
abdomen → trunk → arms → legs.
He didn’t mention how it works for women.