Weight Loss 101: Is Spot Fat Reduction Possible?

Today’s blog will cover one of the most searched queries regarding weight loss: is spot fat reduction possible? If you’re unsure what this means, we’ll explain in just a moment. The blog will then look at why people are interested in spot fat reduction and if it is genuinely possible. All of this information should help you understand more about weight loss and what can be done to lose body fat. 

What Is Spot Fat Reduction?

Spot fat reduction – also called targeted fat loss – is the idea of specifically targeting areas of the body to lose fat. Common areas include: 

• The lower abdomen
• Under the upper arms (triceps)
• Lower back
• Bum

The entire concept runs around the idea that you can do exercises for these problem areas and watch the fat melt away. Theoretically, you’ll only lose fat from these areas and nowhere else. 

Why Are People Interested In Spot Fat Reduction?

Look, we’re all eager to find the ultimate weight loss program to lose body fat and feel better about ourselves. Many of us spend ages in the gym while following healthy diets, and we still don’t get the full results we’re after. 

We look great – there’s a clear loss of body fat – but we have problem areas that don’t seem to respond to our health & fitness routine. That’s why spot fat reduction is so popular a concept; people are desperate to rid body fat from pesky areas when nothing else has worked. 

Is Spot Fat Reduction Possible?

Yes and no. We appreciate that’s a confusing answer, so we’ll start with the “no” side of things. 

Spot fat reduction is not possible through exercise. It doesn’t matter what exercises you do, you can’t perform movements that specifically get rid of fat from one part of your body. Fat loss doesn’t work like that – your body will burn fat as an energy source, yet it doesn’t choose where it burns the fat from. If you are in a calorie deficit and your body burns more energy than it takes in, you will lose weight from all over your body. Targeted exercises can improve muscle tone, which may help your problem areas firm up and look better, but spot fat reduction through exercise isn’t possible. 

On the other side of things, spot fat reduction is possible through special medical/cosmetic treatments. CoolSculpting is a big one at the moment, and might be able to find it at your local cosmetic beauty clinic if you see the Medspa offerings they’re putting out. A treatment like this will localize fat loss by targeting specific fat cells and freezing them. It’s meant for people who have gone through the weight loss journey yet have areas of their body that haven’t responded to exercise and eating healthily. 

So, this means spot fat reduction is technically possible from a treatment perspective. You can find procedures that will help you target problem areas with stubborn fat. However, these treatments only work on “healthy” individuals, so you still need to exercise and put in a lot of work. Once again, we should repeat that spot fat reduction through exercises will not work. Don’t fall for any routines or programs that say you can lose arm fat by doing loads of triceps exercises – it’s not going to work.