Can You Target Certain Body Parts for Weight Loss?

Targeted Weight Loss?

It’s one of the biggest questions for anyone trying to lose weight, and depending on the answer, it’s often the biggest myth.

So let’s solve this once and for all: Can you really target specific body parts for weight loss?

The Quick Answer…

No, unfortunately it’s not possible to target your weight loss efforts.

The Long Answer…

Many studies have been done to answer this very question, and they’re all pretty conclusive: You can’t target specific body parts for weight loss, but the big question you ask is why?

Where you lose weight really comes down to your genetics and sex. Some people tend to store fat in their hips and buttocks, while others store it in their abdomen and love handles. You can’t choose where your body stores fat, and sadly, you can’t choose where it drops the fat first. For example, women tend to have a harder time losing fat from their hips because that’s where they store more fat.

The Solution…

There are 2 ways to deal with this problem. Both strategies are important factors for overall fitness, and both will help you lose more weight and burn more fat.

Solution 1 – Burn More Fat All Around

In order to lose weight from a certain body part, you need to burn more fat all around. The best approach for doing this, when it comes to fitness, is a combination of weight training and intense cardiovascular exercise. This two-pronged approach will give your metabolism the biggest boost, and help you burn fat all over your body, including in the body part of greatest concern.

Diet is the other main strategy for burning more fat all around. Not only do you need to cut out all the bad food from your diet (like saturated fats, fried foods, processed foods, and refined sugar), you also need to eat more foods that boost your metabolism. This will also help you burn more fat and lose more weight, including weight from specific body parts.

Foods high in protein and fiber are great for this, as are spicy foods and anything with caffeine. I recommend adding Green Foods Matcha Green Tea to your diet if possible, or trying a fat-burning supplement like Natural Factors CLA Tonalin as they both have proven to provide pretty great results without giving you a jittery crash.

Solution 2 – Focus Your Toning Efforts

The second solution which is also a trick many fitness athletes use helps get around the problem a little, but it only works to an extent. While you can’t burn fat from a specific body part, you can tone that body part so that it looks leaner and tighter through specific exercises highly focused on that area but keep reading…

Essentially, by building muscle in a specific part of your body (which can be targeted based on the weight training exercises you choose), you can create the illusion of a leaner build. The trick is that you use the technique of building muscle in your upper body and your legs, for example, to make your waistline appear narrower.

For a great ab-toning workout that also tones your core and midsection you may want to try my Total Ab Workout in 30 Minutes, it’s a tough one and will challenge your body from quite a few angles still focusing on your core. If on the other hand you are looking to tone your butt, thighs and legs then try my challenging Skinny Jeans Workout.

Remember though,  this strategy only goes so far. While it can make a big difference, you still need to increase your overall activity level to lose weight from any body part.

At the End of the Day…

Whether your goal is to lose weight overall or target a specific area, you just need to get moving! For the best results, incorporate weight training into a frequent, high-intensity fitness routine that will boost your metabolism and help you shed the pounds!

What are your thoughts about targeting certain body parts for weight loss? Please leave a comment below, would love to hear your opinion…