Why Is Belly Fat So Hard To Lose?
Q: So everywhere is getting smaller but the fat around my stomach is holding on for dear life. It’s more stubborn than I am in admitting I’m not nearly as right as I always think I am just because I’m a woman and my significant other isn’t. Why is belly fat so hard to lose?!?!
A: Why is belly fat so hard to lose?
Well, belly fat is hard to lose because one of fat’s functions is to provide insulation and protect the internal organs, most of which are located in the abdomen. As a result of this vital role that fat plays, the body isn’t too keen on losing fat from the abdominal area, especially when it doesn’t have to for no reason other than your vanity.
Survival is why you might notice your ass and titties getting smaller while your gut remains hardly unchanged. That’s the simple explanation. The more complicated answer has to do with biochemistry.
Fat cells, or adipocytes, contain several types of receptors that perform various functions. The two receptors of interest at the particular moment are the alpha-2 and beta-2 receptors. Alpha-2 receptors hinder lipolysis, or the breaking down of fat. Beta-2 receptors respond better and accelerate the process so the body can tap into its fat stores for its energy needs. Both of these receptors are present in fat cells in varying amounts and the ratio of their presence determines how well the adipocyte reacts to lipolysis.
Given the brief overview about fat cells, the reason you’ve lost fat from certain places without difficulty is because the fat cells in those areas have a higher proportion of beta-2 receptors. Conversely, you’re having a harder time losing the fat elsewhere because the fat cells in that area have a greater distribution of alpha-2 receptors.
Everyone has stubborn areas of fat. For some, such as yourself, it’s the belly. For others, it’s the hips, thighs, or love handles. Whatever the case, the cell distribution in those areas is one where the fat cells have a higher amount of alpha-2 receptors than beta-2 receptors. This means that your body not only stores more fat in that area but it’s also predisposed to resist the loss of it for a variety of reasons.
INSULIN
Insulin is a hormone that tells the body how to store fat. It does this by managing the activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), a fat-storing enzyme, and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), an enzyme that releases fat. Because fat cells with a greater number of alpha-2 receptors tend to be more sensitive to insulin, the action of HSL is inhibited and that of LPL is increased, which results in an area with a concentration of those cells having a greater propensity to store fat and release less of it than areas that have more fat cells with beta-2 receptors.
CATECHOLAMINES
Catecholamines are a group of hormones that are produced in response to stress. When adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, and other catecholamines bind to beta-2 receptors, they increase HSL activity, which helps trigger the release of fat so the body can use the stored energy to deal with the perceived threat. Fat release, however, is slowed when they bind with alpha-2 receptors. Stubborn areas have a higher percentage of fat cells with alpha-2 receptors, so this is another reason why fat loss from a particular region can be difficult.
BLOOD FLOW
When fat is released from a fat cell, it gets broken down into fatty acids that move through the bloodstream and get transported to other cells, where they’re absorbed and burned as energy. As it turns out, areas with a high number of fat cells with alpha-2 receptors have less blood flow than areas with fat cells that favor beta-2 receptors. Due to this poor circulation, fat that’s released in those areas can’t be easily moved elsewhere for processing.
Insulin sensitivity, enzyme action, and poor circulation are a few of the things that make areas with a lot of fat cells with alpha-2 receptors stubborn.
So what can you do about stubborn fat in problem areas?
Well, it’s certainly not by trying to spot reduce, or targeting fat loss in specific areas by way of particular exercises. Doing crunches to lose belly fat, for example, is a waste of time because the body loses fat from all over rather than from an individual location. So instead of that, more of your focus should be on exercise for the sake of placing a demand on the entire body. Additionally, it should be done regularly and with intensity, as one of the benefits of exercise is increased blood flow and circulation. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish can also help on that front, so they should be part of the diet along with a low-carb approach to control insulin.
Stubborn fat is predisposed to be difficult to lose but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get rid of it. Doing so just takes know-how and the same level of patience that your significant other has in dealing with your bullshit defense mechanism of always thinking you’re right, which is more than likely borne from low self-esteem as the result of a childhood incident where you let your guard down and your vulnerability was used against you.
Now, does anyone else have a fitness or nutrition question of their own that they want to ask?
Glossary: crunches, diet, exercise, fat, fitness, hormones, intensity, nutrition, patience
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