Hey guys. In this post I want to talk with you about that subcutaneous layer of fat just under your skin, usually around your belly. You know, the stuff that never seems to go away. Why won't this fat literally move an inch despite all the effort you're putting into your workouts?
The scientific reason is that it's chock full of what's called alpha 2 receptors. These receptors are your body's built-in mechanism to prevent fat burning. Simply put, your belly fat gets terrible blood flow, so it's harder for your body to tap into that for fuel. That's why even though your jawline is sharpening and your arms are starting to pop, your belly barely moves. Your body doesn't see this fat as you do -- as excess. Rather, it sees it as insurance. Your genetics double down and think, "You might need this someday." Unless you're consistent enough, long enough, your body will want to hold onto this fat forever. But if you can be patient, your body will have no choice but to let it go.
This is where most of us get discouraged. I know I do. You've lost weight. Your clothes fit better. Friends are starting to notice how lean you're becoming. But there it is: that stubborn belly fat. Remember, your body doesn't pick and choose where fat disappears. It takes the easy stuff in your arms, legs, and face off first, and then your belly. You and I don't get to decide where fat comes off. Some guys have visible abs at 15 percent body fat. Others have to push past 12 or even under 10 to see their abs. Unfortunately, most people quit before that point. Their metabolism isn't broken. Their body is just doing what it was meant to do. Your body resists losing belly fat with everything it's got. I know mine does. But the longer you stay in the game, the more efficient your body gets at targeting the stuff that's been stuck the longest.
I have begun to experience this myself in recent weeks. Real change is finally beginning. But it's a struggle. More than anything, it requires patience. You have to give your body enough time to stop fighting back. Your abs will show out as soon as you lean out.
One thing I've begun doing at the gym is training my abs like any other muscle group, using both cable crunches and hanging leg raises. I'm hoping that eventually my diet will do the revealing. People who lose their belly fat aren't genetic outliers. They're not super-humans. They're just done quitting. They stick with it long enough for the belly fat to say, "Okay, I'm outta here." I like to think of body fat like a big snow bank created by a snow plow.
It's dense. It's packed tight. It stays there all winter even when the rest of the parking lot has melted completely. The snowbank sits there slowly melting, drip by drip. As we said, because belly fat has different receptors than your arm fat does, it is harder to melt. But eventually the snow bank will melt down to a puddle. Your body is going to fight the hardest to keep that last stubborn belly fat. I have found that losing those 5-10 pounds of belly fat is 10 times harder than the effort required to lose those first 40 pounds. So consistency is the key.
God bless you in your fat loss journey, my friend.