Morning,
Oh, the joys of telling your body, golly gee, you shall lose the 30 pound jumbo tire that’s hiding your belly and ultimate reveal your flat and sexy abs!
Alas, it just doesn’t work like that, you know?
Spot reduction, the banner cry of thousands of infomercials, is a myth.
Let me repeat that.
Spot reduction is a myth.
It does not work.
Your body will lose the weight in the opposite way it put it on. So…if you gained first on your thighs, you’ll lose first on your thighs. You cannot do a bazillion crunches and expect your belly to flatten like a popped Mylar balloon (well okay, you CAN expect that, but you’ll be woefully disappointed).
Here are some great resources regarding spot reduction and dieting and such:
- Fat Loss and Weight Training Myths
- 9 Dieting Myths
- Strength Training Myths (includes spot reduction)
Yes, it truly would be wonderful if, say, you could decree how you will lose weight. But it’s a diet/weight loss myth. It is not true.
This is one reason why many diets can fail – if you go in expecting to lose weight in a certain area, and that doesn’t happen….you might decide, it’s useless, why continue? But that kind of thinking will only lead you further down the road to failure.
Instead of looking for spot-reduction, turn the key in your mind and commit to getting healthy! By doing that, you’ll lose the weight and eventually….the area you want to trim will shrink as well.
It’s up to you.
Enjoy,
Barbara
ps – while strength training doesn’t spot-reduce, it can really help your overall body! Check out: