How to burn stubborn fat quickly and effectively

August 17. 2021

Our bodies naturally store fat after we consume food, and although it has somewhat of a negative connotation, it’s a process necessary for our survival. The stored fat serves as stock if you’re left without food for a period of time and enables you to survive in extreme conditions. However, if you have regular access to food and consume more than you need, odds are your fat stores will quickly build up around the areas you don’t want them in. That’s why your food consumption plays a significant role in your weight – if you eat more than your body can spend during breathing, thinking, physical activity, etc., you’ll quickly end up with excess pounds. 

Targeting these fatty areas is especially tricky because even when you’re following a healthy diet and an exercise regimen that puts you in a calorie deficit, you may end up losing weight while still keeping those fat stores. Without further adieu, let’s get into the topic of how to burn stubborn fat quickly and effectively:

Make an effort to understand why you’re holding the fat

There’s a whole science behind the stubborn fat, explaining why and where it occurs. We’ll briefly go through it here, starting with the why part of the question. Your body produces catecholamines, chemicals used to burn fat. They travel through your blood and attach to the receptors on fat cells, causing them to release the stored energy. These fat cells have two different types of receptors – alpha and beta receptors for catecholamines. The alpha type hinders fat metabolization, whereas the beta type enhances it. That’s why you’ll have more alpha-receptors in the areas where you have that stubborn fat. Where the fat builds up also depends on several different factors, including your gender. Females typically struggle with fat around their thighs and buttocks, while males find it difficult to lose fat from their belly and lower back areas.

Skip the fad diets

One of the biggest threats for people who are trying to lose weight is the omnipresent fad diets. They pop up now and then and offer a quick fix for obesity, asking you to give up a whole food group or promoting some severe restrictions. They typically cause initial weight loss, primarily due to water expelled from your body and not the actual fat. After a while, you’ll most likely start feeling deprived and discouraged and go back to your previous eating habits gaining all your weight back. If repeating this cycle becomes your habit, you may cause damage to your metabolism and make it even harder for you to lose any weight. That’s why we can’t stress enough about informing our patients about the dangers of fad diets. Instead, it would be best to aim for a nutritionally balanced diet consisting of lean protein, unrefined carbs, and healthy fats. In case you struggle with frequent hunger attacks, you may consider using appetite suppressants. Additionally, you can start intermittent fasting, which will help your body regulate insulin levels and allow it to burn your fat stores during the periods it’s not fed. Your body will thank you, and you’ll have a much higher chance of getting rid of the stubborn fat. 

Combine cardio workouts with lifting weights

Although the physical activity of any kind is always advisable, understanding which exercises you should do to lose stubborn fat requires more learning. For instance, you’ll get the best results by combining cardio workouts with weight lifting. Cardio will help you get into a calorie deficit and burn the excess fat stored in the body while lifting weights will help you build more muscle mass. The muscle mass, in return, helps you burn more calories even when you’re just sitting. Lastly, it would be best if you continued with such a workout regimen after losing the stubborn fat. It’s almost impossible to lose only your fat stores while you’re losing weight. The loss of muscle mass can cause your skin to loosen and change your overall appearance. To prevent it, we highly suggest you proceed with weight training (especially for your upper body). It will help you intercept storing fat in the abdominal area in the future, and can help you get breast back after weight loss.

Start supplementing

Sometimes the steps above are not enough to trigger the fat loss. If that’s the case, your next step should be introducing some form of supplementation to your diet. For instance, you can start drinking green tea regularly since it is truly an exceptionally beneficial beverage. It contains caffeine combined with some pretty powerful antioxidants that will boost your metabolism. On the other hand, caffeine increases your daily energy expenditure and improves your muscle endurance and strength. It’s advisable to consume it before your workout to enhance your performance. Another non-invasive and highly beneficial supplement is a lipo C injection, which can help increase your energy while helping your liver free itself from toxins. This will enable your body to absorb high-quality nutrients and other supplements and boost the metabolism of fat. 

Avoid the bad fats while embracing the good ones

Unfortunately, the misconception around fat loss involving a low-fat diet still seems to haunt some of our patients. We’ve been taught for years that fat, in general, causes weight gain and leads to those stubborn fat areas in your body. On the other hand, trans fats have been shown to increase excess belly fat (the most dangerous type) and are linked to obesity and several other weight-related diseases. Thankfully, we now know those good fats, such as the ones coming from olive oil, butter, avocados, nuts, etc., are beneficial at helping us get rid of our fat stores and excess fat. The FDA has even banned adding them, but they seem to somehow creep upon us. 

Final thoughts

Stubborn fat is bothersome for numerous reasons, but truly understanding how to burn it can save you many nerves and support your health. Some types of stubborn fat are especially threatening, such as abdominal fat in both women and men. Excess belly fat, particularly the one known as visceral fat, is a significant risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and several other conditions. Since losing weight doesn’t necessarily mean losing fat, it’s essential to get familiar with the topic of burning fat safely and effectively. Fad diets will typically lead to weight loss, but it will mainly be the water retained. Boosting your workouts also won’t do wonders by itself, and supplementing can be beneficial when done correctly. That’s why it’s best to combine these tips and aim for a long-term solution, to prevent any future fat build-ups. If you need additional information on how to burn stubborn fat, feel free to contact our weight loss clinic.

Author

Nurse Walton

Born and raised in Chicago, IL, Chanay received her Practical Nurse licensure and went to work in clinical specialties such as Home Health, Assisted Living, Long-Term Care and Dialysis Centers. Through this work, she realized the importance of diet, nutrition and weight loss among her patients. This led her to open A Better Weigh, Inc. Medical Weight Loss Center in 2009.