Fat Lower Body

by Brandon
(Montgomery, AL,US)

I am a 21 year old man and have a problem that I have noticed for a long time. I have an enormous lower body, especially my glutes and very large thighs. I have been trying to lose them for years, but nothing is working. Can I have help with a diet and activities to help shrink this?

Dear Brandon,

Thank you very much for writing. I know personally how utterly frustrating trying to lose excess fat can be - when you try like hell and you put in a lot of effort but get dismal results!

The first thing to understand is that our bodies each store fat in different places depending on our sex and genetic factors.

The body will lose fat from every place it is stored in the body, not just in a specific area.

So how does the body burn fat? Well, the body uses both carbohydrate and fat for energy production. Carbohydrate metabolizes faster, so carbs provide energy faster.

When a great deal of carbohydrate is consumed, that gives the body so much fuel to burn that it doesn't need to burn any fat for energy!

I have lost almost 40 pounds now by adopting a low carbohydrate approach to health. There are several articles on this site that you can read for more information in the section on healthy weight loss tips.

As far as exercise, the body needs physical activity in order to enjoy health. Exercise is not simply for weight loss, and the idea that to lose weight you just have to eat less calories and burn more is outdated, not very effective or even healthy.

I'm not saying that someone can't lose weight using that method because some folks can, but it simply does not take into account how the body actually works- and you work against the body rather than with it. (Makes it very difficult!)

I suggest focusing first on learning about and implementing, step by step, a low carbohydrate eating plan.

Whatever you do for physical activity now, keep it up. The important thing is to find activities that you like and do them on a regular basis. You can learn about the different types of exercise and how each helps the body in this article on the types of exercise page.

The type of exercise that most assists the body in burning more fuel for energy is strength training, which you can learn about in the article on strength training and weight loss.

I wish you success!

Cheers,
BB

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