[b]Introduction[/b]
This guide will teach you how to lose stubborn fat naturally without the aid of supplements. From personal experience I have dieted down many times but my legs never seem to be getting any slimmer. As frustrations grew, I set out to research what is causing this and ultimately applied what I have found to fix this problem. Occasionally I find others creating threads here asking for stubborn fat help only to be assisted by uninformed responses such as the old testosterone vs. estrogen theory. Even if stubborn fat is not an issue for you (yet/ever) I believe this guide will prove to be an interesting read for most. I hope this clear and concise guide will help others in the present and future.
[b]What is stubborn fat?[/b]
Stubborn fat is usually the last few pounds of fat that you find incredibly hard to lose. For males, their midsection is usually their problematic area. For females, their lower body is where stubborn fat is held. However, it is possible for males to hold stubborn fat in atypical areas (i.e. lower body) and vice versa for females (i.e. midsection). If you are the unlucky few you may hold stubborn fat in both your midsection and lower body. You are ready to tackle stubborn fat when you are around 10% body fat for males and 15% for females, and this is because your body will not delve into stubborn fat unless all the ‘easier’ fat is lost. If you are not yet at this level, please refer to [url]http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=113693871[/url] for general fat loss.
[b]What causes stubborn fat?[/b]
We can see why stubborn fat is 'stubborn' by understanding the physiological factors in our bodies. This is a very complex issue so I will try to keep it simple by sticking to the most important points.
We have two types of adrenoceptors that control fat cell metabolism and blood flow into and out of fat cells. The two types are alpha-2-receptors and beta-2-receptors. The functions of alpha-2-receptors include inhibiting adipose tissue blood flow and lipolysis (the breakdown of fat for energy). Beta-2-receptors, on the other hand, increase adipose tissue blood flow and lipolysis. Therefore, we would want more beta-2-receptors for fat loss. Unfortunately in different parts of our body, the ratio of alpha-2-receptors to beta-2-receptors vary greatly and this has a significant impact on mobilisation and transportation of fat out of the fat cell. It is now obvious why stubborn fat is so stubborn: the overwhelming dominance of alpha-2-receptors in typical stubborn fat areas.
Adipose tissue blood flow was mentioned earlier and you probably wondered why and how it affects fat loss. Simplistically, poor blood flow means blood borne hormones can’t reach the fat cells and it is then even harder to mobilise fat away from the fat cell. Areas with more alpha-2-receptors than beta-2-receptors are generally associated with poorer blood flow, thus making it near impossible to target fat from these areas.
The hormone worth discussing here is insulin. The worst of the many functions of insulin are storing fat and inhibiting fat mobilisation. In terms of losing fat we would want to keep insulin levels low. Lowering the quantity of carbohydrate intake lowers insulin, so insulin levels can be easily manipulated by controlling your diet.
[b]How to lose stubborn fat[/b]
Now we can utilise our new-found knowledge to formulate a plan to attack stubborn fat.
[u]1. Lower your carbohydrate intake to 20% or less of total calories[/u]
Research has shown (verified by personal experience) that chronic low-carbohydrate diets actually inhibits alpha-2-receptors and increase adipose tissue blood flow, and that is [i]exactly[/i] what we want (read above). Low-carbohydrate diets also increase the catecholamine response to other stimuli such as exercise and caffeine.
[u]2. Perform 30-60 minutes of low intensity aerobic activity[/u]
Exercise increases lipolysis via beta-2-receptor agonism and by improving the circulation of blood flow to problematic areas. Therefore exercise is used to mobilise and burn fat from the fat cells.
[u]3. Eat at a calorie deficit[/u]
You will still need to be on a calorie deficit to lose fat. I assume you know what this means.
This is the end of the guide. Please post comments/questions in this thread. Thanks for reading!