Are you struggling to slim down from the desired part of your body and wondering where do you lose weight first? Well, weight loss is generally about losing body fat, and we all gain and lose fat differently depending on various factors like genetics, sex, and lifestyle. However, there is a general order of fat loss from body that can give you an idea of where you are likely to lose weight first.
Want to lose weight quickly? Here’s the best way to lose weight fast in a healthy way.
A fit body not only looks attractive but it improves the quality of life. People often ask how to lose weight from a particular body part. Unfortunately, you cannot target an area to lose fat. Here, we’ll see what is the first and last place you lose fat. So, if you are trying to get into shape, this guide will help you to design a plan.
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Where Do You Lose Weight First?
When you are trying to lose weight, it is inevitable that you will lose fat from all over your body and not just in the area that you are targeting. However, there is an order of what part of the body loses fat first.
Generally, men tend to lose weight first from their trunk area, hips and thighs, whereas women are likely to lose weight from their upper body and abdominal area. This is due to the different distribution of fat stores in men and women.
One study explains that you’ll lose fat first from the part where you last gained, but that’s not true for everyone – especially for women!
After monitoring a few dozen overweight people who were on a weight loss journey, it was observed that they all showed a similar pattern of fat loss.
The First Place Women Lose Fat:
Women store more fat in their lower body parts like hips, upper thighs and waste-line. However, the fat around these places becomes difficult for them to get rid of.
Results from a survey showed that women notice fat loss first from their upper body parts, such as the face, clavicles, arms, upper back, and chest. This is because they store less fat in these areas and it is not stubborn.
Here are the effective strategies for women to lose weight fast.
The First Place Men Lose Fat:
When it comes to storing or losing fat, men are opposed to women. Men are likely to lose fat first where they store it more. Men store fat around their trunk area and abdomen, like lower abs, upper abs, visceral fat, and in sides of the waist. And, these are the places where they start to lose fat. However, they struggle to reduce lower-abs and visceral fat because it gets stubborn.
Factors Impact Where You Lose Weight First
Here are some factors that effect what part of the body loses weight first and why;
- Sex (Gender)
- Genetics
- Age
1. Sex: (Gender)
When it comes to losing fat, men and women gain and lose it differently. Hormones in both genders play a vital role in where they store or lose fat.
Testosterone is a male hormone and it helps men to store less fat, especially around their legs and strong muscle areas. Men store more fat around their trunk and abdomen, and they lose weight quickly around their waist and legs.
On the other hand, estrogen and lipoprotein lipase are female hormones that make women store more fat in their hips, thighs, and butt. And once they hit menopause, the estrogen level decreases and they start to gain more fat around their abdomen – just like men. Due to these hormones, women start losing weight from their upper body – face, arms, and clavicles.
See how weight loss affects your face.
2. Genetics
Genes play a vital role in how fast you gain or lose weight. If you come from a family with obesity issues, you are likely to gain weight easier and faster. And of course, it will be harder for you to lose some extra pounds.
Genetics can determine the way your body will react to gaining or losing fat. It can also impact where you will store more fat and where you will lose it first. You may find it easy to put on weight, but very difficult to lose it. In such cases, you need to be more careful about your diet and active lifestyle.
On the other hand, if you have a family history of being slim and fit, you’ll find it easier to shed some weight and stay in shape.
3. Age
Your age is another factor that determines how fast you’ll lose weight and where you’ll lose it first.
We experience changes in hormones as we grow older. Plus, our metabolism slows down and this makes it harder for us to lose weight.
The amount of testosterone in men reduces with the age, which leads to increased body fat. And, in women, the amount of estrogen reduces after menopause which causes them to gain more weight around their abdomen.
Here’s how you can lose weight after 40.
Where Is The Last Place You Lose Fat?
Generally, men are likely to lose fat last where they first gained it, and for women, the lower body is always the last place they lose fat.
According to a study, women lose fat last from their hips, butts, and thighs. Some women also struggled to reduce fat around the waistline. This is because women have a higher ratio of lipoprotein lipase (an enzyme that stimulates fat storage in the lower body than the upper body).
On the other hand, for men, lower-abs and visceral fat were the last places they lost fat – and it requires some intense workout routine along with a diet to eliminate fat from these areas. Some men also struggled to lose fat from their calves – but it was rare!
How Can You Target Where You Lose Weight?
Well, while you can’t necessarily choose where you lose weight from your body, there are ways that you can help to speed up the fat loss process to reach your desired place.
One way is to eat a healthy – weight loss diet and exercise regularly. Start by making small changes to your diet, such as eating more fruits and vegetables and reducing your intake of processed foods. Fitness trainers recommend combining intense cardio with strength training to gain muscles and lose weight simultaneously. This will help to ensure that you are losing fat and not muscle mass, which can lead to a more toned appearance overall.
A study showed that when your muscle mass increases, the body requires more energy to keep up and eventually it breaks down fat to fill the energy gap.
Additionally, make sure that you are drinking plenty of water and sleeping 8 hours each night. Both of these habits are essential for maintaining a healthy metabolism which leads to burning calories and losing weight, and ensuring that your body is functioning at its best.
Ways to Speed Up Fat Loss Process
What Goes First When You Lose Weight?
When we lose weight, the first thing we lose is water weight. Water makes up a larger part of our bodies and we lose it while sweating, peeing, and breathing out water vapors.
The next thing we lose is glycogen. Glycogen is a sugar that our bodies store for energy in our muscles and liver. When we lose glycogen, we lose more water because glycogen is stored with water.
After we lose glycogen, we start to lose fat from all over our bodies. We cannot target a specific part where we want to lose fat from.
Wrapping Up
The answer to “where do you lose weight first” will vary from person to person depending on various factors like your sex, age, genetics, and even where you store most of your fat.
However, in general, men lose weight first from their trunk and abdomen while women lose it from their upper body. There isn’t a particular area that you can target to burn fat and lose weight. But, you can boost the weight loss process to reduce fat from all over your body and reach the desired place.
Frequently Asked Questions: (FAQs)
Where do you lose weight first when walking?
Generally, you lose weight from your legs first while walking. However, it may vary for both genders – men lose fat first from their trunks, and women burn deep abdomen fat when walking.
Where do you lose weight first when running?
Running is a great cardio exercise that boosts the weight loss process. It burns the fat from all over the body. However, the order of weight loss in the body will remain the same for both sex – running will just burn more fat and calories to lose weight faster.
