Myths About Spot Reduction: Can You Target Those Trouble Spots?


 Posted by Susan Bowerman, M.S., RD, CSSD, CSOWM, FAND – Senior Director, Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training  0 Comment

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Susan Bowerman

I would bet that it’s rare there’s a person who can stand naked in front of a mirror and not identify a trouble spot or two. Most of us stand there pinching, prodding and wishing that those extra bits of fat—whether on the belly, the behind or the back—would just disappear. I thought the myth of spot reduction had been pretty well busted by now, but I still get asked all the time if there are any special diet or exercise tricks that will target specific pockets of body fat.

The answer, in a word, is no. Your body parts don’t ‘own’ the fat that cover them. When a regular walking regimen leads to weight loss, you lose weight all over, not just in your legs. Performing hundreds of push-ups or sit-ups a day might eventually uncover a toned chest or six-pack abs, but it isn’t because you’ve burned off only the fat on your chest or your belly. It’s because you’ve increased your calorie burn and reduced your body fat from nearly top to toe. 

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But there’s one reason the myth may still persist. Everyone has their own unique body fat distribution. Some might carry it like saddlebags on the side of the hips or have a stubborn spot on the belly. When these folks lose weight, it may appear that they’re actually spot reducing, but it’s just that they’re losing from those areas where their fat happens to be. If you look at how people’s bodies change with weight loss, what really happens is that they pretty much stay the same shape—they just get smaller.

Men and women do have different issues when it comes to their trouble spots. Due to hormonal differences, women (at least before menopause) tend to store their fat in the hips and thighs, while men tend to gain weight around the middle. Men naturally carry less total fat than women do. With less fat overall—and most of it around the middle—it’s no wonder that men seem to have an easier time achieving washboard abs than women do. But spot reduction, it’s not.

In the end, improving the appearance of those trouble spots comes down to diet and exercise. Strength training helps you build a solid base of muscle, and that can help you look trimmer. But don’t neglect regular aerobic exercise and attention to your calorie intake. Your trouble spots might be less troubling if you build and tone your muscles—but not if they’re hidden under a layer of body fat.

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Susan is the Senior Director of Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training at Herbalife, where she is responsible for the development of nutrition education and training materials, and is one of the primary authors of the Herbalife-sponsored blog, www.discovergoodnutrition.com. She is a Registered Dietitian and holds two Board Certifications from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, and a Certified Specialist in Obesity and Weight Management. Susan is also a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Susan graduated with distinction in biology from the University of Colorado, and received her master’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition from Colorado State University. She then completed her dietetic internship at the University of Kansas. Susan has taught extensively and developed educational programs targeted to individuals, groups and industry in her areas of expertise, including health promotion, weight management and sports nutrition. Prior to her role at Herbalife, she was the assistant director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, and has held appointments as adjunct professor in nutrition at Pepperdine University and as lecturer in nutrition in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Susan was a consultant to the (then) Los Angeles Raiders for six seasons, and was a contributing columnist for the Los Angeles Times Health Section for two years. She is a co-author of 23 research papers, 14 book chapters, and was a co-author of two books for the public: “What Color is Your Diet?” and “The L.A. Shape Diet” by Dr. David Heber, published by Harper Collins in 2001 and 2004, respectively.