stubborn fat

Over the years, my main fitness goal has been to lose my lower body fat. And it always seemed so odd to me that no matter how much or how hard I workout or how good my diet was, nothing worked. Sure, I've gotten smaller, but I've pretty much hit a wall. I'm about as fit as I can possibly be, and thin, yet I still have lower body fat.

It's called stubborn fat. Some gurus on the Internet like to claim, "There is no such thing as stubborn fat. Fat is fat. You just have to workout more and eat better." I'm guessing these people have never truly experienced stubborn fat the way I have. Yes, there is such a thing as "stubborn fat", and here's what it is:

Basically in women, stubborn fat areas are the hips, thighs and butt (am I right, ladies?) and in men it's the abdominal region. That's why usually you see women with bigger lower bodies and men with "beer guts". These are the areas that fat gets easily stored. Although there are some women who are stick straight and have no hips, this is determined by genetics. What is also determined by genetics, and therefore will determine how easily you lose fat in certain areas of the body, is how many alpha-2 and beta-2 andrenoreceptors you have. And in the stubborn fat areas, we tend to have more alpha-2 receptors, which is why it seems almost impossible to lose fat there.

The type of andrenorecptors you have in certain areas of the body determines how well or how poorly fat is mobilized and burned off. Alpha-2 are the bad guys. They decrease fat burning and blood flow while the beta-2 receptors do the opposite. Unfortunately for us women, we can have 9 times more alpha-2 receptor in our lower body. And studies show that blood flow in this area can be 67% less than other areas of the body. Supposedly you can feel this. When you workout and get all hot and sweaty, other areas of your body will feel warm yet the thighs might remain cold to the touch. This is because of reduced blood flow.

Reading about this was really quite a devastating blow. To think I've been working so hard to rid myself of this stubborn fat and blaming myself for every mis-step, a slice of cake here, a potato chip there, and all the while my genetics were waging a war against me to which I had no chance at winning. So is that it? Is there nothing I can do? The odds are pretty stacked against me, with 67% lower blood flow and 9 times more alpha-2 receptors in those areas of my body that I so desperately want to lose fat.

Well, there are things that may help. According to Jimmy Smith (who has one of the top 50 fitness blogs out there) there are a couple things you can try. When it comes to the type of exercise you do, he had this to say:

While longer duration lower intensity exercise (like running) will burn fat effectively, it doesn't mobilize fat from stubborn areas efficiently.

Likewise, higher intensity training (think sprints or HIIT) doesn't give you the best of both worlds either. It will mobilize the fat from stubborn areas but not burn it off effectively.

So it makes sense to utilize both. It is commonly written that the first 20 minutes of a workout is spent burning readily available carbs and after that, you start digging into stored fat. If you are to do your HIIT during the first 20 minutes of your workout, then finish with some steady state running, you will first mobilize the fat out of those stubborn cells and into the blood stream where you will then be able to burn it off.

It all really just clicked. It's so very apparent to me that I must have a TON of alpha-2 receptors in my lower body judging by how hard I have struggled to lose fat there. My mom always told me it was in my genes. Even her doctor back in the day told her there was nothing she could do. I always refused to believe that there was nothing that could be done. I don't like to give up that easily. I know that for me, it won't be as easily done as someone who's genetics are a little easier on the hip and thigh region. That is just the way it is. But if I workout in a way that will compliment my genetic "defect"...haha, I might be able to see some results.

There are a couple of supplements to try also. L-tyrosine, Yohimebine, Phosserine.

L-Tyrosine is an amino acid, which we all know are the building blocks of protein. People can take this supplement for conditions ranging from depression, to ADD, to low libido. When used in conjunction with Yohimebine, it is effective at getting at those alpha-2 receptors.

Yohimebine is supposedly an aphrodisiac, so I'm thinking if L-tyrosine helps low sex drive and yohimebine is an aphrodisiac, and I start taking these, my husband will be pretty happy ;) Anyway, yohimebine blocks alpha-2 receptors. And according to one study, may actuate significant fat loss in athletes. Many supplement companies sell yohimbine for reduction of adipose tissue. But if taken in higher doses it can be dangerous, so be careful. Adverse side effects are rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, and insomnia. And in rare cases, panic attacks and hallucinations.

Phosserine moderates the body's response to stress, helps you relax. So while it will have no direct effect on fat loss, if you are less stressed, you produce less cortisol. And cortisol is bad for hanging on to fat.