No matter what you do, some parts of your body will lose fat more slowly than others. These are the areas where you have stubborn fat.

Both men and women suffer from stubborn fat gain. Men mainly get it in their chest and lower abdomen, whereas women tend to have it on their butt, thighs, and stomach.

What is Stubborn Fat?

Stored fat can be placed into three different categories.

Subcutaneous Fat

This is the fat we store underneath the skin and is usually the most difficult fat to lose.

Visceral Fat

This is fat that surrounds our organs; it is the deep fat that you cannot pinch.

Intramuscular Fat

This is fat stored in and around muscles.

The most stubborn fat is subcutaneous. Why is it more difficult to lose fat in these areas than in others? Let’s explore:

The Science

To understand how stubborn fat tissue differs from normal fat tissue, you need a good grasp of the fat-burning process, which is also known as lipolysis.

Fat cells consist of around 95 percent triglycerides, which are hydrolyzed during lipolysis to glycerol and fatty acids. The major factor that limits the rate of lipolysis (and fat loss) is hormone-sensitive lipase, but additional lipases, such as adipose tissue triglyceride lipase, may also play a role.

The regulation of human fat cell lipolysis is species-unique in many ways. Only catecholamines, insulin, and natriuretic peptides have pronounced acute effects. Catecholamines influence lipolysis through four different adrenoceptor subtypes. This contrasts rodents, where only one subtype is of major importance.

Beta adrenoreceptors (which can be thought of as good receptors) are the active ones that respond to adrenal hormones and burn fat. Alpha receptors (which can be thought of as bad receptors) inhibit fat burning.

Related Article: How To Lose Fat Without Losing Muscles

Stubborn fat tissue often has a lower ratio of beta receptors to alpha receptors. Due to alpha receptors’ inhibiting effect on fat breakdown, the stubborn fat tissue is generally slow to respond to adrenal hormones.

To make matters worse, as Ori Hofmekler points out in his book The Warrior Diet, stubborn fat is generally an estrogen-sensitive tissue that tends to have many estrogen receptors. ¹https://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Diet-Biological-Powerhouse-Explosive/dp/1583942009/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1454006029&sr=8-1&keywords=warrior+diet&linkCode=sl1&tag=fabulousbodyc-20&linkId=775eaeee16245ca0876e4296cbf9d854

Estrogen is the female hormone, and once it is bound to estrogen receptors, it causes enlargement of the adipose tissue and induces more fat gain. Another issue with stubborn fat is that it has fewer blood vessels. As a result, this fat is slower to metabolize and, therefore, harder to get rid of.

In summary, There Are Three Issues With Stubborn Fat.

-Stubborn fat has a lower ratio of beta receptors to alpha receptors, which inhibits fat burning.

-Stubborn fat tissue has fewer blood vessels and is slower to metabolize.

-Stubborn fat is estrogen-sensitive tissue that accelerates fat gain.

How To Get Rid Of Stubborn Fat

We know that fat gain is associated with insulin insensitivity and the over-consumption of carbohydrates, especially refined and processed carbs. The solution to burning fat entails consuming fewer calories than you burn and performing strength training combined with HIIT.

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HIIT Or Steady State Cardio?

How To Lose Fat | In Five Simple Steps

As duly noted by Ori Hofmekler, stubborn fat is essentially an estrogen-sensitive tissue, so some specific steps can be taken beyond a general strategy for fat loss.

1) Avoid foods that have estrogenic effects on the body, such as soy

2) Eat as much organic food as possible

To avoid estrogenic substances in the food supply, such as petroleum-based fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and the hormones that are found in conventional meats, poultry, and dairy.

3) Minimize alcohol consumption

Excessive alcohol can compromise your liver’s ability to break down and detoxify estrogenic derivatives, which can penetrate the blood and cause adverse symptoms such as bloating, water retention, and stubborn fat gain.

4) Manage your insulin

Insulin is one of the strongest hormones in the body, and having a low level of insulin is a strong indicator of how healthy you are. Your fasting insulin level should be below 5.

The take-home lesson here is that you should focus on reducing your body fat to the best range possible. For men, this is between 12-15%; for women, it’s between 20-24%.

What do you think about stubborn fat? Have anything you like to add? Let me know in the comments below!