Cutting calories is the key to thinner midsection.

Q: I want to get fit and tighten my abs, which I have some rolls around my waist and sides, but I am happy with my weight, how do I accomplish this without losing weight?

-T, Sheppard, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA


A: The key is losing body fat not weight. You're going to have to get used to the idea that abdominal fat is probably going to be the last fat to go. By losing body fat, you will eventually lose the fat around your stomach and be able to see your abdominal muscles.

The first misconception is that you can spot reduce and get rid of abdominal fat by working your abdominal muscles. This is based on some belief that fat is eliminated from a part of your body if you tone the muscles underneath that fat. It's the same idea that you will lose fat on your legs if you pump your legs all day. The truth of the matter is that your body decides where to put fat and where to remove it, and it is largely determined by your genetics. Your body stores fat wherever you have fat cells.

Your body stores fat in your midsection (your abdomen, hips or buttocks) due to basic biomechanics. The midsection of your body is the best place to store extra energy because it takes less energy to carry it around. Remember, fat storage is a survival strategy, so your body wants to maximize energy efficiency by storage and use of body fat.

If you want to reduce body fat, you need to start consuming fewer calories than you expend on a daily basis. In other words, you must have a calorie deficit. In time, your body will start converting fat into useable energy, and by doing so, fat stores will begin to vanish all over your body. However body fat won't just magically disappear from one particular place.

If you are really serious about reducing body fat and you want to get rid of that abdominal fat, you're going to have to take a whole-body approach. You want to focus on eating the right foods and in the right combinations in order to correctly fuel your body and maintain your lean muscle mass while dropping fat.

From experience it is impossible to lose body fat if you don't engage in routine physical exercise, and strength training is included in that exercise. By engaging in strength training, you will end up burning fat for hours and even days after your exercise session. There are also a lot of things you can do in terms of controlling your consumption of carbohydrates and altering natural hormone levels in the body to help reduce body fat as well.

If you are happy with your weight and you don’t want to lose any; with the right clean diet and strength training exercise you can get your body fat down, and you will reap the results of toned abdominals in no time!

949.292.1799 | 30555 Trabuco Canyon Rd. # 101, Trabuco Canyon, CA www.ShawnsStudioFitness.com