For many who visit gyms or fitness centers, gaining muscle mass is not at all necessary, because... all their attention is focused on losing weight - i.e. burning subcutaneous fat. Quite a lot of both men and women complain that they cannot lose excess weight during intense physical activity. In fact, there are a lot of reasons, and most often people make the same mistakes. Moreover, not everyone thinks deeply about these factors, but they are the main obstacle to safe and effective weight loss.
8 reasons when you can't lose weight
* Amount of food.
For many, talking about calories, proteins, carbohydrates, fats and food macros is empty words. Therefore, those who intend to effectively lose weight need to understand the concept of “calorie content of food,” as well as the amount of healthy nutrients in different dishes. The calorie intake must be calculated taking into account the anthropometric indicators of your body and physical activity.
* Amount of protein.
Protein is an essential nutrient for people, especially athletes involved in strength sports. With a lack of protein in the body, weight loss slows down significantly. And since the body experiences a deficiency of protein in food, it begins to extract it from muscle tissue, i.e. recycling takes place. In this case, muscle tissue suffers, but fat reserves remain untouched. But at the same time, it is worth noting that excessive protein consumption is very harmful because. it is not absorbed by the body (it is not stored “in reserve”). Excess protein begins to decompose, poisoning organs and tissues.
* Influence of liquids.
Liquid food has a separate calorie table. Therefore, when calculating the total nutritional value of the diet, it is necessary to take into account the calories contained in drinks. For example, in 100 g of fermented milk drinks there are 40 kcal, in juices from 20 kcal, in alcoholic drinks - 60-200 kcal. Considering that a person can freely drink a liter of kefir or juice at a time, he receives at least 200 extra kcal. Nutritionists strongly recommend reducing the consumption of liquid foods and drinks in particular. You need to be satiated with solid food.
* "Healthy food."
Being a regular customer of a diet food store, many are mistaken that only healthy food is sold here. Since many foods contain hidden fats, sugar (especially in meat products and baked goods) and complex carbohydrates. For example, candied dried fruits and starchy grains are often added to muesli. Particularly for breakfast, oatmeal in water with the addition of fresh fruit is much healthier.
* Amount of liquids.
When losing weight, plain water is a very important factor. Every day you need to drink at least 1.5-2 liters of clean water, especially during strength training. With the help of water, metabolism in the body is actively stimulated and dehydration is eliminated, which allows you to maintain an optimal level of well-being in general.
* Training intensity.
It is believed that movement actively promotes weight loss. But not every workout will help you lose excess fat, especially if the trainer is “self-taught.” In order for your figure to return to normal, you need fairly intense training on certain muscle groups with adequate loads. Low-intensity physical programs do not contribute to the burning of fat tissue. However, you cannot overdo it, otherwise “fanaticism” will lead to exhaustion of the body and “clog” the muscles. Everything must be in order and within certain standards. The same goes for cardio training.
* Stress, lack of adequate sleep and rest.
Stress and lack of proper rest are a huge obstacle to fat burning. When you regularly visit the gym and don’t give your body rest, fatigue provokes stress. And in a chronic stressful state, cortisol is intensively synthesized, which destroys muscle protein. In this case, fat deposits remain untouched.
* Inconsistency in your goals.
To achieve effective results, a regimen is extremely important. You need to visit the gym 3-4 times a week. Effects in losing weight cannot be achieved through training alone. After all, the main secret of success lies in the balance of physical activity and the right combination of balanced nutrition. Only a harmoniously combined diet with optimal calorie content and adequate training guarantees a positive result!
The material was prepared by Natalya KOVALENKO. Website illustrations: © 2016 Thinkstock.
The problem of excess fat in the body is not only the gain of excess weight, but also the health of internal organs. Overweight people often face the question of how to remove fat from the body, not taking into account the fact that there are two types of fat in the human body: subcutaneous and visceral (internal).
Subcutaneous fat is located just under the skin, usually on the thighs, abdomen and buttocks. The internal one is located around vital organs - liver, heart, stomach, intestines, lungs, etc. While subcutaneous fat can be seen with the naked eye, internal fat cannot. The real threat to health and beauty is internal fat, which must be dealt with first.
Full human existence is possible only with sufficient energy supply to the body. Energy in the human body is presented in the form of glycogen carbohydrate, deposited in the liver and muscles, and also in the form of fat.
Fat is a concentrate of the body's vitality, which begins to be consumed in conditions of low nutrition. That is, during a full meal, part of the reserves is stored in reserve. So to speak, for a “rainy day”. When such a period comes, and the body begins to receive less of the food it is supposed to, it begins to process its own reserves. It should be taken into account that fat is a very convenient form of energy storage. From one kilogram of fat, you can get up to 8750 kilocalories.
Studies have shown that obese people can stay longer in cold temperatures. In addition, plump young ladies were more valued in past centuries. After all, it was believed that they would be able to feed babies during periods of food shortage.
Human fat reserves, types of adipose tissue
In order to talk about fat in general and about fat accumulated by a person, you need to know where it is located. There are two types of fat in the human body: white and brown. By the time you grow up, the amount of white fat is many times higher than the content of brown fat. Therefore, further we will talk exclusively about white fat. White fat, or “adipose tissue,” is a community of fat cells called adipocytes.
The structure of the adipocyte is such that it is capable of accumulating triglycerides, represented by white fat. In this case, the fat cell cannot stretch indefinitely. And since the body receives abundant nutrition, the excess needs to be stored somewhere. And here, auxiliary cells come to the aid of adipocytes, which, transforming into fat cells, begin to accumulate free fat.
Can a fat cell burn?
It can't. The joke of nature is that auxiliary cells can only perform one-sided transformation into fat cells, and they know nothing about the reverse transformation. It is this fact that is the reason for the rapid weight gain after a period of hunger strike. It’s as if the body is saying, “Be careful, the hunger strike may happen again. We need to refresh ourselves!” In this case, weight gain occurs at an accelerated rate, since the cells are already freed from fat reserves and are ready to replenish it.
In what places does fat disappear first?
Now it’s worth talking about the process of synthesis and consumption of existing fat. For this, adipocytes have two types of receptors.
If the body receives enhanced nutrition, the human blood is saturated with the necessary nutrients to the maximum permissible level, and here the Alpha receptor, which is responsible for the synthesis of fat, comes into play. This process is called lipogenesis.
If, however, the body finds itself in conditions of low nutrition, and the blood does not currently contain substances necessary for the body, the fat consumption phase begins, or, according to scientific terms, the lipolysis phase. The Beta receptor comes into action, and fat is broken down, producing the energy necessary for existence.
It should also be noted that adipocytes, fat cells, differ in the presence of receptors. Cells located in the thighs and buttocks contain predominantly alpha receptors. Therefore, they quickly accumulate fat. The upper part of the body, on the contrary, is rich in cells whose main function is to give. Therefore, during fasting, the upper half of the body loses weight first.
The reason that can cause both fat synthesis and its breakdown is the level of adrenaline, glucose and insulin in the blood. It is this wonderful trio that is responsible for our appearance.
How to remove fat from buttocks, thighs, abdomen?
Contrary to popular belief, it is not possible to selectively remove adipose tissue with the help of sports training and diets alone. This is due to the fact that adipose tissue located on the buttocks, abdomen or thighs is part of the human body. The human body is not able to limit or, conversely, increase nutrition in one or another area of the body. But every rule has its exceptions.
For example, in order to reduce belly fat, you should give it a good workout (for example, pump your abs), but at the same time limit yourself in nutrition. In this case, the energy needed to perform exercises will be taken from abdominal fat reserves. True, this process is long and it is important to prevent the formation of new fat cells - adipocytes.
Is it possible to lose only fat when losing weight?
If anyone thinks that during fasting only the amount of fat will decrease, they are deeply mistaken. The stress associated with fasting affects the entire body. And since muscles do not have their own sources of energy, they lose weight first. As for the training described above, muscle mass in this case simply changes the cross-sectional shape of muscle fibers, the number of which is the same in both a newborn and a bodybuilder.
Unfortunately, some workouts still burn muscle tissue instead of fat in the pursuit of weight loss. You can recognize such a coach’s policy by his prohibitions on eating protein foods 2 hours before and after training.
How much fat can you burn per day?
Quite a bit, about 100 grams per day, in rare cases, up to 200 grams. But if you train regularly, the results will be noticeable.
In order for a person to perform the work he needs, it is important to provide the body with sufficient energy. At the same time, the body’s fat reserves cannot be transformed so quickly into the substances it needs. Therefore, when a person uses up his entire glycogen supply, he begins to process the food that is most digestible for him. And this food is muscles. To prevent this type of “sabotage”, a person should consume a sufficient amount of protein. That is why stores that cater to bodybuilders sell a variety of protein products.
Ways to remove fat from the body
- Diet. There is no special diet for removing internal fat. But scientists have proven that consuming 10 g of dissolved fiber per day, as an addition to the basic diet, helps reduce the accumulation of internal fat. Eat two apples a day, a glass of green peas, a couple of slices of black bread - this will normalize your weight.
- Sleep mode. Choose the optimal dose of sleep - 6 - 7 hours. Excess or lack of sleep greatly affects the growth of internal fat. It is not recommended to sleep less than five and more than eight hours.
- Get rid of stress. Doctors have proven that people under stress, as well as those who often become depressed, accumulate more internal fat in their bodies than optimists.
Get active!
If you don't want your belly to hang over your pants, reconsider your lifestyle. On the weekend, find a couple of free hours and go for a bike ride with your family. Visit the pool twice during the week. You will be surprised how much your life will change, how much better you will feel. And the problem of how to remove fat from the stomach and sides will fade into the tenth plan!
Buy a hula hoop
A wide hoop with massage balls will help you effectively deal with fat deposits. By breaking and massaging them, it will help remove fat from the body, tone the abdominal muscles, and make it toned and attractive. 
Eat right
You don’t need to give up sweets completely, but you should reduce your sugar intake. Eliminate fried and fatty foods from your diet, include vegetables and fruits, try to consume most of them without heat treatment. There are also foods that burn belly fat. 
These are cinnamon and ginger, which increase the intensity of metabolism, preventing fats from settling in the cells. Herbal teas with chamomile, lemon, fennel mint are useful, as well as all fermented milk products that improve digestion and remove accumulated toxins from the body.
Drink clean water
Proper drinking regimen is the most important aspect for solving the problem of how to remove belly fat quickly. Without daily 1.5-2 liters of pure still water, you will not achieve the expected effect. Drink at least 8 glasses of water throughout the day. 
Train your body
Your daily workout routine should include the following exercises:
- “Bicycle” - slowly rotate your legs raised above the floor. Bend your knee well, pulling it towards your chest, and straighten the other one completely.
- Vertical scissors - lift your legs one at a time 90 degrees above the floor.
- Crunches - Lie on the floor as if you were planning to do a push-up, placing your hands and feet on the floor. Pull one leg with your knee to your chest, straighten it, and pull up the other.
- Seated Crunches - Sit with your hands on the floor behind you. Bend your straight legs sharply and pull them towards your chest with the strength of your abdominal muscles, straighten them.
- Chair crunches - sit on the edge, pull your knees to your chest, straighten your legs. Work your abdominal muscles, not your legs.
The number of exercises is at least 20 times. Between each of them, perform 10 active jumps.
Fat, as such, is one of the survival mechanisms. Historically, it was fat that allowed a person to survive the cold season, the time from one harvest to another, etc. So the deposition of subcutaneous fat is a normal process. Here, as you know, the main thing is not to gain excess fat.
What is the mechanism of fat deposition? Firstly, fat is deposited due to excessive consumption of carbohydrates, especially simple and especially sugar. The human body does not have any depots for storing carbohydrates. About 60-80 g of carbohydrates can be stored in the muscles (in the form of glycogen), and about the same amount in the liver. The rest is processed into fat and deposited on the sides and thighs.
Also, a large amount of consumed fat affects fat deposition. You know very well that 1 g of fat contains 9 kcal, so 100 g of fat is already 900 calories! It’s even easier for our body to store them as fat than carbohydrates. After all, the process of fat breakdown is very complex and energy-intensive, and as energy, fat is used by the body in the very last place, since it is easier to obtain energy from carbohydrates and protein.
Now let's figure out where this fat settles. Fat is deposited both in the skin-fatty tissue, which is located both under our skin and inside, on all our organs. Fat on organs is called visceral fat. It is also abdominal, it shows the degree of obesity of all internal organs and threatens us with cardiovascular diseases, thrombosis, varicose veins, heart attacks, and strokes. This fat hides under the abdominal wall and pushes the stomach forward.
People with large amounts of visceral fat have more peptide information molecules compared to those who maintain a normal amount of visceral fat. Peptide information molecules are responsible for coordinating the endocrine and immune systems and participate in the suppression of inflammatory processes. When the body is healthy, there are no foci of inflammation, the armed immune system begins to attack its own body. The pancreas, liver and heart suffer from this. This makes it clear why, with an excess amount of visceral fat, heart attacks, strokes, pancreatitis, and diabetes mellitus are very often observed.
How to independently determine whether there is visceral fat in the body?
Chances are you have one - because everyone has one. But it is important to know its quantity. It is easy to determine whether fat poses a health risk. Measure your waist. For a woman, the norm is less than 80 cm, for men - less than 90 cm. Moreover, this indicator depends on age, weight and height.
Fighting visceral fat is necessary! No matter how trivial it may sound, establishing an individual nutrition system is the path to successful treatment. Calorie counting is required (count).
The main assistants in the fight against fat
First, movement. Go to the gym and be active: walk along the escalator, walk a lot, relax actively. To get rid of subcutaneous and visceral fat, it is necessary to create such conditions so that the fat begins to burn. Fat in the mitochondria of our muscle cells burns only when exposed to oxygen. In order for oxygen to enter our body, we need cardio loads with a heart rate of about 75% of the maximum (we calculate it the old fashioned way: 220 minus your age). Cardio exercise should not last less than 40 minutes, since in the first 20 minutes carbohydrates are burned in the form of glycogen, and only after that comes the turn of fats.
Secondly, nutrition. You can't do without restrictions. Reduce to a minimum or completely avoid fast carbohydrates, sugar, flour, etc., as well as fatty foods.
Thirdly, age-related hormonal changes. Don't think it's impossible to cope with male and female menopause. Timely hormone therapy slows down the aging process and helps to survive the transition without accompanying changes.
We hope you will start the fight against visceral fat as soon as possible, and it will not have time and will not be able to harm you!
Fat", "burn fat", "melt fat". People who are not experienced in anatomy, physiology and medicine treat subcutaneous fat as if it were a layer of fat on meat intended for frying. Trainers who are incompetent in this matter, articles in magazines and on websites suggest melting fat through sauna trips, body wraps, running and exercises.
Fat does have the ability to change its state from solid to liquid when heated, but the temperature must be very high - for example, as during cooking. It will not be possible to achieve such a state without harm to health, and even if it were possible, the melted fat would occupy the same volume as there is no way for it to come out.
Myths that fat can be melted away during bathing or body wraps persist, despite scientific evidence. People think that everything is natural - when heated, a layer of fat melts and comes out through the pores. At the same time, weight also decreases, and a person may even look a little thinner. In fact, water with dirt and sebum, which is secreted by the sebaceous glands, comes out through the pores. Due to the loss of water, weight loss occurs, and for the same reason, volumes may lose a little - no more than a centimeter. Changing the amount of water in the body really has a big impact on weight and volume: some women are well aware that before menstruation the body tends to retain water, resulting in swelling and weight gain.
Wraps with cellophane and special materials also do not work: they make the skin sweat, but nothing more. Even more dangerous is playing sports with such wraps; the myth about their effectiveness for weight loss is very widespread. But active physical work while dehydrated is very harmful to health.
How to get rid of subcutaneous fat?
The only way to lose fat is to burn more calories than you consume. When there is a calorie deficit, the body looks for other sources of energy - the most accessible are fat and muscle. If you play sports and eat more proteins, then you don’t have to worry about maintaining your muscles - your body will lose weight only due to fat.
And there are many ways to create a calorie deficit. You can simply eat less while maintaining the same activity. You can go on a strict diet, but you need to keep in mind that after a while the body will get used to small doses of nutrients and begin to consume less. You can increase your activity - walk, run, play sports more. You can strengthen your muscles, because muscle tissue requires energy even during rest, so the larger the muscles, the more calories it takes to maintain them.
Losing weight and burning fat are problematic for a large part of the population. Approaching several visitors in the gym, you can easily make sure that not everyone came here for the muscle mass of giants.
The simple truth is that many men and women turn to exercise equipment in order to lose excess fat, as well as improve their body function and health. Complaints that this or that gym “patient” cannot lose excess weight are not news. It often happens that a person makes many serious mistakes, which prevent him from losing weight effectively and safely.
Amount of food consumed. The fact is that most people don't even realize how much energy they consume. Talking about calories, the amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and food macros (that’s what food elements are often called), as a rule, is an empty phrase for many ordinary people. If you want to lose weight effectively, you need to understand what the calorie content of food is, as well as how many nutrients are contained in different types of food. Calculate your calorie intake based on the anthropometric parameters of your own body, as well as your level of physical activity. Nowadays it’s easy to find simple formulas for calculating the required number of calories on the Internet.
Amount of protein eaten. Protein is the most important nutrient not only for athletes, especially strength athletes, but also for people in general. The fact is that our body, which over its long evolution has learned to accumulate fats and carbohydrates, does not yet know how to store proteins for future use. This means that the protein that is present in our body, one way or another, is functional and not reserve. An example of protein in the human body can be skeletal muscles, smooth muscles of internal organs, etc. We do not have depots that could store protein “for a rainy day.” That is why it should be remembered that excessive consumption of protein will not bring benefits, since it will not be deposited and absorbed. Too little protein is also bad, because it can significantly slow down the process of losing weight, since the body will remove active muscle protein, putting it into recycling. Naturally, fat reserves will remain practically untouched.
Liquid food. Be careful with the liquid calories you consume. Even if tomato juice contains only twenty calories per hundred grams, a liter of such juice, which you can drink absolutely unnoticed, will bring you an extra 200 kcal. The trick is that you may simply forget to enter the calorie content of drinks into the nutritional table, because many people believe that drinks, like water, are non-calorie. We have to disappoint you, because sweet drinks, as well as milk and fermented milk products usually have a calorie content of 40 kcal per hundred grams. Alcoholic drinks, which we also often do not consider high-calorie, can supplement our daily diet quite impressively, because their calorie content starts from about 60 kcal and can reach 150-200 kcal per hundred grams. Thus, we recommend that you consume as little liquid food as possible, because solid food fills you better and does not go unnoticed.
Supposedly healthy food. If you are a regular shopper at a health food store, then you probably tend to think that you eat healthy food, don't you? Be very careful, because such finished products, as a rule, can contain a lot of hidden sugar, starch and other carbohydrates. Store-bought muesli may be completely fried in sugar and contain candied dried fruit. It is much more beneficial in terms of health benefits and reducing calories to have a breakfast of slow-cooked oatmeal (cooked from whole grains) with the addition of a fresh apple, banana or citrus fruit. You can also bake pancakes, pies and cookies using oatmeal, replacing store-bought sweets with sugar. Remember that these hidden sugars will hinder your progress. Meat products can be additionally enriched with fat, which is quite high in calories.
Training intensity. You may think that you are moving towards losing weight, when in fact you are standing still. The point is that your training may lack intensity. If you don't even have time to break a sweat while working out with a personal trainer, then know that he is not investing enough in you and your program. A conscientious trainer should do everything necessary to ensure that your program is intense and helps burn fat. If after starting to work with a coach you do not see any changes, then feel free to say goodbye to such a specialist.
Number of cardio workouts. Cardio is certainly beneficial for heart and lung development, but be careful not to overdo this type of exercise. Many people spend endless hours on the treadmill or other cardio equipment, but still have not achieved any significant results. Too much emphasis on cardio leads to overproduction of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. It's no secret that cortisol can destroy muscle tissue without affecting fat tissue. No, you shouldn’t completely exclude cardio from your “diet,” but remember that you need it to train your heart and lungs, and not to fight fat.
Fighting stress. Scientists have long been saying that stress is precisely the factor that can also inhibit fat burning. This is because when you are stressed, you also produce increased levels of cortisol. Perhaps this will allow you to lose weight in some way due to... muscles, but all the fat will remain with you. Try to manage your stress if possible. Protect yourself from strong shocks and situations that require emotional involvement.
Lack of sleep and rest. This reason is a classic reason for lack of progress not only in losing weight, but also in building muscle mass. It is necessary to remember that insufficient sleep and lack of rest can play a cruel joke on you. The point is that accumulating fatigue is perceived by your body as stress, which accordingly generates increased production of the hormone cortisol. As described above, cortisol in no way helps your muscles get bigger by breaking down muscle protein.
Amount of fluid consumed. Water is the most important factor on the path to a slim figure. We must not forget about the recommendations to drink at least a liter and a half of clean water daily. Water can stimulate your metabolism and maintain an optimal level of well-being. You can benefit from pre-workout hydration and post-workout rehydration to ensure maximum results for your training.
Lack of consistency. Stable results imply a constant training process. If you don't go to the gym three to four times a week, then it's foolish to hope that the extra inches on your abs will evaporate on their own. In addition, without dieting and exercising, you are also unlikely to achieve what you want. Remember that the secret of your success is to harmoniously combine proper nutrition with sufficient calories and training in the required mode.
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