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Christopher Gaffney, Senior Lecturer in Integrative Physiology, Lancaster University

Spot reduction: why exercise probably can't help you target fatty areas of the body

Many people wish to target fat loss in their stomach. Prostock-studio/ Shutterstock

Many people who want to lose weight have a particular area of their body that they wish they could lose fat from most – whether that’s their stomach, arms or thighs. But while there’s no shortage of videos and guides online talking about how to best “blast fat” from these so-called problem areas, the evidence for whether or not spot reducing fat is actually possible remains mixed.

The mechanics of weight loss are quite straightforward and are rooted in the laws of thermodynamics. Basically this means that in order to lose weight, you must expend more calories than you consume.

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