My apartment mate and I are both on South Beach, and I have had more success with it. Today, she complained that it is easier to lose fat if your fat is mainly in your stomach (like mine) than it is if it mainly in your butt and hips (like her's). Does that make sense?

We are somewhat different sizes but have a similiar proportion of weight to lose (I started at 5'7" and 174, she is 5'2" and started at 138).

I think it is hard no matter where you lose it, but ask her if she is trying to convince you of that or herself, ha ha. Anyway. I dont agree. I have all my fat in my gut and that is the LAST place i lose it. Unfortunately i lose it in my neck and chest first. but back to your question...fat is fat and it is hard to lose no matter where you store it.

if her theory were correct why would there still be so many people that are thick around the middle, wouldnt we all have lost it already if it is so easy to lose?

Everyone's different. Our bodies give up fat where they want, in the order they want, and no matter what you do, you can't change that. Exercise will help you lose faster, and will give you some nice muscle under the fat, so when the fat is gone, you'll look good.

For me, it has been much harder to lose around the belly. Everyone is different though.

It depends if that is your friend's hypothesis or if she read it somewhere. I have heard that your body will try to rid itself of "toxic fat" first which is a form of fat that is around your abdomen. So a lot of people may notice belly fat going faster than other fat around their body. It isn't that the fat is easier to lose but your body is trying to rid itself of fat in a specific area.

Yup, harder for me in the lower tummy. I've heard that you tend to lose weight last in the place you first put it on. So for her, that may be her hips, while yours is the stomach. For some, it's the chest even. It doesn't matter where. But for each individual, their stubborn spot will be just as stubborn as another's which may be a different spot for them.

I thought she was just trying to justify her slow loss (mainly to herself), but I was giving her the benefit of the doubt. Thanks!

Each person gains and loses their own way. My aunts (my mom's sisters) gain almost exclusively in the torso area. But my mom and I gain EVERYWHERE. Ankles can't wear anklets, rings don't fit on fingers, etc. So it's individual.

If your friend holds most of her weight in her hips/thighs/butt, then that very well may be true for her - that it is easier FOR HER to lose weight in her abdomen than in her lower body. Her mistake is assuming that what is true for her is true for everyone else as well.

Her comment sort of undercuts your achievement, which wasn't very nice of her. It sounds like you are off to a great start and I'll bet losing those pounds sure didn't feel any easier to you! Losing my stomach fat has been so hard I've just about given up on it (of course, the fat in my hips isn't coming off that much easier for that matter, I guess I just don't care as much about it).

No matter what we have to lose and where we have to lose it, losing weight is hard for all of us. Maybe remind of this the next time she makes a comment like that. You're doing great and you're clearly working hard!

- Barbara

Thanks Barbara! And I'm not at all upset by her comment, I realize that she's frustrated.

BTW, at 118, you can't have too much fat left on you.

each body is different for me it was only easy too lose from the chest.

For me losing from the hips is easy, the tummy still hangs on and the chest won't budge.

I don't think losing fat from any spot is easy but the lower your weight is the slower the lost because your body burns less calories to maintain that weight. So her loss is slower because she's a lot shorter and weights less. It takes less calories to move her body around than it does yours, so you naturally create a bigger calorie deficit each day.