Where You Will Notice Weight Loss First

If you’re wondering “Where do you lose weight first?” you’re probably looking to slim down a specific part of your body. 

Search this query online, and you’ll likely find claims that certain exercises, supplements, or superfoods are the solution.

I hate to burst your bubble, but this is a will-o’-the-wisp. Fat loss is a simple process, but it’s not perfectly predictable. 

That is, if you know how to eat and exercise properly, you will lose fat each and every day. That said, there aren’t clearly defined stages of fat loss that allow you to forecast exactly where you’ll lose fat first.

You can’t influence where you lose fat first, either.

In other words, the best way to burn belly fat isn’t doing more crunches; no amount of exercises to lose thigh fat will give you the legs you want; and no superfoods or supplements will automagically tone or tighten certain parts of your body.

Luckily, there are some patterns to fat loss that can give you an indication of how and when you’ll lose fat, mainly depending on your body fat percentage, sex, and genetics.

In this article, you’ll learn these patterns and stages to help you understand how fat loss really works.

Table of Contents

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• Where Do Women Lose Weight First?
• Where Do Men Lose Weight First?
• Why Is Stubborn Fat Hard to Lose?
• What Affects Where You Lose Weight First?
• Can Exercise or Diet Target Fat Loss in Certain Areas?
• How to Lose Weight Fast
• Where Do You Lose Weight First: FAQs

Where Do Women Lose Weight First?

Arms & Shoulders

Most women store little fat in their arms and shoulders, so these areas are the first to get leaner when ladies lose weight.

As your body fat levels drop, you’ll start to see veins in your forearms become more prominent and muscle definition in your upper arms and shoulders.

Back

Women tend not to store much fat on their back, and especially not in their upper back.

Thus, as they get leaner, the shoulder blades and the muscles that run along either side of the spine (the erector spinae) become significantly more visible.

Depending on how much fat a woman needs to lose, they’ll often be able to see all edges of their shoulder blades and a clearly defined “valley” directly above the spine (especially in the lower back).

Hips & Thighs

The hip and thigh region is the first place women gain fat when their weight increases and it’s where they store a disproportionately large amount of their total body fat.

As women slim down, they often find that some stubborn fat clings to their hips and thighs, and only disappears once they get to 20% body fat or below.

The good news is that the hips and thighs are often one of the first places women lose fat, which is why you’ll probably find your pants fit better as soon as you lose a few pounds.

Where Do Men Lose Weight First?

Arms & Shoulders

Men generally store little fat in their arms or shoulders, so these are the first areas to become vascular and defined when you lose weight.

As you slim down, you’ll notice your forearms, biceps, and triceps will become more defined, and you’ll begin to see separation between your shoulders and upper arms.

Stomach

Belly fat is a fickle beast.

On the one hand, it’s the first place most men accumulate fat as they gain weight and the first place they lose it when they lose weight (easy come, easy go). On the other hand, something weird happens as men get very lean. 

Once most get down to about 10-to-15% body fat, belly fat becomes exceptionally stubborn. Suddenly, you’re measuring progress in millimeters instead of inches (more on why this is in a moment).

As you lose stomach fat, you’ll notice that your stomach looks flatter from the side, a faint outline of your abs becomes visible, and your pants will become much looser.

Legs

Unlike women, men tend not to store much fat in their legs. Thus, as your body composition changes for the better, your thighs will be one of the first areas to lean out. 

You’ll quickly begin to see some separation between your quadriceps muscles and notice that your thighs don’t rub against one another as much while walking.

Why Is Stubborn Fat Hard to Lose?

Stubborn fat is tricky to lose because fat cells in these areas are more reluctant to release their stored energy than cells in other areas.

Why? 

To mobilize (break down) body fat, your body produces chemicals known as catecholamines that “attach” to receptors on fat cells, instructing them to release the fat for energy.

Fat cells have two types of catecholamine receptors: Alpha– and beta-receptors. Alpha-receptors block this fat-releasing process, while beta-receptors facilitate it.

And herein lies the problem with stubborn fat: it’s chock-full of alpha-receptors. 

Another problem with these stubborn fat deposits is that they often have lower blood flow, which is why they’re typically colder to the touch than fat in other areas of your body. As a result, fewer catecholamines reach these fat cells, slowing fat loss further.

The good news is that all fat quails in the face of a prolonged calorie deficit. As long as you eat and train correctly, stubborn fat will disappear—it’ll just take longer than fat in other areas.

What Affects Where You Lose Weight First?

Body fat percentage

If you’re very overweight (25+% body fat in men and 30+% in women), you’re going to have a lot of body fat stored around the organs in your abdomen such as your liver and intestines. 

This is known as visceral fat, and it’s associated with an increased risk of various diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia. While having lots of subcutaneous fat (the kind found underneath your skin) is also bad for your health, visceral fat is particularly problematic. 

Luckily, visceral fat is also the first to go when you start to lose weight.

Beyond this, you’re likely to lose fat fastest from wherever you happen to store it most. For example, if you have a particularly large midsection, that’s probably what will shrink first.

Sex

Where you lose weight first may be influenced by whether you’re a man or a woman.

Research shows that men tend to lose fat more quickly from around their waist, whereas women typically lose fat more quickly from the hips and the top of the thighs.

What’s more, research also shows that men typically lose fat slightly quicker than women. Men also tend to maintain muscle more easily than women during calorie restriction, which is important for maintaining a healthy metabolic rate and body composition.

If you want to learn more about how weight loss affects your metabolism, check out this article:

“Metabolic Damage” and “Starvation Mode,” Debunked by Science

Genetics

Genetics influence how quickly you lose (or gain) weight in different parts of your body, but they’re not as important as many think.

While some people believe all the calories they eat “go straight to their thighs” or “make a beeline for their belly,” the reality is that the only way to gain body fat in any area of your body is to eat more calories than you burn (known as eating in a “calorie surplus”).

This is the immutable mechanism of fat storage. You can’t alter it by taking supplements, eating superfoods, doing special exercises, or following a diet “tailored” to your unique genetic profile. 

No matter if you believe you have “good” or “bad” genetics, you can’t increase fat stores without consuming excess calories. Your body simply can’t gain fat without an energy surplus.

That said, genetics can influence the way your body stores fat and how fat looks on your body.  

For instance, some people have noticeable face fat even when they’re otherwise lean, and many women will still have cellulite (fat) on their butt and thighs despite having visible abs.  

But the only reason this fat is there in the first place is due to a calorie surplus. 

Can Exercise or Diet Target Fat Loss in Certain Areas?

Targeted fat loss is the idea that you can burn fat in a certain area of your body by eating “special” foods or doing exercises that train that specific area.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t work—you can’t “spot reduce” fat. Exercising a muscle group causes your body to burn fat around it, but the effect is too insignificant to change your appearance. 

Fat loss occurs in a whole-body fashion. If you feed your body fewer calories than it requires, over time it will burn all of its stored fat for energy, with certain areas reducing faster than others.

How to Lose Weight Fast

There are five steps to losing weight quickly, safely, and efficiently: 

1. Maintain a moderate calorie deficit.

To lose fat, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn (also known as eating in a calorie deficit). 

To lose fat lickety-split without losing muscle or wrestling with excessive hunger, lethargy, and the other hobgoblins of low-calorie dieting, I recommend that you set your calorie deficit at 20-to-25% (eat 20-to-25% fewer calories than you burn every day).

If you want to learn how many calories this is for you, check out the Legion Calorie Calculator.

2. Eat a high-protein diet. 

High-protein dieting beats low-protein in every way, especially when you’re trying to lose weight fast.

Aim for around 1-to-1.2 grams per pound of body weight per day typically works best for losing weight. 

Or, if you’re very overweight (25%+ body fat in men and 30%+ in women), reduce this to around 40% of your total daily calories.

3. Do lots of heavy weightlifting.

Research shows that when your goal is to hold on to (or build) as much muscle as possible while losing fat quickly, nothing beats heavy compound weightlifting. In other words, the best fat loss exercises are actually heavy, compound weightlifting exercises.

That means lifting weights in the range of 75-to-85% of your one-rep max (1RM), and doing exercises that train several major muscle groups at the same time, like the squat, deadlift, and bench and overhead press.

Read this article to find a strength training program that will work for you: 

The 12 Best Science-Based Strength Training Programs for Gaining Muscle and Strength

4. Do a moderate amount of cardio.

The best way to use cardio to lose weight is to do as little as needed to reach your desired rate of weight loss and stay fit, and no more.

A good place to start is to do at least two low-to-moderate-intensity cardio workouts per week. Ideally, schedule these cardio workouts on different days from your lower-body strength training sessions.

If you want to know more about how to cut weight as quickly as possible using cardio, check out this article:

The Best Way to Lose Weight Fast with Exercise

5. Take supplements proven to accelerate fat loss.

Assuming you’ve already got your diet in order, here are the best supplements to speed up the stages of fat loss:

• Caffeine: Taking 3-to-6 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight per day raises the number of calories you burn and increases strength, muscle endurance, and anaerobic performance. For a clean, delicious source of caffeine, try Pulse.
• Yohimbine: Taking 0.1-to-0.2 milligrams of yohimbine per kilogram of body weight before fasted training increases fat loss and is particularly helpful with losing “stubborn” fat. For a 100% natural source of yohimbine, try Forge.
• Phoenix Fat Burner: Phoenix speeds up your metabolism, enhances fat burning, and reduces hunger and cravings. You can also get Phoenix with caffeine or without.

(And if you’d like to know exactly what other supplements you should take to reach any and all of your fitness goals, take the Legion Supplement Finder Quiz.)

Where Do You Lose Weight First: FAQs

FAQ #1: Where is weight loss most noticeable first?

Weight loss is typically most noticeable in the parts of the body where you store the least fat. For men, this often means the arms, shoulders, and legs lean out first. In contrast, women may see changes in their arms, shoulders, and back first.

FAQ #2: When you lose weight where does most of it go?

When you lose weight, your body breaks down most of the fat and converts it into carbon dioxide and water. You exhale the carbon dioxide, and excrete water through urine, sweat, and other bodily fluids.

In other words, you literally breathe out the bulk of your lost fat.

FAQ #3: What are the signs that you are losing belly fat?

Signs that you’re losing belly fat include your clothes fitting looser around your waist, a visibly flatter stomach, and a decrease in waist size. As you lose belly fat, you may also begin to see your ab muscles.