- So when you start losing weight, how does your body decide where it's gonna take the fat from? Well, we know that spot
reduction is a myth, so we can't target
specific areas of our body and just lose fat there. This is primarily
determined by our genetics. And while there are differences between how people will store body fat and mobilize body fat, there are also patterns
that we can observe to get an idea about
how this process works. And what I thought I'd do in this video to help you out is to
break down the process of how we lose body fat
across five different stages and which changes should you expect as you go through each
stage of getting leaner. So one thing we're
definitely fortunate with is that one of the most
dangerous types of body fat for our health, visceral fat, is also one of the first
ones we're going to lose. And this happens in what I would call the stage one of fat loss. Visceral fat is the fat that
surrounds our internal organs. It's also the fat that gives
guys that beer belly look. So if you're a guy 25% body fat or above and you have that belly,
even if you're skinny fat, you very likely carry
a lot of visceral fat, which is highly correlated
with negative health outcomes. Luckily, this fat is easier to mobilize. This is one of the reasons why
we can get rid of it earlier in the journey. So as soon as you start training and creating a calorie
deficit from your diet, you will start noticing
some pretty big changes in the size of your waist. This is one of the reasons
why I also recommend adding a tape measurement to track your progress instead of just relying
on the weight scale. Now, the type of body fat
that we all wanna reduce is the subcutaneous fat. This is the fat under our skin, which brings me to stage two of fat loss. Now, with stage two, this is still very early in the journey. We could even combine stage one and two. And in stage two, the areas
that your body's losing fat from will be your neck, your
face, and your shoulders. And this is also a phase
where a lotta people start getting compliments from others who are noticing these changes. And these compliments
are a great early sign that you're on the right track and you should definitely
allow them to motivate you to be even more committed to the process. Now, I did mention losing face fat, and there's some mixed experiences here. Some people do report losing
quite a lotta face fat early in their journey, and I would say this is the case for those at very high body fat percentages, so for men at 30% body fat or above, but there are also some exceptions here. If you're skinny fat,
starting a fat loss phase, around 20 or 22% body fat, you might notice that there
isn't that much of a difference as you're getting leaner because you didn't have that
much face fat to begin with. So it really boils down to
the individual situation. Now, moving on to stage three of fat loss. This is where most guys are
gonna start noticing changes in their arms, their chest, their back, especially their upper
back, and their thighs. And this is also the stage where a lotta guys start getting worried about losing muscle. Because they noticed some decreased size, especially in areas like their arms. And what's really happening here is that they start losing subcutaneous
fat in those areas and also intramuscular fat, especially in their arms,
which of course will lead to some decrease in size
and that flatter look. But muscle loss itself isn't very likely if you're doing things right. If you're getting enough protein, that you're doing progressive
resistance training, that you're getting sufficient sleep, and that you're avoiding crash dieting. If you do all those things
and you hit the like button, you're doing everything in your power to protect your lean muscle
while you're losing body fat. And one common mistake that
I see guys make in this stage is they're only assessing their progress from the front of their body. They're only looking at the mirror. They only see the midsection on the front while they're making all this progress in their back usually, which
they can't even notice. So my recommendation is to
take your progress pictures of the back as well and make sure that you're really using that to see if you're making real progress because you can often miss
that and then get discouraged thinking that you're basically stuck. Now, moving on to stage four of fat loss. This is where most guys
will finally start seeing some pretty big differences
in their midsection while everything else, of
course, is also getting leaner. The typical signs in this stage are increased fast layer in
their forearm, their arm, even their shoulders. There are guys that are gonna
start seeing their obliques. They're gonna start seeing
that first row of abs, which is gonna turn
into a blurry four-pack, eventually into a lean four-pack. And then, at the end of this stage, the only thing that's gonna be left is that lower portion of the abs that still has some body fat. Now, one thing that's
important to note here is that not everybody has a six-pack. Some people only be able
to have a lean four-pack. One of the most famous examples of this is Arnold Schwarzenegger. If you look at photos from
his prime in bodybuilding, even though he is really, really lean, he still doesn't have a six-pack. That comes down to genetics. And one of the things that can make a really big difference here is how much muscle development
do you have with your abs. I know there's a saying that
abs are made in the kitchen, but that's not saying the full story. Abs need to be trained like
any other muscle group, which means sufficient volume
and progressive overload. And if you have well-developed abs, they will be visible even at
higher body fat percentages. For me, personally, my abs are visible even above 15% body fat. And there's also a lotta differences here. Some guys will notice that
they will still have some fat left in their legs while their
abs are completely visible, while others will notice that
they actually have ripped legs while still have some
fat covering their abs. And with women, it's actually very typical that their abs are completely visible while they still have
fat left in their hips and their thighs. Now, as we get into
stage five of fat loss, this is where guys will
be fighting to get rid of those last bits of body fat that are covering their lower abs, a little bit of love handles, and some stubborn fat
that's left in their glutes, which is only important for
competitive bodybuilders. And if you're someone who really wants that completely shredded look where there's no fat
left in the lower abs, well, you're looking at
10% or even 8% body fat. The question is, do you wanna go there? Do you wanna stay there? What do you wanna do? Because for most people, 8% to 10% body fat will
not be that sustainable. So you might wanna go
there for a little bit and then go back up to 12 or 15% body fat. And that's another
reason to train your abs so they become visible even
in higher body fat percentages if that's something you like. Now, if you want those
ripped and shredded glutes, that's at 8% body fat and below, and it's for competitors. I actually know a couple of competitors who have complained that
they can't sit on a chair for a long time without using a pillow because they've lost their cushioning as they've lost their body fat. So that's something to think about. So, what can we do about that
last bit of stubborn body fat? Well, there's nothing
special you need to do. The mechanism is the same. It's just that certain areas
of our body require more time to lean out. And I know some people dread this and they think it's too slow, but when you truly get to
those last five to 10 pounds, last two to 4 1/2 kilos, every week makes a big difference because you're tapping into
those stores of body fat that are literally in the midsection. I know it's hard to do. I know you have to stay pretty dialed in. But it's also very motivating
to see those changes. So the bottom line is, there is no magic formula
or some supplement that's gonna help you get shredded and get rid of all that stubborn body fat. It still boils down to making sure you're in a calorie deficit, getting sufficient amount of protein, progressive resistance
training, getting your steps in to make sure you can create
that deficit a bit easier, getting seven to eight hours of sleep, and being consistent. And as you're getting
closer to 10% body fat, if you're now going super aggressive, you're trying to rush the process, well, you're risking falling offtrack and if you go too aggressive
with your calorie deficit, you may even start losing muscle. So at that point it becomes very important that you stay patient, that
you look at your numbers, and that you double down
on precision with your diet to ensure that you are
creating that calorie deficit and that's how you will see results. What's gonna help you
with results is hitting that subscribe button
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so check those out as well. Leaving another helpful
video for you at the end, so check out that video and
I'm gonna see you right there.