Where Does That Excess Fat Go?

Image courtesy of FBellon

Having generous amount of fat in a body is certainly undesirable thing. It’s even more unpleasant when certain parts of our body accumulate fat more than others. This often causes frustration and lead to self-consciousness for many of us.

Stomach

The abdomen is the first place that get victimized by the excess fat. Studies have shown that men have higher tendency to grow abdomen fat than women. This type of fat is referred to as visceral fat. It surrounds the body’s vital organs that include the liver, stomach and kidneys. Therefore, it carries along the high risk of developing conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apenea and other diseases.

Butt, Hips and Thighs

While abdomen is the fat storage centre for men, butt hips and thighs are the area that get affected the most for women. This type of fat is referred to as subcutaneous and lies directly underneath the skin. It mainly appears in the lower part of the body, giving the term -a pear-shaped body- to the people who have it. Unlike the visceral fat, the subcutaneous is less harmful to health than the first. Nevertheless, women might find it a curse on their physical appearance.

Underarms

The underarms have similar tendency to store fat as calves. When an arm is well-formed, it develops a triceps, a three-part muscle easily seen in body-builders and wrestlers. However, when it’s rarely exercised, fats might build up around the muscle and spread to the armpit area. This often results in saggy looking arms as the person ages.

Chest

The chest is also among the spots where fat build up. When both men and women do not exercise on regular basis, the chest muscles –called pectorals- will become surrounded by layers of excess fat. In some cases, this causes the chest to become flabby. The flabbiness might not be noticed in women-for obvious reasons-, but in men, it is often referred to as man-boobs or man-breasts.

Calves 

The calf is the back portions of the lower leg, starting from the back side of the knee and extending to the heel. When muscles in the calves are not exercised regularly, fat may build up around them. The individuals with this excess fat are sometimes referred to as having cankles, meaning fat by the calves and ankles.

Sides

The area that surrounds the abdomen incorporate diagonal-shaped muscles referred to as obliques. The purpose of these muscles is to twist and rotate the torso as well as pull the chest downwards and upward. Since these muscles are closed to the abdomen-where fat is abundant-it has a high tendency to store fat. The fat growing in this area is called love handles.

Back

Fat easily accumulate in the back area for both men and women. In most cases, the fat builds up in the upper and lower areas of the back equally. For women, the upper back fat is sometimes referred to as bra overhang. Too much fat on the back indicates obesity, its a sign that one must start to do something about his or her weight.