When it comes to losing fat anywhere on your body, spot reduction just doesn't work. "Unfortunately, you can't say exactly where the fat is going to come from," Jason Machowsky, RD, CSCS, a board-certified sports dietitian and exercise physiologist at the Hospital For Special Surgery's Tisch Sports Performance Center, told POPSUGAR.
If your goal is to reduce the amount of belly fat you have, Machowsky recommends doing cardio-based activities because, on average, cardio tends to burn more calories than strength training. No, this doesn't mean you should cut out strength training and only do cardio. You should continue to strength train a couple of times a week because it tells your body to preserve your muscle mass, Machowsky explained.
When you lose weight and lower your body-fat percentage, there's a possibility that your body will pull from both your fat and lean muscle mass. To circumvent this, strength training "helps indicate that your body should spare your muscle as it's losing weight and pull from your fat stores," Machowsky said. You can't dictate where you'll lose fat from, but according to Machowsky, "If your body is pulling from fat stores, you'll have a better chance of losing belly fat." Plus, the more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body burns at rest.
