Why can't I lose these fat rolls?
The simple answer is genetics. Researchers have now identified a gene, uncoupling protein 2 or UCP2 that is related to obesity, so it is not a far stretch of the imagination to beleive that genetic factor are at work in where on any persons body that fat is dsitributed. Also there is an evolutionary arguement based on differing developements of men being the hunter-gatherers, when men had to seek out food in a variety of climate conditions. The extra muscle mass gave them the ability to contend with large prey, as well as use their energy more efficiently. Women, on the other hand, naturally have more body fat. The extra fat is necessary for the extra caloric requirements necessary for pregnancy and breastfeeding. consequently the developement differences have led to gender differene in the area of fat deposition. When men gain fat, it usually deposits in the midsection (apple shape). We’ve all seen men with the “beer gut”. Women, however, tend to deposit fat in the lower abdominal area and hips and thigh region (pear shape). Fat that is stored in the midsection (apple shape), or closest to the heart, can lead to an increased risk of heart disease.
The mediation of how the genetics work is obviously hormonal, working through hormones such as leptin and cortisol. Treatments that affect hormonal balance will affect fat distribution (corticosteroids), which is also why some older women experience changes in body composition after menopause.
A counter to this is that the distribution of fat on a body is a variation of "normal" distribution. Some people would then be go on the extreme of the uneven scale just out of normal variations in the human population. If you think about "fat deposits" lying along the normal curve, where "normal" is even distribution about the body given age, gender, hormonal state, etc, then it might follow that some people on either tail of the curve will deposit it more unevenly in certain areas.
I like to think of the fat cells as jars, when born all the jars are very small. Some jars are rigids and can't expand, some are flexible and can expand a lot. Where these "jars" are located is relted to our gender and genetic predisposition. If during our lifetime we fill these jars beyond their capacity the flexible one's will start to expnd (hence more fat gets stored in those areas), and once the jars (read that as fat cells) expand they will never shrink back fully (like an elastic band stretched beyond it's capacity. So these ares are teh last to empty (lose fat), if they do at all, and the first to refill if extra fat is put down by the body at a latter date.
There are some diseases that cause uneven distribtion of body fat. Lipedema can cause a very disproportionate fat distribution concentrated in the hips, thighs, and calves, mainly in women. This is not a typical pear shape; it's much more dramatic. Also Cushing's Disease, which is caused by excess Cortisol, results in this uneven fat distribution. People get rapid weight gain is all around the midsection, neck and face and can have perfectly normal arms and legs.
Other ways to supprt this proposition is the observation that for men it is easier to lose weight and often men can eat so much and not gain weight? This is due to each gender’s physiology. Men have evolved into having more muscle mass than women. As a result of having more muscle mass, men are able to consume more calories than women each day without gaining excess weight. And, the extra muscle mass also means that men burn calories faster than women.
