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This might be pure speculation, but I'm curious as to what you all think. I'm a woman, 21 years old, and I've always been slim, my BMI has never been higher than 19. But I always had a larger proportion of fat around my midsection, especially my lower belly and 'lovehandles' and not around my hips really at all. I don't really follow a strict paleo diet, but I keep it in mind as I eat. Over the last several months, I've cut out most grains and starchy carbs, and I have increased my protein and fat intake. I've also been much more physically active. Overall, I've lost about 15 lbs, and that belly fat is almost gone now, which is awesome! However, I'm finding that I don't really like how thin I look, my hips and legs are thin and I wish I had some more curves there. I wan't to try to gain a little of that weight back, in muscle mostly but I could stand a little more fat in that area too. I know they usually say its not possible to target fat in one area, either to gain or lose, but I'm wondering this:

Since grains and starches cause blood sugar spikes, and blood sugar spikes are linked to increased belly fat, if I were to gain weight overall eating paleo and avoiding those grains and starches would less of it end up around my belly? Does this logic make sense or is there some science I'm missing?

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3 Answers

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Where fat is stored is mainly dictated by hormones and genetics. Belly fat can thank insulin (as you pointed out) and estrogen. Abdominal fat is the most metabolically active, so when you lose fat its the first to go which is why you saw it disappear. It's unlikely you'll gain fat in the hip/thigh area, sorry! Enjoy being young and thin, age will catch up eventually. ;)

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LeanGains had an article on stubborn body fat pointing out the locational differences between men and women: leangains.com/2010/06/… – cerement May 26 2012 at 19:49
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The same kind of question was asked before :

http://paleohacks.com/questions/71560/women-have-you-redistributed-fat-to-your-humps#axzz1w0j8YxIT

The answers might help you with your question!

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15lbs is an awful lot to lose on someone with a bmi of 19. There is no reason to restrict your starches, either. Paleo is not about low carb. You likely lost a good amount of muscle mass in that 15lbs or you had low muscle mass to begin. Definitely add in some REAL strength training and consume your starchy carbs post workout(ie, weight training workout) to stimulate muscle growth AND don't restrict calories. Increasing your muscle mass will be beneficial to your aesthetics but more importantly to your health.

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