Weight loss: 'How can I get rid of my last bit of fat?'

Tuesday 22 April 2008

Print
A A A
Latest in Health A-Z
Chickenpox during pregnancy
Sweating: 'I get severe night sweats – and no one knows why'
Hydrogenated oil
Eye damage: 'Could the optician's bright lights have damaged my eye?'
Lactose intolerance: 'Is sourdough bread the cause of my lactose intolerance?
Deep vein Throbosis: 'Do I need blood-thinning drugs to combat deep vein thrombosis?'
Joint pain: 'Will Pilates help?'
Cataracts: Can my dentist's light cause cataracts
Hip replacement: The risks
Related articles
News in pictures
News in pictures
On Facebook
Life & Style blogs

Living a long, healthy life – looking after your heart

In my clinic I see all sorts of people walking through my door. Mostly, they come to me because they...

Tips on renting your property to students

Five important things to think about before the Freshers arrive...

Problem neighbours make 17,000 people move home

Should you research your neighbours before you buy?

Suggested Topics

"I have always been quite skinny, and am still skinny at 70, except for a 'spare tyre', about 1 to 1 1/2in in diameter when pinched. Is there any specific diet or exercise that I can do to get rid of this? I hardly eat any fats, and I eat oodles of fruit and vegetables and take lots of exercise, mainly walking and swimming. The exercise just makes the spare tyre more obtrusive. And if I lose weight generally then I just look scraggy with a spare tyre. Generally I'm content to live with the ageing process but I hate this."

Dr Fred Kavalier answers your health question:

Your genes are probably the main determinant of where fat gets deposited on your body and, unfortunately, you can't exchange your genes for a new set. Although there are health benefits to being skinny, I wonder if putting on a few pounds would make your spare tyre a bit less obvious. Two other options – neither of which I would recommend – are liposuction and surgery. But I fear that there is no simple solution. Do any readers have suggestions?

Comments

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
SPONSORED FEATURES

Experience the Heineken Hub

Get free wi-fi and exclusive i content while you enjoy a tasty pint of Heineken at participating pubs.

Teaching jobs Networking 2012 Prizes & offers
Business videos

Can you imagine a career in teaching?

Be inspired to teach - let real teachers show you how rewarding the job can be.

Heineken Hub Networking 2012 Prizes & offers
Business videos

Playing a game-changing role during the Games

Cisco is providing the solutions for London 2012's complex IT needs.

Heineken Hub Teaching jobs Prizes & offers
Business videos

Enter the latest Independent competitions

Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.

Heineken Hub Teaching jobs Networking 2012
Business videos

Business videos from commercial thought leaders

Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.

Heineken Hub Teaching jobs Networking 2012
Prizes & offers
Career Services

Day In a Page

Is Ridley Scott the most macho man in movies?

Ridley Scott: The most macho man in movies?

His cinematic CV is unparalleled. Yet the Alien director is still obsessed with beating his rivals.
Being Gary Lineker: The clean-cut anchorman is this summer's Mr Sport

Being Gary Lineker

The clean-cut anchorman is this summer's Mr Sport...
Gallic gourmets are putting French cuisine back on the culinary map

Gallic gourmets put France back on culinary map

Overdone, out of touch and old-fashioned: French cuisine has never been at a lower ebb...
So Moorish: Mark Hix offers his own take on classic Moroccan dishes

So Moorish: Mark Hix's Moroccan dishes

Why not create a north African-inspired feast to share with your friends?
Sin and the single mother: The history of lone parenthood

Sin and the single mother

Maureen Paton explores the history of lone parenthood.
The outsider: Margaret Howell is British fashion's queen of minimalism

The outsider: Margaret Howell

The designer tells Susannah Frankel why she has never felt part of the fashion industry.
The 50 Best luggage

The 50 Best luggage

From chic cases to compact baggage, pack it all in this summer
For men only: A pilgrimage to Mount Athos in Greece

For men only: A pilgrimage to Mount Athos

On a secluded peninsula in north-east Greece lies an enclave that's way off the tourist map, especially for women...
48 Hours In: Faro

48 Hours In: Faro

More than just the gateway to the Algarve, this city has much to tempt you off the beach.
Here, the coast is always clear: Celebrating sixty years of Pembrokeshire's National Park

60 years of Pembrokeshire's National Park

Mick Webb reveals a land of puffins, tanks and Hollywood blockbusters.
Free Range: Meet the designers of tomorrow

Free Range

Meet the artists of the future
Feeding a hungry world – or meddling with laws of nature?

Feeding a hungry world – or meddling with laws of nature?

As scientists at Rothamsted's GM trials plead with activists not to sabotage their work, Michael McCarthy visits the battle field
Monkey meat that could be behind the next HIV

Monkey meat that could be behind the next HIV

Deep in Cameroon's rainforests, poachers are killing primates for food. Evan Williams reports from Yokadouma on a practice that could create a pandemic
Catcalls, whistles, groping: just another day for a young woman

Catcalls, whistles, groping: just another day for a young woman

Government urged to take abuse more seriously as London study shows 41 per cent are harassed
Jailing of Maori separatists stirs colonial-era resentment

Jailing of Maori separatists stirs colonial-era resentment

Militant Tuhoe tribe members defiant amid claims race relations had been set back 100 years