# Fat gained vs. fat lost
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-gained-vs-fat-lost/98788
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 17, 2002, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-gained-vs-fat-lost/98788 "2002-03-17T23:02:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Snetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snetho)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2002, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-gained-vs-fat-lost/98788/1 "2002-03-17T23:02:07Z")
Does fat depletion work in the reverse order that it appeared? In other words, if my belly was fat and then my neck area became fat and I started to diet and exercise, would the fat go away from the neck area before it started to deplete from the belly area?
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### Author:  [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2002, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-gained-vs-fat-lost/98788/2 "2002-03-17T23:23:56Z")
I swing wildly between a Hippo-style and svelte swimmer body.
My experience is that “saddle bags” precede the belly growing bigger itself (of course a little belly is first).
With exercise and diet, the saddlebags disappear before the belly.
I saw a lady selling protein shakes on TV saying that was due to the fact that belly fat was more “stored” (or some crap) than the fat in the love handles. I don’t claim that is why – but my personal experience is that my body performs as if it is true.
I would suppose that is the answer: that it depends on your body type, the exercise you do, the food you diet with, and how you gained the weight in the first place.