Many YouTube viewers have asked me, “How do I get rid of arm pit fat?” I finally decided to create a video to answer this popular query.
The problem with arm pit fat is that you cannot get rid of it with exercise. There are many factors that go into removing excess fat from one specific area. First, you need to change up your diet to lose more fat. A simple diet plan will do the trick.
If you’re curious what diet is best, it really really depends on your personality. Here is how I lose weight when I know I’ve been eating or drinking too much.
Second, you need to build some muscle underneath the skin. The best exercises for the arm fit fat area are push ups, supermans, lat pull downs at the gym, upright row, shoulder press, chest press and dumbbell chest fly. To learn how to do some of these moves, watch the video above or check out this updated favorite.
These arm workouts are also super helpful when it comes to getting rid of arm pit fat! My favorite is this chest and back workout that is actually called Boobs and Posture.
A more controversial answer includes findings from a few preliminary studies. Some research has linked chemicals in our diets and environment to arm pit fat. Chemicals like BPA, pesticides and hormones fed to animals that we eat. They have also linked medicine such as birth control to contibuting to the arm pit fat area. I am not recommending going off birth control if you are currently on it. However, I just want to point out that even with a proper diet and fitness plan, it may not be possible to get rid of this area of fat.
Lastly, this area is one of the top photoshopped areas on the female body. I remember teenage singer JoJo speaking to a classroom as part of Dove’s campaign for beauty, showing that she too in fact had arm pit fat and she was a skinny little thing. Do not dwell on one area of your body. We are all made differently. Genetics probably play the biggest role in how your body is composed. Looking at celebrities and envying their body parts is unrealistic because often times, they do not even look like the images of themselves you see in magazines.
Thank you for this!! I have that dreaded armpit fat, too and it’s so frustrating.
I do too! We all do I think 🙂
this is awesome! im excited to get rid of this dreadful arm pit fat! yuck….time to say goodbye forever to it!
Great post! Armpit fat and cellulite! Stubborn things.
Thanks Sarah! I’ve tried a few of these exercises before and I definitely noticed te difference not only in my arms and chest but my back too and felt more toned up / stronger 🙂
haha! That’s funny~the other day my sister was telling me, “you know, I think it’s mostly us Korean women who have chubby or mushy armpits!” 😛 I’ll tell her about this and she’ll be surprised.
Sarah, I really like how you seem very well balanced in your views towards health and you’re also realistic! Keep rockin’ 😉
i don’t know what this body part is but i am going to explain it as best as i can.
so you know when you put on the bra, the back where the bra clasp together so it’s on the back and the fat under the bra…
can you email me so i can send you the picture?
Is it really not possible to get rid of it even excesices for some people? If I really can’t get rid of it, can I just go under surgery to remove it? By the way, I am not fat at all. I’m 161cm tall and weight is 49kg.
It’s not possible to spot reduce -- but you can build muscle to fill out the skin which is where the exercises in the video come from.
Many lingerie bloggers say that armpit fat is just migrated breast tissue as a result of an ill-fitting bra (for example: http://www.thinandcurvy.com/2011/02/reader-question-bra-fitting.html), and that it can be corrected some with a correctly fitted bra.
That is not true I was a skinny little girl and always had a trace of flab under my arms way before I was wearing a bra.
Hey Sarah if I loose weight will I loose the armpit fat as well?
Hi sara, I notice two years ago a lil lump under my arm didn’t pay it any mine n later I saw it getting bigger went to d doc n he told me it fat, now two years later it so noticeable that I don’t wear fine strap tops, I have change bra n its still the same, am now going gym to build some muscle n noticing its getting smaller n not that visible when I wear fine strap top, am giving my self 1 year to c if it will disappear complete into muscle
I’ve been searching for armpit fat solutions online and I’m so glad I ran across this! Sarah your body is beautiful and exactly the way that every healthy woman should look. A few years ago I lost 90 lbs and got myself down to 130. Because of the massive weight loss, I’m extremely self conscious and always feel super discouraged by fitness coaches who look like they weigh 90 lbs. I will absolutely be checking out more of your videos. 🙂
Keep rockin’ it girl!
You can’t get ride of armpit fat without losing body-fat. The best way is to diet and then do it.
Hi, I know it’s been ages since the original post was put up but I have the same problem as many people in the comments section- being thin but with armpit ‘fat’ and I just discovered the reason. It’s because I have been wearing the wrong bra size for years. The band isn’t tight enough and the cups are too small. The ‘fat’ is actually breast tissue that has spilled and spread there because of a tiny bra cup. Over time the breast tissue just stays there. When I got fitted properly and wore the right sized bra- initially I had to pull all the tissue into the cup each time I put on my bra in the mornings (scooping from the sides, or bending over and clasping the hooks) but in a month, the tissue had moved back to where it rightfully belonged and my armpit fat was gone! It also increased my breast size by a cup with the misplaced tissue back in place, but that was a small price to pay (1 new bra) and whose complaining anyway!
On the website: thinandcurvy.com , the blogger clearly talks about this issue faced by a whole bunch of women and the right way to measure for a bra fitting. I’m 33 and recently realized that I’ve been wearing the wrong size for most of my life! I’m not saying that this post is wrong or anything, but would urge other women, especially those that are already slim and have arm pit ‘fat’ to check their bras for fitting!
It’s so funny that you mention that Adee. I ONLY see it when I have a sports bra on. NOW I get why! I wear the right regular bra and I am in great shape, no buldges. When I put on a sports bra, BOOM, buldges.
Invest in a food scale. It will become one of your best friends. Look at the amount of calories and fat grams per portion and stick to that size/amount. Do not rely on your estimating a portion. Keep some measuring cups on hand with your scale.
What if you literally cannot lose any fat? I’m 5″2, and I’ve weighed 190lbs for years now. I’m 20, and I’m very athletic. I run, go to the gym every weekday for about an hour, and I try to pump as much cardio as I can, yet I’m still fat :(. I’ve been doing this for years. I’ve always eaten healthy. I’ve never even gone to fast food (mostly cuz I can’t afford it). I still weigh a lot, still got that double chin, and still have rolls of backfat … I’ve even paid 2 personal trainers to help me, and after realizing I wasn’t getting anywhere in a year’s time, I stopped paying. Why waste the money if they didn’t make me lose a single pound? … I’m starting to think surgery is the only thing that’ll help me now. Sick of being so fat my whole life when I’ve tried my hardest to live a healthy lifestyle and do more than the average woman my age :(.
It can be so frustrating to lose weight even when you are working out. The only thing that had ever worked for me was to count calories. I figured out how many calories I was burning a day and then cut back by 200 calories a day. I used a free online food diary called fitness pal. In 3 months I lost 15 lbs and most of my arm pit fat!
You guys should also know it may not be fat or skin, but breast tissue. Sometimes your body puts the wrong border a little too high. Breast tissue cannot be removed with diet or exercise. Some women even grow aerola and nipples in their armpits or stomachs depending on where the breast tissue ends. The moral of the story is your unique. Love you for you. It’s alot more common than you realize.
I had a little armpit fat before kids but when I got pregnant the first time they really got huge. The docs told me it was excess breast tissue and they got bigger because of milk production. I totally expected them to go back to their original size after kids. That is not the case. I am really hoping these workouts help. But even if the don’t, getting more fit anyway is hardly a downside.
Im 16 and i have armpit fat but im not fat (153cm and 36cm) nor do i have arm flab i thought it was fat but now i think its breast tissue. Please tell me if there’s anyway to get rid of this.
Hi, Naomi
even I have the same problem. On researching I read that it is genetic. Some parts of your body have more fat than the rest. And if you see into the family tree maybe your aunts and all also have the same prob. The only way to lose them is by doing more upper body exercises that focus on your armpits
Hi I am a softballer so I guess I am considered quite fit. My arms are not fat or anything but I have armpit fat between my bicep and my boob what should I do? Please help me
im 16 and I have armpit fat but im not fat ( 183cm) and I weight 50. I have armpit fat for 1yr and half. please help me, my formal is coming up next yr, I have tried everything but it an’t working. someone help me. I would do anything to get rid of it.
I’m 16 yrs old n I’m not fat,but I have armpit fat….it makes me so so uncomfortable,I can’t even wear handless cloths ,cause its embarrassing… pls what do I do.
Good Post. I may not be able to get rid of all of it. If I can Tone it down some I’ll be happy, Now off to watch your video. 🙂
I’m a recovering anorexic currently driving myself mad because of this ‘arm pit fat’ I have when the rest of me is small and underweight. I’ve been told it could be loose skin but it looks like flab. And the only way of getting rid is dieting? Fab 🙁
It’s just skin! It’s not fat. Dieting will not help but strength training will! Adding lean muscle mass will help!