Let’s talk about fat that feels stuck.
You’re eating "clean" (and in a very slight deficit). Hitting your steps. Lifting weights. Drinking your mineral water like it’s your job. You’re seeing changes in some places, but other areas are giving you radio silence.
The backs of your arms still feel rubbery. Your lower back / sides won’t budge. Your belly? Ugh, don’t even start.
And your brain spirals…
Is it hormones? Is your metabolism broken? Do you need to fast harder? Train more? Detox your soul?
But what if this isn’t about pushing harder? What if (in some cases) the issue isn’t about effort… it’s about access?
Now, pause. Because this is where we can so easily take a detour and start slapping a label on everything. Humans are funny like that ... we’d often rather believe something is "wrong" with our tissue than accept we need more time or consistency. So hear me loud and clear: Not all fat is fibrotic.
Not all slow-progress areas are a fascia emergency. And most of the time, a slight calorie deficit (no need to count), consistent lifting, proper sleep, and blood sugar balance WILL move the needle.
But for some of us, especially if you’ve had inflammation, trauma, hormonal chaos, chronic (like way more than most) stress, or lymph issues… that tissue may become physically bound up. That’s what we call fibrotic fat.
Think of it like this ... normally, fat is soft. It moves, it jiggles, it warms up with circulation. It’s a little metabolically active. But fibrotic fat gets tangled in stiff collagen fibers. It feels dense. Cool to the touch. Resistant to change. Like trying to burn a marshmallow that’s been stuffed inside a dry sponge. Not impossible. But you’ve got some un-packing to do first.
This has been really personal for me lately because I’m navigating lymphedema in one foot ... which has developed into fibrosis. And even though it’s not a typical fat-loss struggle, the protocols I use to soften and support that tissue overlap massively with what I’d use for someone with fibrotic fat from inflammation or estrogen dominance.
I’m not doing 57 things a day to deal with it. That would require a team and a nanny and probably an entirely different zip code. But I am doing a few of these each day ... and they’re making a huge difference in how my body feels, flows, and functions.
So let me give you the tour. Every day, I pull from this toolkit:
Walking
Infrared sauna
Strength training
Endurance cardio
HIIT
Hydration with minerals (I love this and this for higher sodium and this I use most for when I want less sodium)
Vibration plate
Castor oil on my foot and / or over my liver (I have a pack to put it on and tie it around me too)
Dandelion root tea (I open tea bags and steep in this instead of the bags)
Compression boots (these things help WAY more than I wish they did, haha, b/c I don't find them too pleasant but darn it, do they work!)
Sunshine
Grounding
Red light / infrared light on my foot and over liver (I also use for face, over thyroid, any area that needs special attention that day. I use it for every freaking thing. My whole family does. Full disclosure: I'm an affiliate for them)
Legs up on the wall
Open lymph drainage points
Dry brush
Manual fascia work (myself, have yet to get this done professionally)
Cupping
Rebounders are great too, but we are between them right now as our last got lost in the flood a few years back
None of this is “woo.” It’s deeply rooted in physiology. Once fascia becomes stiff, blood flow drops. Nutrients and oxygen can’t get in. Mitochondria can’t function. Detox slows. Hormones misfire. And your fat-loss plan suddenly feels like it’s bouncing off a brick wall (if it's fibrotic). Important to note: I added links where I could grab them but many of these tools are FREE or very low cost. No need to EVER feel like you need to buy something or won't be able to make progress without a purchase. NOT true.
So we wake the tissue up. We soften it. We bring flow back. Then and only then ... do our usual strategies start working again.
But here’s the question I always get next:
“How do I know if I actually have fibrotic fat?”
Glad you asked! ;-) I always recommend having the conversation with your healthcare providers, but to start to gather more info ...
1. The Pinch Test:
Pinch the area in question ... belly, back of arms, inner thigh. If it feels rubbery, dense, or like it barely separates from the muscle underneath, it could be fibrotic. Now pinch somewhere that’s almost never fibrotic (like your forearm or cheek). That’s your control group. Normal fat should feel soft and squishy.
2. The Glide Test:
Can you gently glide the skin side-to-side over the muscle? Healthy fascia glides easily. Fibrotic tissue? Feels stuck. It doesn’t want to move. It's normal for the fat layer to be thicker in other areas! That's not what we're looking for. We're looking for adhesions here.
3. The Temp Test:
After a workout, sauna, or even just being warm… does that area stay noticeably cooler or pale compared to the rest of your body? Blood flow = heat. If it’s not warming up, it’s not circulating well.
4. The Bounce-Back Test:
Fat should feel like a marshmallow, not a dried-out sponge. If it feels firm, weirdly dry, or like it’s “locked in,” that might be fibrotic tissue.
5. Your History:
Chronic stress, years of yo-yo dieting, estrogen dominance, trauma (physical or emotional), low hydration, perimenopause, injury, inflammation, surgery ... these all increase your odds. If you check more than a few boxes here AND you’re also seeing signs above, it’s something to consider.
But remember, don’t go hunting for problems that aren’t there.
Fibrotic fat isn’t the default. It’s not an excuse for every slow area. It’s just something to know about if you feel like you’re doing everything and one zone still won’t play nice.
This is the kind of nuance we dive into in The Metabolic Edge. Because surface-level advice is everywhere. And it’s usually either “eat less, move more” or “detox your chakras and hope for the best.” I live in the middle. Where science meets strategy meets real life. We talk fascia, hormones, metabolism, mitochondria, nervous system health, nutrition, meals, workouts and how to actually get unstuck in a way that feels doable ... even with kids, a crazy schedule, lymphedema, or a trampoline-less life.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start solving, I’d love to have you inside. Join us here.
And whether you do or don’t, remember this ...
Stuck doesn’t mean broken. Dense doesn’t mean doomed. And slow doesn’t mean it’s not working. Your body is paying attention. Now it’s your turn.
XO,
Tara