I saw that doctor (Dr. Oz?)who is always on Oprah once talking about it. He said when the body is under stress, your body stores fat on the belly. I believe he said that fat pad on the body is considered an organ, can't remember what it's called but it began with an "O". Anyway, he also said this is the last place the body loses fat. It will use fat everywhere else before it begins using fat from the belly.