“Whether you’re thin or overweight, everyone stores fat in different places,” Martica Heaner, exercise physiologist and co-author of Cross-Training for Dummies. “And where you store yours—your belly, thighs, breasts or butt—is pretty much determined by genetics.” So if a thick middle runs in the family, you can do crunches ‘til the cows come home, and your body will still move the fat to that exact same spot.

Meanwhile, there are those blessed females who have naturally non-existent tummies. But before you get all jealous, know that they have fat stores elsewhere, like on their hips or butt.

The key to staying lean all over is to get enough exercise and eat healthfully. So belly up to your natural body type, and learn to love it as is.