Fat distribution is most significantly influenced by hormones and it's more or less impossible to predict where fat will go before the weight is gained. The levels and influence/interaction of hormones with other physiological factors is extremely complex and is determined by genetics, epigenetics and envinroment.
There are a few things worth noting though: The first is that the evidence shows that fat is generally absorbed first in the abdomen, before subsequently being redistributed to other parts of the body. This means that if you gain very rapidly, you have a high chance of experiencing a disproportionately large belly, if only temporarily.
Secondly, trans-fats, those most maligned of all fats, are known to increase adbdonimal fat, whether or not a person gains weight overall. In a diet high in trans-fats, fat from other areas of the body is distributed to the belly.
8 years