With such a cute name, it’s almost surprising that anybody wants to get rid of love handles! Lots of people like them in their partner because it gives them something to get a hold of, hence the name. But you are much less likely to love your own love handles. That extra roll of fat above the hips can be unsightly and even dangerous. One of the biggest weight loss concerns among people is getting rid of them.
If you can grab hold of some fat at your sides between the waist and the hips, then you could be said to have love handles. Either men or women can have them and it usually goes with carrying a little excess fat all over the body.
So if you want to know how to get rid of love handles, the answer, as you may have guessed, is diet and exercise.
Any kind of diet that results in losing fat is going to help here. It is not possible to follow a diet that will get rid of fat in certain areas. You will find that you lose it all over. It may come off faster in some parts of the body but this depends on your body type.
Concentrate on losing your excess fat so that you are closer to the ideal BMI (body mass index) for your height. You can do this most easily by eating more non-starchy vegetables to fill the stomach while cutting down on fat and sugar. Try to switch from refined grains to whole grains too.
When it comes to exercise, you can target specific areas of the body, of course. To get rid of love handles you will want to concentrate on the core, that is the abdomen and lower back.
The oblique crunch is a great exercise for working on the side of the abdominal muscles to target the spare tire of fat on either side of the belly. Dumb bell side bends are another good exercise for this area.
Working on the shoulders will give a better overall shape to the body. Stronger shoulders on either a man or a woman will draw the attention away from the midsection and make your spare tire seem smaller even if it is not.
At the same time you do need to do some cardio workouts and improve overall fitness. There is no point in developing firm, toned muscles if they are still hidden under a layer of fat. Cardiovascular exercise such as running or cycling will improve the body’s fat metabolism.
If fat on the lower back and at the sides is a real problem for you, and you have worked on your body with success in other areas but cannot get rid of those pesky love handles, then as a last option you might consider liposuction. This is a procedure that sucks fat out of the body.
Liposuction does not have much effect on your weight, but it can make a difference to the shape of a problem area. So that is something to consider if you have tried everything else and still need to know how to get rid of love handles.
It’s not easy to do but you can get rid of love handles with proper diet, exercise and maybe even some outside help.