The underlying cause of love handles is fat retention. Generally speaking, fat cells accumulate when your body takes in too many calories or you don't burn as many calories as you're consuming. Over time, these fat cells can become noticeable as they accumulate in certain areas, such as around your waist and hips.
You shouldn't have to wait too long for results, Nasser says. If you eat a healthy, low-fat diet, burn more calories than you take in, and enjoy a good mix of cardio and ab workout time, you'll watch your love handles start to melt away within a few weeks.
Losing love handles (stored fat) and increasing the metabolism so you can lose weight more effectively are all tied into a consistent cardiovascular/resistance training program. The stored fat around your midsection (for men) is typically the last to leave your body, even after months or years of an exercise plan.
Like fat anywhere on your body, the extra jiggle at your midsection can only be lost through proper diet and exercise. Although walking provides an excellent, low-impact form of activity, you'll need to rack up the minutes and boost your intensity to whittle away those love handles.
“For men, love handles are hard to lose because most of their fat cells are located in this area,” explains personal trainer and nutritionist, Jim White, RD. Women's bodies like to deposit fat into the hip and thigh area, too, which creates the illusion of love handles, says Leah Kaufman, MS, RD, CDN.
For men, love handles are more difficult to lose because most of their fat cells are located in this area, meaning when excess energy is circulating the body, its prime storage is going to be around the tum. For women, side fat is mostly due to our hormones.
A healthy, calorie-controlled diet and a regular regimen of cardio and strength-training exercise will whittle away lower back fat and love handles, and in two weeks' time, you may start to see a difference.
While you can't spot-reduce, you can reduce your overall percentage of body fat while toning all your major muscle groups including your core, to get a fitter, tighter appearance. Consistency is key to reducing your love handles in as a little as one month. Cut down on your refined carbohydrates to lose more body fat.
Weight Loss
Eventually, your body will turn to love handle pockets of fat for energy. It just takes time, so continue following a calorie-controlled diet and getting regular exercise to promote weight loss. Also pay close attention to what you're eating.
"Love handles," also known as "muffin top," refers to excess fat that accumulates on the sides of one's abdomen. They differ from hip dips in that they are located much higher on the body, settling around a person's waistline.
Love handles, the pinchable fat on both sides of your stomach that leads to a “muffin top” appearance, are especially stubborn. They do not respond as quickly to diet and exercise changes as the more dangerous visceral fat that is deep within your abdomen and leads to more of a “potbelly” appearance.
1) Print the love handle workout below and do the workout. 2) Cut down on emotional stress. 3) Get enough sleep as lack of sleep increases cortisol levels which leads to weight gain. 4) Stay hydrated with water, take your weight and divide it in half for the amount required in ounces.
"For love handles, you have to work your legs. They're the biggest muscle group in your body and they use the most amount of energy. They're going to strip fat quicker than any plank. You need to do five sets of squats a day, increasing your weights daily.
Crunches:
The most effective exercise to burn stomach fat is crunches. Crunches rank top when we talk of fat-burning exercises. You can start by lying down flat with your knees bent and your feet on the ground.
Reduce Alcohol Intake
Determining how to get rid of love handles is simple when you look at where your calories are coming from. Many studies have shown that excessive alcohol consumption causes feelings of hunger, which results in eating when you wouldn't normally do so.
Russian twist is another great exercise for getting rid of love handles. Start by sitting down on the floor on your hips. Bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor. Lean back to form a 45 degree angle with the floor.
Say adios to those love handles with the side crunch, a proven waist cincher. Orthopedist and fitness trainer Levi Harrison demonstrates proper form as well as a couple of ways to make the move more challenging.
As seen above, love handles can be considered subcutaneous fat, however, an expanding waistline (love handles included) is a sign of visceral fat (12). To know if your love handles are a sign of visceral fat, just measure yourself, 35 inches or more in women and 40 inches or more in men is a clear sign of visceral fat.
Side plank dips
This will not only help you get rid of your love handles but also tone your arms amazingly. To try this exercise, begin in a side plank. Inhale and lower your pelvis to the floor, your right hip must hover just off the floor. Exhale and press your body up, returning to the side plank.
Surgical steps
Small incisions will be made to remove the fat, and they'll be stitched closed and bandaged. The fat is then prepared for reinjection into your body. A machine will spin the fat so that blood and other fluids are removed from it. The fat will then be injected into your hip area.