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.
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.
Many people opt for sugary drinks and fast foods which have a high calorific value. Though it may not fill you up, it takes away a major portion of your daily calorie limit. Making poor diet choices regularly will lead to excess fat throughout the body, including love handles.
Make fitness your lifestyle. Once you've established a new pattern of eating and training while minimizing alcohol, the love handles will disappear and it will be easier to keep them off. Try it for 30 days but don't look at it as a temporary fix. Instead, see it as a lifestyle overhaul.
Studies have shown that interval-based exercise programs, most specifically high intensity interval training (HIIT), are more effective for burning off your love handles than steady state cardio.
While you can't spot reduce fat in your love handles, walking can help create a calorie deficit to burn overall body fat.
"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.
Ward explains that a healthy fat loss is around 0.5 - 1% body fat per week, which means, 'You should see a noticeable difference to body fat levels within 8-12 weeks if following a structured exercise and nutrition plan.
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.
Why are love handles called “Love Handles”? They aren't called love handles because those who have them, love them! The name “love handles” comes because an individual's partner or loved one will often embrace them around the hips, which is where these excess fat and skin pockets occur.
Mostly, losing weight is an internal process. You will first lose hard fat that surrounds your organs like liver, kidneys and then you will start to lose soft fat like waistline and thigh fat. The fat loss from around the organs makes you leaner and stronger.
BODY FAT PERCENTAGE: 16-19%
At this range, depending on the guy you may start to see some love handles. There is some muscle definition in some areas, but it's far less present than in the lower ranges. No vascularity will be noticeable.
20-30 minutes of regular exercise targeting your oblique muscles every day can help keep your waist in shape. Oblique crunches, elbow twists, and side planks are a few of the best exercises that can help you reduce side fat effectively.
Love handles, on the other hand, are fairly small pockets of fatty tissue, so your body won't necessarily target these areas until later in your weight-loss journey. Sometimes, they're the last area of fat you shed.
Might sound strange but water actually, helps in reducing the stubborn belly fats. You should drink 3 to 4 litres of water daily to flush out toxins from your body. You can also make lemonade (without sugar) or detox drinks using various fruits. This will help you to get rid of your love handle fats at a faster pace.
"Love handles typically form when a person has excess stomach fat. For a lot of us, this is usually a result of eating too many processed starches and grains," says functional medicine dietitian, Miriam Jacobson, MS, RD, CDN. "These foods spike blood sugar levels and make it biologically impossible for you to burn fat.
Refined carbohydrates are low in nutritional value but high in calories. These carbs are in white bread, refined grains, and sugary foods and drinks. Research has also linked refined carbs to the development of abdominal fat.