How do you get rid of love handles?

Get Rid of Love Handles

• Love handles are fat deposits. You get rid of fat through diet and cardiovascular exercise to create a caloric deficit (you burn more calories than you take in). You cannot spot reduce. Getting rid of love handles is just a matter of reducing your total body fat. Cut out high carbohydrate foods and eat a healthy diet. You will be taking in fewer calories this way, and the added calories you burn through exercise will further create a caloric deficit.
  

• The American Heart Association recommends 60-90 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day, every day, for those seeking fat loss. (At 50-80% of your maximum heart rate). Everyone, normal weight or not, should be exercising for at LEAST 30 minutes a day, most days of the week. By exercising, not only do you burn more calories while you exercise but also you will be burning more calories even when you stop, as your metabolism remains elevated.
  

• In the end, it is a matter of having a constant caloric deficit. It is possible to lose weight through only exercise or only diet, but combining daily exercise and a healthy diet is the most effective way to safely maintain an ideal weight. You will need to maintain these good habits for life in order to keep the weight off.
  

• I have found that using a cross trainer, also knows as an elliptical trainer, shifts mine. It is one of those machines that make you look like your cross-country skiing. It really works because you have to do lots of twisting from the waist.
  

• I am an athlete; I play basketball and field hockey. The only way to get rid of love handles is to go on a diet combined with cardiovascular exercise. Such cardio vascular exercises would be brisk walking, bike riding, treadmill, stair master, and even certain dance classes. To tone your body as well so that you will not have any flab, you can do weight training, Pilates, yoga, and crunches. Keep in mind that any exercise you do has to be done correctly, you get what you put in to it. You can also go running or jogging, everyone hates it but it works. If you are too overweight to run or jog, brisk walking for fat loss works very well.
  

• In my experience, I used Suzanne Sommers regimen and I noticed (and others noticed) a slimming of the waist, bottom, and thighs. I recommend this for others.
  

• I am a runner, long-distance cross-country and for a track team. I still deal with the annoying problem of unattractive love handles. I tried exercising and came out with a toned stomach region/6-pack from all the lower waist workouts, but my love handles were still visible. Being not only an athlete but also a runner, it was embarrassing for me to have them. I was determined to get rid of love handles. I found out that the only way to lose them is (the last thing I wanted to do) diet! I had a hard time starting out, but eventually I swapped fatty/sweet foods for healthy, weight-smart foods. Not only did my love handles seem to vanish but also I became more self-confident and my whole body felt better after I ate. Starting out is hard, and it may seem like you fail before you even try, but stick with it and you will get it.
  

• I have lost 40 pounds in a matter of months. I have tried everything. There are no shortcuts. You have to eat right (get rid of the high carbohydrate food, junk food, and sugary foods, and eat lean meats and low carb veggies). Exercise is also the key. Think about it: we are talking love handles here. How much muscle do you think you are actually going to build up under them? We are not talking biceps or quads; we are talking about abdominals and obliques. Exercise AND diet are both key elements in any fat loss program. You cannot have one without the other and expect amazing (and lasting) results. Your exercise regime should consist of both cardio and weight training programs. No, you do not have to bulk up like Arnold to lose the weight. I am talking about weight training not bodybuilding. Weight training has been proven very effective.
  

• I do lots of dance, soccer and swimming. For me to get rid of love handles I do not have to diet. I just do not eat that extra bag of chips, or that pop, and I take out the sugary stuff. The rest is all exercise! Over the summer, I trained for swimming so much that my love handles disappeared and in addition, I got that toned curve that happens when they disappear. For those who say weight training exercise builds muscle and increases metabolism, that is true. Moreover, cardio, my friends, will take off fat like there is no tomorrow. However, you cannot just walk for 5 minutes, you have to get your heart rate up. You also have to watch what you eat. Cut out the high carb junk food. Be sensible.
  

• Losing those love handles will happen eventually with any weight loss. To speed up the weight loss in this problem area you should practice these exercises. They will increase muscle mass and reduce the "love handles". 1.Hold a 5 five pound weight in each had and rotate side to side for 30 min each day. 2. Eat well balanced healthy diet no sweets. 3. Work your obliques. 4. Lots of cardiovascular activities like running once every three days, or brisk walking every day will help.
  

• When I started working-out, I decided that cardio was the best way to achieve a smaller waist. I think I achieved love handles through years of abusive drinking and bad diet. I found that strictly cardio was not the answer for me. Even long cardio sprees before lifting were not an answer. Though, I managed to lose fat everywhere else, I could not get rid of love handles. The best answer I can contribute, and I have seen the most progress from, is a combination of everything already said. Kick all the high carb junk! Slurp down a protein shake instead of Taco Bell. Eat lots of low carb veggies, and only essential low carb fruits, not too much though. Do cardio and weight training. You might also care to try jumping-jacks.
  

• As annoying as this may be, it is all about calories. Keep a journal of EVERYTHING you eat (even gum, or that one tic tac). Figure out the number of calories consumed. Then figure out how many calories you used that day (there are plenty of charts/calculators online to help determine what certain exercises burn). Subtract intake from expenditure for the day. If you have a negative number, congrats, you are losing weight and fat. Also, do not weigh yourself every day. Depending on how well hydrated (water weight) you are at any given time significantly effects your weight. You cannot spot reduce. You need a healthy diet, with a good amount of cardio workout and weight training. No shortcuts I'm afraid.
  

• I had love handles and they sagged over my jeans. I counted calories. Consuming under 2,000 calories a day will help you lose them. I quit drinking soda, fast food, and refined (processed carbohydrates) and I dropped the weight off fast! That's all I did and I lost them within 2 weeks. Not including exercise.
  

• I suggest calisthenics. I have a very slim frame but put on fat around my middle like a spare tyre and around my thighs. I bought a video about it and it is the most unbelievable thing I've seen. Along with eating properly, I chose to do the stomach and leg exercises that appear in this tape. The exercises are very simple, and can even be done by people with bad backs. They work the muscle deep, deep within and I swear you see results in a short time. I recommend Callanetics exercises. For some people the exercises work at tightening up the stomach muscles and erasing love handles.
  

• Another alternative, although drastically more costly, and potentially more dangerous - is liposuction. It can be very effective for those persons working on fat in a stubborn area. In addition, of notable mention for getting rid of love handles are site targeting body wraps. As cellulite, fatty, areas are often prone to accumulating toxins. I got liposuction over 3 years ago and I have yet to see my love handles reappear and its not as if I'm an exercise freak.
  

• Cardio exercise, such as brisk walking, and weight training are very beneficial in reducing body fat. By increasing your muscle mass, your body will burn more calories 24 hours per day and not just when you are exercising. Cardio exercise will increase the amount of calories your body uses both during and immediately after exercise. To learn about how to lose love handles or stomach fat correct eating, cardio and weight training, see the related page links, further down this page, listed under Related Questions.
  

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