Last Updated on September 4, 2019 by Femniqe
Love handles, that extra fold of fat on both sides of the waist which creates bulges, makes your clothes look ill-fitted, pose a health risk, makes you feel depressed, tears at your self confidence and the list goes on.
Both men and women get love handles and they come in all sizes. Some will smooth itself out when you are in a standing position while others form multiple layers whether standing or sitting.
Those are the hard ones to deal with and people who have stretch marks with them tend to be even more self conscious.
A lot of factors contribute to the growth of love handles, from unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, too much stress, excessive sugar and inadequate sleep.
Related: 7 Steps You Must Take Get Rid of Love Handles
Do you really want to suffer from the negative impacts of love handles? Or do you want to feel confident wearing your favorite tight fitting clothes that makes you feel really good?
Don’t you want to reduce these health risks as much as possible? Well, if you answered the last two questions with a yes, then there’s a solution to get rid of your love handles.
What causes Love handles
1. Your Unhealthy Eating
Having an unhealthy diet increases these folds (love handles). Many of us feel sorry for ourselves, but let’s face the fact that we are responsible for our diet.
Our bodies digest food at different metabolic rates so be prudent about what you eat and when you eat it. And remember a treat is okay but only in moderation once you know your body.
The accumulation of subcutaneous fat below the skin results into love handles. There is another layer of fat called the visceral fat some of which protects vital organs.
It is possible to decrease both types of fat thus leading to you maintaining a healthy lifestyle and of course avoiding these irritating love handles.
2. Not Exercising Enough
Have you ever seen athletes with love handles? I figured you would say no.
Why is that though? Exercise! Many persons do not understand the importance of exercise – a full body workout balances your hormones and increases your metabolic rate, increases your self-confidence and make you feel good overall.
Therefore a lack of exercise is a common cause of love handles.
3. Too Much Sugar
A spike in sugar consumption leads to overeating and also increases the craving for unhealthy foods which bring up the insulin levels, and once the sugar is unbalanced it is hard to lose fat and of course leads to love handles.
4. Being Consistently Stressed
We all experience stress – it is not easy to avoid.
How do stress leads to love handles is your question right? Scientifically, stress is proven to elevate levels of cortisol – (cortisol refers to an adrenal hormone most important for the maintenance of physiological processes).
Cortisol increases fat around the abdomen and breaks down muscle mass.
5. Not Sleeping Enough
Stress management is a great way to reduce the effects and to maintain overall health. Another factor that contributes to love handles is lack of sleep.
Persons who are sleep deprived are more at risk for developing metabolic diseases for example diabetes and once there is a metabolic issue there is always a fat build up – that’s when you see these bulges around your midsection.
so what do i need to do?
So we now know what causes them, let’s get rid of it! Being committed to a healthy diet and exercise is the number one way to get rid of love handles and keep them off.
Most people carry excess weight around their mid section and hip area and it can be frustrating when the excess fat from your love handles refuse to go away. Guess what? There are 8 rules to losing love handles:
- Do Cardio – doing 20-30 minutes of blood pumping exercise like jogging a few times for the week can burn off those muffin tops. Cardio burns fat all over your body.
- Get Rest – getting your Zs is very important. Lack of rest makes your body become stressed, once that happens you feel hungrier, thus making it harder to lose that belly weight.
- Eat Fat – referring to healthy fats likes nuts, fish, avocados, coconut oils and nut butters all contains omega which is good for your heart and also makes you feel fuller longer.
- Cut Back On Sugar – cutting back on sweetener in your coffee can significantly reduce love handles. Just pay attention of how much you are adding and you will be surprised at how much leaner you become.
- Drink Water – helps to make you feel fuller after a meal and it also assists with digestion. The next time you feel peckish – ditch the sodas and sugary snacks and drink a glass of water and you can spice this up by adding a few strawberries, lemons or cucumber to make it refreshing.
- Mange Your Stress – when we feel stressed the first thing we do is to eat something that makes us feel a little better. All you need is a distraction or some pampering – the next time you feel stressed, try taking walk, do yoga, get a massage or meet up with your partner.
- Take The Stairs – getting as much exercise during the day helps. Instead of taking the elevator – try the stairs, instead of driving to the grocery store – simply walk, and instead of emailing your co-worker walk over to them.
And finally, do this stomach sculpting routine
So while you are doing all of the above you should strengthen and tone. These four routines are extremely efficient when trying to shed love handles and shape your body:
- Oblique Press and Reach- Kneel down on your left knee with your right foot in front of you. While holding the weigh in your right hand, stretch your arm to the side at 90 degrees, reach up, then extend your arms to the ceiling and then bend your body to your left side, you will bend until your fingertips are touching the ground.
- Side Plank Crunch- you can start out by laying on your side with the right elbow on the floor. Next, place the right foot slightly in front of the left and then slowly lift your body off the floor, while maintaining a tight core, bring the right knee and left elbow towards each other and go back to the side plank original position.
- Standing Twist Obliques- to do this you stand with your legs wide apart. Stand straight and hold out your hands to form the “T-Shape” then swings hands in opposite direction.
- Knee Drop- start out by laying flat on your back with both arms out to each side and your knees pulled into your chest. Put a small ball in between your knees and then tightly squeeze – do not let go of the ball. Slowly drop your knees to the right, when your knees are to the floor use the obliques to bring them back to the start position.
Foods to get rid of love handles
Let’s talk about foods that help to keep off these love handles: Oatmeal, White Tea, Spinach, Shredded Wheat, Dark Chocolate, Lemon Water and Eggs – incorporated in your diet along side exercises can target your midsection and fight off the belly fat.
Oatmeal
Most of us start off our day with oatmeal, it’s best to avoid the sugar or syrup – the best accompaniment is low fat milk and cinnamon.
White Tea
A study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism proved that white tea boost lipolysis – the break down of fat and block adipogenesis (the formation of fat cells).
They also proved that it is rich in antioxidant which helps release fat from cells and speeds up the ability of the liver to convert fat to energy. You can call this the “muffing-top-melting-tea”, who needs spanx anymore?
Spinach
Have you ever watched the animated series Popeye? Then you must know about Spinach. Scientifically it has been proven by Charlotte Erlanson-Albertsson – a professor of appetite regulation at Sweden’s Lund University to alleviate hunger. 15 volunteers were given an extract in the morning and they all reported that Spinach aided with the resistance of in between meals temptations.
Shredded Wheat
Shredded wheat is good to melt away your love handles. This a lot of fiber and small amount of sugar- this is the best morning time cereal brans to help lose the weight around the hips and midsection.
Dark Chocolate
Chocolate contains high levels of antioxidants. Scientists have used cocoa in a laboratory experiment with mice and it prevented these mice from gaining excess weight and slowly lowered their sugar levels.
It was also proven by another research done at the Louisiana State University that chocolate ferments into anti-inflammatory properties that fight genes associated with inflammation and insulin resistance.
Lemon Water
Lemon has a number of health benefits. It is a metabolic booster- starting your morning with a glass of water and a squeeze of lemon will wake up your digestive system.
Eggs
These contain choline – a fat fighting nutrient. You can improve your fat fighting powers by consuming omega-3 eggs. These eggs are laid by hens that are fed with fish oils, chia seeds and flax seeds.
The reality is that there isn’t any magic pill or potion that will get rid of love handles over night . A consistent exercise regime combined with a healthy diet will fight off that stubborn fat, it will take some time but you will definitely see good results.