Although the term “love handles” refers to love, there is no woman on earth – at least, that I have never seen – who loves her love handle. Also known as a “muffin top” (because they hang over the top of your pants like a muffin top instead of sitting folded in), love handles are common among women – especially as we get older and especially as we enter menopause. While perfectly natural, they make us self-conscious about our size and figure. While we’re all inherently imperfect, there’s no denying that losing weight — especially losing body fat and belly fat — has health benefits. So, the search for how to get rid of love handles continues.
The good news is that a healthy diet rich in protein, vegetables, and healthy fats, combined with regular exercise, strength training, and moderate fat-burning activities will go a long way toward getting rid of love handles. Here’s what you need to know.
What are love handles?
Before following stubborn love handles, it’s important to understand what they are and why they develop. Love handles occur when the body stores excess fat – especially from excess calorie consumption – in the midsection. (Most of our important organs are located near the hips and waist, so the body stores excess fat to protect them.)
A common myth that persists around love handles is that they can be targeted. While it’s true that some parts of the body can respond faster to certain exercises, localized reduction – where visceral fat is reduced on just one part of the body – is not really possible. Instead, by increasing muscle mass and strengthening the whole body, love handles should be reduced over time.
That said, people’s body composition varies and weight loss journeys look different for everyone, which is why some people develop obvious love handles and others have none.
How to get rid of love handles
Love handles can feel uncomfortable, especially in clothes that wear shapes, and excess weight is dangerous for many chronic diseases. Here are steps you can take to reduce the appearance of love handles and improve your overall health.
1. Adjust your diet
Losing fat, especially belly fat around the midsection, requires a healthy diet. Since love handles cannot be targeted by themselves, overall weight loss is the goal (which reduces love handles and other problem areas at the same time).
To get started, find a diet that works for your needs; A punitive or restrictive diet often causes fat to be retained because the body recognizes that it is in a state of starvation. Instead, make small changes like reducing your intake of sugar, alcohol and processed foods, all of which contribute to weight gain and inflammation. Replace these with foods that build protein and abdominal muscles Healthy fatsAnd replace sweet desserts with fruit.
A healthy diet is what works for you, so adjust and adjust ingredients as you go. It should be noted that losing one pound of weight per week equals a deficit. 3,500 calories per week (or 500 calories per day). A healthy diet provides enough calories, but it gets those calories from foods that nourish the body.
2. Be active
Many of us work sedentary jobs that keep us strapped to a chair all day. Adding regular exercise to our routine can have a big impact on our bodies, including how we handle weight. A general exercise routine with cardio, squats and lunges is certainly ideal. But even simple activities like yoga, stretching, cycling, and walking can lead to weight loss. These small changes can help reduce the risk of obesity-related chronic diseases such as diabetes. To begin, create a practical task that works with the rhythm of your life. This is known as the “success zone,” and it greatly increases your chances of sticking to your weight loss goals. why? Because a convenient and accessible program is easy to maintain for a long time.
3. Focus on strength-building
Like weight training, there are certainly benefits to HIIT (weight training) for more intense workouts.High-intensity interval training), and activities focused on core muscles. Resistance training and strength training exercises like crunches, obliques, and dumbbell reps can help your body burn fat at rest. (This means that your weight loss will continue even after you quit kicking.) This means that it’s important to listen to your body when you’re exercising, especially when you’re doing full-body strength training like push-ups. and traction, because of the potential for injury. Start small and increase your exercise over time.
4. Stay hydrated
Reducing love handles increases physical activity. This also means an increase in water intake, which helps to stay hydrated and lose weight. Water helps suppress appetite, so we eat as much as we want and only when we want. It also makes us happy, alert and energetic, which makes us less inclined to sit on the couch eating chocolate. Keep a water bottle at your desk and make a habit of reaching for a glass of water instead of snacking throughout the day.
5. Find stress management techniques
Stress can have a big impact on weight gain and loss, so it’s a good idea to find ways to manage it. Simply put, stress causes the body to produce cortisol, the stress hormone that provides a burst of energy. Often referred to as the fight or flight hormone, it acts as a trigger that alerts us to danger. But today’s world doesn’t present the same dangers as it did in the past—running from lions or approaching robbers, for example—so when cortisol levels rise due to stress at work or school, we have no outlet to rid ourselves of excess energy.
The result is a rapid and dramatic drop in energy levels, which – along with a drop in blood sugar – leads to cravings for sugary foods and snacks. High for a long time Cortisol levels It has also been shown to increase your belly fat, so reducing stress can help you reduce your love handles.
6. Get more sleep
Sleep is another important piece of the weight loss puzzle. For starters, not getting enough sleep can raise stress levels and lead to overeating. Plus, we reach for sugary snacks to give us energy when we’re tired during the day. Insomnia is directly Related to overeating. This comes from both stress and chemical changes in hormones. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep if possible.
Conclusion
A little excess fat around the waistline and lower back is relatively common and affects women of all ages. Addressing love handles and fat deposits in a sustainable and long-term way has many benefits, including increased energy and reduced risk of chronic diseases. Simple changes to lose your love handle include dietary changes that reduce sugar and alcohol consumption Increase humidity and your level of activity, low-impact or high-impact. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep and managing stress, as both cause hormonal changes that lead to weight gain. At the end of the day, losing your love handles is about feeling good rather than “looking” good. You are already beautiful – and don’t forget it!