This article was co-authored by Laila Ajani. Laila Ajani is a Fitness Trainer and founder of Push Personal Fitness, a personal training organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Laila has expertise in competitive athletics (gymnastics, powerlifting, and tennis), personal training, distance running, and Olympic lifting. Laila is certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), USA Powerlifting (USAPL), and she is a Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES).
There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 98,532 times.
Women are genetically predisposed to storing excess fat in their hips, thighs and buttocks. If you find you have "love handles," fatty deposits on your hips and obliques, then reducing overall body fat is the best way to get rid of them. Exercising and eating right will help women lose love handles.
Steps
Lifestyle Changes
-
1Focus on lowering your stress levels. Stress releases the hormone cortisol, which encourages your body to store fat.[1] Try meditation, yoga or changing your schedule to reduce your stress.
- The place that you store fat, may depend upon genetics; however, studies have shown a correlation between stomach fat and stress.[2]
-
2Get more sleep.[3] People who don't get at least 7 hours of sleep per night are more likely to store fat in their stomach, hips and thighs.[4] Give yourself 1 hour to decompress before you want to start sleeping.[5]Advertisement
-
3Be more active. Love handles may have appeared slowly, over the course of a decade or more. This slow weight gain can be caused by a sedentary lifestyle, so try the following things to get moving:
- Buy a pedometer. Make sure you are walking 10,000 steps during the course of your daily routine.[6]
- Stand up while you talk on the phone, watch television or on the bus. You may think that sitting is unavoidable, but standing for just a few minutes can help with lower body weight loss.
- Add in a 30 minute walk every day, in addition to exercise. This walk can be done on your lunch break, in the morning or after dinner. Any added exercise will start to give you skinnier hips.[7]
Cardio Exercise
-
1Do cardiovascular exercise for at least 30 minutes 5 days per week.[8] For fast weight loss, you should increase this to 1 hour 5 days per week.
- Without a proper diet, it will be extremely hard to lose your love handles only by exercising.
-
2Go running. This exercise is the best way to reduce weight in your thighs, because it promotes quick body fat loss.
-
3Do high-intensity interval training (HIIT).[9] Do 1 to 2 minute periods of sprinting every 5 minutes during your aerobic workout.
Oblique/Hip Exercises
-
1Do planks.[10] Get in a push up position. Hold it for 30 seconds to 2 minutes while breathing deeply.
-
2Do side planks. When you are in a push up position, transfer weight to your left hand and left foot.[11]
- Turn sideways so your right foot is on top of your left. Make sure your hand is right under your shoulder. Keep your body straight and hold the position for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Switch sides.
- If side planks are hard for you at the moment, try making them with a bent leg.
-
3Do side plank dips.[12] Get into your side plank position. Lower your left hip 2 inches (5cm), then raise it 4 inches (10cm). Do 10 dips on each side.
-
4Do side crunches. Get on your back with your feet straight up in the air. Raise your chest up, off your shoulders, using only your abdominals.
- Raise your hands in the air. Reach your right arm toward your right foot, by twisting at the waist. It should be a small movement. Repeat 20 times on each side.
Diet
-
1Reduce the number of processed foods you eat. Focus on cutting out sugary foods and processed grains.
-
2Replace soft drinks and alcohol with water and tea. Most sugar-filled drinks are between 150 and 300 calories.[13] These are considered "empty" calories, because they have few nutrients.
-
3Fill your plate half full with produce. The other half should be split between lean protein and whole grains.
-
4Eat a healthy breakfast that is between 300 and 600 calories. It is necessary to keep your metabolism from slowing down and storing more fat in your midsection.
-
5Keep a food diary.[14] Reduce what you eat by between 100 and 500 calories, reducing less on the days when you have a long workout.
- Most doctors agree that losing weight and keeping it off require small diet changes and reductions that you are committed to, rather than drastic diets.
Expert Q&A
-
QuestionWhat exercises can I do at home to lose back fat?
Alphonso WhiteAlphonso White is a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach at CompleteBody in New York City. With over 20 years of experience in the personal fitness industry, Alphonso specializes in fat loss, toning, and functional training. As an ACE Certified Personal Trainer (ACE-CPT), he creates structured, personal workout plans geared towards short and long-term fitness goals. Alphonso also holds a BS in Nutrition and Exercise Science from Queens College and is a Black Belt in Seido Karate.
Certified Personal Trainer, CompleteBody NYCNo single exercise will help with fat loss—it's a team effort that begins with reducing your caloric intake. Pull-ups, rows, and pulldown exercises are all excellent exercises to help you tone your back muscles, though.
Things You'll Need
- Sleep
- Stress reduction
- Pedometer
- Running shoes
- High-intensity cardio intervals
- Planks
- Side crunches
- Produce
- Healthy breakfast
- Food diary
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about losing weight, check out our in-depth interview with Laila Ajani.
References
- ↑ https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/stress-weight-gain
- ↑ https://news.yale.edu/2000/09/22/study-stress-may-cause-excess-abdominal-fat-otherwise-slender-women
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/prescriptions-life/201712/how-get-more-sleep
- ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/taking-aim-at-belly-fat
- ↑ https://psychcentral.com/lib/12-ways-to-shut-off-your-brain-before-bedtime/
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/10000-steps/art-20317391
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20046261
- ↑ https://www.military.com/military-fitness/weight-loss/lose-love-handles
- ↑ https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/high-intensity-interval-training-the-ultimate-guide.html
- ↑ https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20813896,00.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2VljzCC16g
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIgJkPjnFe4
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/nutrition/index.html
- ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-keep-a-food-diary-2019013115855
- http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/50-ways-to-lose-your-love-handles
About This Article
The key to losing your love handles is being active and living a healthy lifestyle. Aim for about 2 ½ hours of cardio exercise a week. If running or hitting the gym isn’t your thing, try yoga, dance, or playing a sport. Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. Avoid foods high in simple sugars like soda, cookies, and chocolate. It can take a little effort to get into the right routine, but once you get used to it, you’ll start seeing results! Try writing a food diary to keep track of what you're eating. For more tips, including how to do some simple weight-loss exercises at home, read on!
