You exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet, but that pesky love handles just won’t go away. You’re not alone—many people struggle to get rid of those final few inches around their waist. According to medical experts, love handles are the dangerous accumulation of visceral fat around the sides and lower back area. This type of fat is highly linked to insulin resistance and other chronic health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. If you’re carrying a few extra pounds around your waistline, here’s what you need to know about love handles—including what causes them and how you can get rid of them for good.
So What Causes Love Handles?
There are a few different factors that can contribute, including:
1. Genetics: If your parents or grandparents carried extra weight around their middle, you might be more likely to do the same. This is due in part to genetics but also because lifestyle habits tend to be passed down from generation to generation.
2. Age: As we get older, our metabolism slows down, and we begin to lose muscle mass. This can cause our bodies to store more fat, especially around the abdomen.
3. Diet: Eating a diet high in processed foods, sugar, and unhealthy fats can lead to weight gain and love handles. Conversely, a diet rich in whole foods, lean protein, and healthy fats can help you maintain a healthy weight and avoid love handles.
4. Stress: When we’re stressed, our bodies release the hormone cortisol. This hormone has been linked to increased abdominal fat storage. So if you’re looking to lose love handles, it’s important to manage stress levels.
What Foods Cause Love Handles
Most people don’t realize that the foods they eat can have a direct impact on the development of love handles. However, the truth is that certain foods are more likely to lead to weight gain around the waistline. If you’re struggling to get rid of those pesky love handles, cutting out these five offenders from your diet could make all the difference.
- Refined carbs: White bread, pastries, and other baked goods made with refined flour are some of the biggest offenders when it comes to causing love handles. That’s because refined carbs are quickly broken down into sugar in the body, which can then be stored as fat. To avoid this, opt for whole-grain bread and other whole-grain products instead.
- Artificial sweeteners: Many diet drinks and processed foods contain artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose. Although these may not contain any calories, research has shown that they can still contribute to weight gain by disrupting the body’s natural ability to regulate blood sugar levels. For this reason, it’s best to avoid artificial sweeteners altogether if you’re trying to slim down your waistline.
- Trans fats: Trans fats are found in many processed food items, such as margarine, frozen pizzas, cookies, and crackers. These harmful fats not only promote weight gain but have also been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and other chronic health conditions. To avoid trans fats, check food labels carefully and limit your intake of processed foods as much as possible.
- Saturated fats: Saturated fats are found in animal-based products such as red meat, full-fat dairy items, and eggs. Although saturated fats aren’t as harmful as trans fats, they can still contribute to weight gain and should be limited in the diet. To help cut down on saturated fat intake, choose leaner cuts of meat and low-fat dairy items whenever possible.
- Alcohol: Drinking alcohol is another major contributor to weight gain around the waistline. That’s because alcohol contains empty calories that can quickly add up if you’re not careful. If you want to avoid love handles, limit your alcohol intake or cut it out completely.
How To Get Rid Of Love Handles Fast
Here are some tips on how to get rid of love handles fast:
1. Cut back on processed foods and empty calories. Love handles are often the result of eating too many unhealthy foods. If you want to get rid of them, you need to cut back on processed foods and empty calories. Replace these bad eating habits with healthier alternatives like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Not only will this help you lose weight overall, but it will also help reduce the amount of visceral fat around your waistline.
2. Start doing cardio exercises. Cardio is one of the best ways to burn calories and shed unwanted fat quickly. If you want to get rid of your love handles fast, start incorporating some cardio exercises into your workout routine. Running, biking, and swimming are all great options. Just make sure to get your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes a day for the best results.
3. Incorporate strength training into your workouts. In addition to doing cardiovascular exercises, it’s also important to add some strength training into the mix. Strength training not only helps build lean muscle mass, but it also helps boost your metabolism so you’ll continue burning calories long after your workout is over. Aim to do strength-training exercises three times a week for the best results.
4. Try HIIT workouts. HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts are a great way to torch calories and shed fat quickly. With HIIT workouts, you alternate between periods of high-intensity activity and low-intensity recovery periods. This type of workout is very effective at burning belly fat, so it’s perfect for getting rid of love handles fast.
5 . Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Getting enough sleep is important for overall health and weight loss, but it’s also crucial for getting rid of love handles fast. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces more cortisol, a stress hormone that can lead to an increase in abdominal fat storage. So make sure you’re getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night if you want to lose those love handles fast.
6 . Reduce stress levels. Like lack of sleep, stress can also lead to an increase in abdominal fat storage. If you want to lose your love handles, it’s important to find ways to reduce stress in your life. Exercise, meditation, and spending time outside are all great ways to de-stress.
7 . Drink plenty of water. Drinking lots of water is important for overall health, but it can also help with weight loss. When you drink plenty of water, you stay hydrated, which helps boost your metabolism and aids in the breakdown of stored body fat. So drink up if you want to slim down those love handles!
8 . Avoid alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic drinks are loaded with empty calories that can quickly add up and contribute to weight gain around the waistline. So if you’re trying to lose your love handles, cut back on drinking or avoid alcoholic beverages altogether.
9 . Take supplements. There are certain supplements that can help promote weight loss around the waistline by reducing appetite, boosting metabolism, or increasing thermogenesis (the process by which the body burns calories ). Some good options include green tea extract, caffeine, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), raspberry ketones, and garcinia Cambogia extract.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to get rid of your love handles fast, then following these tips will definitely help you out. Just remember to be patient and consistent with your efforts, and don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results immediately. With a little bit of hard work and determination, you’ll be able to lose those love handles in no time!
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the main cause of love handles?
Retention of fat is the root cause of love handles. In general, fat cells build up when your body consumes too many calories, or you don't burn off as much as you're ingesting. As they build up in specific locations, such as your waist and hips, over time, these fat cells may become visible.
How long does it take to lose love handles?
With a healthy, calorie-controlled diet and regular cardio and strength-training workouts, you can lose lower back fat and love handles. You may start to see a difference in two weeks.
Why do I have love handles if I'm skinny?
If you limit the number of calories you eat but get most of them from refined carbs, sugars, and saturated fats, your body might not get all the nutrients it needs, especially protein, to keep lean tissue strong. Because of this, you may be losing weight in the form of lean muscle rather than fat, so your love handles may stay the same.
Are love handles genetic?
The majority of love handles are linked to weight gain or hormonal changes rather than being inherited. Even if you maintain a healthy weight and get enough exercise, genetics may play a role in your love handles.