Everyone has problem areas where they can't lose fat. For some people, fat mass builds up in the hips and thighs, while others struggle to lose it in their arms. Whatever your specific problem, the only solution is to burn fat throughout the body; topical, toning or slimming treatments for a single part of the body almost never offer positive results. You will need to change some aspects of your diet, exercise and lifestyle changes to lose weight and tone your belly.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Eating Right to Lose Love Handles
Step 1. Avoid extreme diets
They can guarantee immediate results, but if you are unable to follow them forever, you will regain all the weight lost as soon as you return to your normal lifestyle.
- Many extreme diets, such as those that require you to eat heavily processed foods, can be detrimental to health in the long run.
- Most health experts recommend avoiding strict diets and making small lifestyle changes. This is an easier approach to adopt and maintain over the long term.
Step 2. Reduce your calorie intake
Unfortunately, there is no way to burn fat in just one area of the body. If you want to get rid of love handles, you need to lose weight all over your body, taking in fewer calories every day.
- Calculate the amount of calories you eat in a day by reading food labels and keeping a food diary. There are also a number of online services that help you keep track of the calories you ingest and find the nutritional information of various foods.
- If your goal is to lose weight quickly, reduce your calorie intake by 500-750 calories per day. Following a diet with this calorie deficit will help you lose 500g to 1kg per week when combined with regular physical activity.
- A diet of less than 1200 calories is not sustainable in the long run and is not recommended. Eating a diet that is very low in calories can lead to nutrient deficiencies in the long run.
Step 3. Eat a balanced diet
Your diet should consist primarily of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. If your diet includes these food groups, you can be sure that you are getting adequate amounts of all types of nutrients every day.
- Eat a variety of foods. For example, don't eat an apple a day. Alternate between apples, berries, and oranges.
- Eating a balanced diet means eating adequate portions of each food. This can help you lose weight.
Step 4. Focus mainly on lean proteins, fruits and vegetables
This combination of foods helps you lose weight by burning fat in the belly area.
- Many studies have shown that low-carb, high-protein diets help burn fat around the abdominal organs. This type of nutrition can really target the fat found in love handles.
- To get enough protein, aim to eat 90-120g servings with each meal and 30-60g servings with each snack.
- Complete your meals with fruits and vegetables. Some health professionals recommend eating 5-9 servings a day of these foods, while others suggest filling half of your plate with them.
Step 5. Limit carbohydrates
If you focus mainly on proteins, fruits and vegetables, minimize the amount of carbohydrates you eat each day. This helps you promote weight loss in love handles.
- Carbohydrates are found in many foods, including: dairy products, grains, starchy vegetables, fruits and legumes.
- Don't avoid carbohydrates entirely. Minimizing starchy vegetables and grains is an easy way to follow a low-carb diet. Many of the nutrients found in those food groups can be taken from other foods.
- Limit yourself to 1-2 servings of carbohydrate-rich foods per day. The rest of the diet should consist of lean proteins and vegetables.
Step 6. Limit processed foods and junk foods
Many processed foods and junk foods contain high calorie values. By limiting these foods, you will be able to lose weight and eliminate love handles.
- The best way to avoid eating unhealthy foods is not to keep them at home. If you only buy healthy foods, you are forced to eat those.
- Cook your own meals at home if possible, as most of the dishes in restaurants are prepared with butter, sugar and oil. When cooking at home, use not butter but olive oil or cooking spray.
- When ordering something, cut back on calories by asking for the toppings and sauces to be set apart, preferring protein-rich foods to pizza and pasta.
Step 7. Stay hydrated
Staying hydrated is very important for your overall health. Also, drinking enough water every day can help you lose weight.
- When trying to lose weight and burn fat, drinking plenty of water can help you feel fuller and more satisfied throughout the day.
- Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, but you can go as high as 13 depending on your age, gender and activity level.
- To combat hunger and speed up weight loss, try drinking a glass of water before meals and snacks. It will help you feel full faster and eat less.
Step 8. Watch out for snacks
Make healthy snacks like carrots, celery, apples, and yogurt to eat between meals. High calorie snacks can prevent you from losing weight or even make you gain weight.
- Most of your snacks shouldn't exceed 100-150 calories if you want to lose weight.
- Eat something alone if you are really hungry or if you have to wait 4-6 hours between meals.
- Many people fail to lose weight not because of what they eat with meals, but rather because of what they eat between meals. You lose the habit of eating without thinking in front of the refrigerator or when doing housework.
- Avoid midnight snacks by drinking tea or chewing gum and set a time, like 9pm, after which you don't have to eat anymore.
Part 2 of 3: Exercise
Step 1. Do bicycle crunches
This exercise helps tone the abdomen, especially the hip area and oblique muscles. To do it:
- Lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Raise your legs so that they are 30-60cm above the ground.
- Bend your left knee and bring it close to your head, then bend your body so that your right elbow touches your left knee.
- Now, straighten your left leg and repeat the previous movement with the other, touching it with your left elbow.
- Complete 15-20 reps per set, increasing the number over time.
Step 2. Do Russian twists
This rotation exercise is simpler than regular crunches, but focuses on training the hips and obliques area. To do it:
- Sit on the floor with your back straight and your feet stretched out in front of you. Bend your knees slightly and keep your feet parallel to the ground.
- Lean back slightly so that your back forms an angle of less than 90 degrees to the floor. Hold a 2-5 kg weight in your hand and lean your body to the left, lowering yourself towards the ground.
- Return the body to the starting position and repeat the exercise on the right side. Complete 20-25 repetitions.
Step 3. Do side planks
This exercise is very useful for toning the whole core, but with a small variation you can specifically work the oblique muscles. To do it:
- Start in the side plank position, with your right elbow supporting your weight and your left arm at your side. Make sure your body is completely straight and hold the position for 30-60 seconds.
- Repeat on the other side, resting on your left elbow. You can swing from one side to the other sometimes.
Step 4. Try courses that tone the whole body
Yoga and pilates help tone your entire body and lead you to develop long, lean muscles. These activities are perfect for those who don't want to get too muscular.
- Sign up for a yoga class or full-body toning class at your gym if you take one.
- Watch yoga videos online or on DVD. These solutions are cheaper than a gym membership.
Step 5. Do aerobic exercise
Getting enough cardiovascular exercise not only improves your overall health, it also helps you burn calories and reduce fat mass throughout your body.
- You can do many such exercises. Try running, walking uphill, hiking, biking, dancing, and kickboxing.
- You should do at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity 5 times a week to maintain good overall health and lose weight.
- If you don't have enough time to do a traditional workout, try integrating more movement into your everyday life. Walk to your destinations instead of driving, do housework, stroll through shop windows and so on.
Part 3 of 3: Check Progress and Stay Motivated
Step 1. Take your measurements
To understand how much progress you have made, a good idea is to make a note of your measurements. This will help you control how much fat you have burned on your hips and belly.
- Use a tape measure to measure the circumference of the narrowest part of the waist, the lowest point of the belly (5 cm below the navel) and the hips.
- These measures can help you check your progress and are more useful than the numbers on the scale, because muscle mass weighs more than fat.
- Do not forget to measure your waist size before starting the diet, to have a reference value.
Step 2. Weigh yourself
Losing love handles means burning excess fat and, as a result, weighing less. Regular checks on the scale will also help you stay slim in the long run.
- Weigh yourself once or twice a week in the morning, before breakfast. Remember that clothes and shoes also have weight, so step on the scale naked or wearing only underwear.
- Take note of your weight to evaluate your progress. You will be able to immediately understand if you are gaining weight or if you are losing weight too quickly, if you check your weight every day.
Step 3. Keep a food diary
Studies have shown that people who keep track of what they eat lose more weight than those who don't.
- Food journals help you organize yourself better and make you feel more responsible for your decisions.
- You can keep a diary with pen and paper, or download an application for your smartphone.
- Make a note of all meals, snacks and drinks. This information can be helpful if you notice unwanted weight gains or losses. You will be able to check which food choices led to those changes.
Step 4. Find a friend who is exercising or dieting with you
Losing weight together with another person can be a great source of inspiration. Studies have shown that people who receive someone's support are more likely to successfully lose weight.
- Train together to make the exercises more fun and motivate each other when one of you would like to give up.
- Ask friends, family or colleagues to help you out or follow a diet or exercise program with you.
Advice
- Always talk to your doctor before making any changes to your diet or exercise program.
- Exercise alone is not enough to lose belly fat. Toning exercises help you build muscle beneath the fat, but they don't directly affect the fat mass. The only way to burn fat is to eat less and exercise.
