How to Lose Your Love Handles

If you ask almost any fitness professional how to lose your love handles, they will tell you two things: No amount of abdominal crunches will make a difference if you don’t first improve your diet and exercise regimen.

And there is no such thing as “spot reducing” when it comes to fat loss, so you can’t target this area alone.

Love handles, the pinchable fat on both sides of your stomach that leads to a “muffin top” appearance, are especially stubborn. They do not respond as quickly to diet and exercise changes as the more dangerous visceral fat that is deep within your abdomen and leads to more of a “potbelly” appearance.

If you are a woman and your waist is larger than 35 inches around or a man with a waist size greater than 40 inches, you will lose the deep belly fat first. This is actually better for your health, as visceral fat has been linked to numerous medical issues, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre-diabetes and inflammation.

To lose the subcutaneous fat that forms not-so-lovable love handles (or excess fat on your hips, thighs and buttocks), it’s going to take even more time and effort.

What is the best diet for losing your love handles? The one you can stick with long-term, as it’s not going to be quick or easy for most people. This is especially true for men, as this is often the last place on their body where they lose weight.

In terms of specific exercise recommendations, three top trainers shared the advice they give their A-list clients.

Gunnar Peterson, who trains Hollywood actors and professional athletes including the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, advocates a comprehensive lifestyle approach that includes clean eating, adequate sleep, stress management, plenty of hydration, and sprint work mixed with steady-state cardio on alternate days to optimize fat burning.

Sprint work, also known as high-intensity interval training, involves alternating periods of maximum effort with periods of recovery (not be confused with rest). The duration of sprints can increase and recovery periods can decrease as your fitness levels improve. Steady-state cardio involves working out at approximately 65% to 85% of your maximum heart rate for at least 30 minutes.