What Causes Love Handles & The Skinny Fat Phenomenon
Love handles and overall skinny fat physiques often result from:
- Consuming excess calories and sugary, processed foods leading to fat gain
- Not strength training to build metabolism-boosting muscle
- Genetic predisposition to store fat around the midsection
To lose fat in stubborn areas like love handles, you must create a sustained calorie deficit through nutrition and training.
Start With Your Nutrition Plan
To lose love handles, focus first on reducing calories through an optimal diet:
- Cut out added sugars and refined carbs - These promote fat storage.
- Increase healthy fats - Foods like avocados, nuts and olive oil improve satiety.
- Fill up on fiber - High fiber foods enhance feelings of fullness and gut health.
- Moderate overall calories - Eat in a daily deficit to tap into fat stores.
- Prioritize protein in each meal - Preserves and builds calorie-burning muscle.
Apps like MyFitnessPal help track nutrition for fat loss.
Incorporate Effective Training Routines
Properly-designed training is key to losing love handles and reversing the skinny fat look.
Add Strength Training
- Builds muscle essential for raising metabolism and burning fat in stubborn areas
- Try higher weight, lower rep compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, rows, presses
Include Targeted Cardio
- 3 HIIT sessions weekly are ideal for extra calorie burn
- Start with walking to build an easy extra calorie deficit
Train Core Directly
- Crunches, planks, side bends, Russian twists, etc.
- Tones and strengthens the abs underneath love handles
Optimize Lifestyle Factors Impacting Fat Loss
Dialing in other lifestyle elements accelerates love handle and stubborn fat reduction:
- Get 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night
- Manage and relieve stress through yoga, meditation, etc.
- Allow for periodic diet breaks and refeed days
- Utilize metabolism-boosting supplements like caffeine
With patience and consistency implementing effective nutrition, training and lifestyle strategies as covered here, you can eliminate stubborn love handles for good on your journey out of the skinny fat stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to lose love handles?
Most people begin to lose noticeable love handle fat within 4-6 weeks of consistent diet, exercise and lifestyle changes. Significant reductions can occur in just 8-12 weeks.
What causes fat to accumulate around the midsection?
Genetics, excess calories, sugary foods, lack of exercise and hormonal influences of cortisol and insulin promote midsection fat storage in areas like the love handles.
How often and long should I perform cardio to lose love handles?
Aim for 3-5 intense 20 minute HIIT cardio sessions weekly for best fat burning results. Low intensity steady state cardio can be added for extra burn.
Does spot reduction through direct core work get rid of love handles?
Unfortunately, spot reducing love handles via core exercises is largely a myth. You must burn overall body fat through calorie deficit to reduce love handles. But direct ab work helps tone the area.
Stick with the comprehensive love handle and skinny fat reduction tactics here for lasting success optimizing both health and physique!