Getting rid of muffin top: lose fat or build muscle?

ekritter7

Hey everybody. I'm half way to my weight goal!!! I can't believe how fast this has gone. I know it's going to get harder as it goes though, so I'm trying to come up with goals that involve something other than the scale.
I have love handles/muffin top TO THE MAX even though I'm at a high-end-of-healthy weight (I still have about ten pounds until I hit my goal that's smack dab in the middle of the healthy range) for my height. I want to start seeing these fatty lumps on my sides GO AWAY. My question: do I want to lose fat or do I need to target and build muscles to change my figure a little? Recommend some exercises to me please

Chef_Barbell

Muffin tops are usually caused by ill fitting pants. Buy pants in your size.

ekritter7

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

Muffin tops are usually caused by ill fitting pants. Buy pants in your size.

Lmao, thanks. It's how my shape is right now though. I just have more fat there.
I guess "muffin top" was the wrong phrase though. Oops!

JennyRATL

I'm there with you, ekritter. Everyone says you can't target weight loss, though. I'm mixing cardio and weights/strength. I use a slam ball for some killer ab workouts I found on Fitness.com. (I can't find it right now, darnit. I'll keep looking.)

But you use a slam ball or medicine ball. Start with it down by right hip and bring up across the body to extend up over the left shoulder. It is one of the only workouts where I FEEEEEEEL those obliques screaming!

Sorry I can't be more helpful, but I'm curious what folks say.

ETA: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/abs/exercises/intense-5-minute-ab-workout/

not_a_runner

If you are still "over fat" as they say, building muscle is not going to change this. You'll still have the fat, just with more muscle under it. (And there's not a lot of muscle building you can do for the "muffin top" area.)
I would continue to aim for fatloss until you're at a body fat you're happy with. As you get closer to your goal you could look into doing a recomp, maintain your weight and aim to lose a little more fat while building some muscle.
That being said, I'm a huge advocate of weight training, and you can definitely start incorporating it while still working on fatloss. It could be a fun way to focus on performance rather than just the scale.
I would find a progressive program to follow. Strong Curves is very popular and has an emphasis on the booty, which many women enjoy.

jemhh

I agree with Chef Barbell about muffin top.

If you have fat on your side and you want it gone, the solution is to lose fat.

SezxyStef

you can't spot reduce unfortunately...need to continue to lose more is all.

To your question about building muscle no you need to gain weight to do that or stay the same weight and you need to do some form of resistance training as well...

Now...do the resistance training...for sure....helps maintain muscle which is important...

JessicaMcB

I agree with the above that this is a fat loss issue. You say you're at the uppermost limits of healthy BMI, so you may have to aim for much lower in the range to lose this fat depending on where and when your body chooses to let it go. Or buy a larger size and have it tailored if you are happy where you are but have unique fit issues.

idabest777

I was the same..At the top of my BMI I also had some pretty hefty love handles. I've lost 20lbs since then and they're essentially gone, but it turns out I also just have wide hip bones, so it made the love handles seem larger than they actually were I think.
I'd suggest you just try to lose the fat though as opposed to seeing muscle. And definitely measure them with a tape measure. I found that sometimes it didn't seem they were going down but there was usually about an inch gone each month.

callsitlikeiseeit

you can build all the muscle you want, but if you have a thick layer of fat on top of it, you wont ever see it.

and buy clothes that fit.

DaniCanadian

I'd say try to build some muscle or at least strength train to maintain muscle cause you won't build while eating in a deficit. My figure changed after having babies from small waist to muffin top/hips being my problem area. I'm doing fitness blender workouts on YouTube and it's really helping to get rid of those areas (it's helping everywhere but that's where I see most results so far). They combine cardio and strength, they have all kinds of video lengths depending how much time you have and they do some with and some without equipment. Plus, free! Just youtube fitness blender.

Chadxx

If you you want the live handles gone, you need to get leaner. Lift to maintain the muscle you have and maintain a calorie deficit and you will get there.

MelanieCN77

ekritter7 wrote: »

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

Muffin tops are usually caused by ill fitting pants. Buy pants in your size.

Lmao, thanks. It's how my shape is right now though. I just have more fat there.
I guess "muffin top" was the wrong phrase though. Oops!

Notwithstanding the extra around the middle when I hit 185, I find I'm actually the same overall shape no matter what I weigh. My legs and thighs are smaller but same shape, my hips are still the same shape but smaller, butt smaller but still kinda square. I've had clothes I figured would look so much better 30lbs down and they don't. It's not always you, sometimes it really is just the garment.

cwolfman13

Building muscle isn't going to do anything for the spare tire. I have a little one right now due to putting on about 10 Lbs over winter...it will be gone when I knock those 10 Lbs off. You should do some resistance training though in order to preserve muscle that you have...

courtneyfabulous

Both! Lift weights to improve your physique and preserve lean muscle mass, stay in a caloric deficit to lose fat.