Love Handles!

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mommahaworth
mommahaworth Posts: 8
in Fitness and Exercise
Yuck! I have lost some weight (10lbs so far) and I can't help but to notice the love handles even more than before! I am at a loss for what I should be doing to help tone it all up. I am running, working out on the Elliptical, and doing reverse incline sit ups. I have been doing those just regular and then also a set where I twist as I come up to help. Is there something else I should be doing to help this?? Maybe it just takes time?

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  • EZGruv
    EZGruv Posts: 215 Member
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    You can't 'spot' lose or target love handles.
    Just keep up your cardio and weight training and watch your diet.
  • amylary
    amylary Posts: 46 Member
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    These are two working for me !!

    How to get rid of the love handles
    Apart from losing fat from the love handles it is important to tone and firm the area so the abdominal muscles show through clearly. The best exercise to help tone the love handles are side bends. These place direct stress on the external oblique muscles forcing them to tone and shape up. Side bends are done by standing straight with knees slightly bent and feet apart, then slowly lower the trunk a few inches to the left side then back again to do the right side. Try to keep the body and legs in line by not bending forwards or backwards.

    Another great exercise to lose love handles is torso twists. The abdominals are composed of 3 layers of muscles which slide over each other, torso twists help tone the transverse abdominis muscle tightening the love handles. While standing firmly with feet shoulder width apart, the torso twists gently to the left side then to the right while at the same time trying to limit the movement from the hips. During the movements the torso should always remain upright, there should be no bending involved. Care should also be taken not to twist too far as its easy to pull a muscle when exercising the love handles!
  • jenbusick
    jenbusick Posts: 528 Member
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    Yuck! I have lost some weight (10lbs so far) and I can't help but to notice the love handles even more than before! I am at a loss for what I should be doing to help tone it all up. I am running, working out on the Elliptical, and doing reverse incline sit ups. I have been doing those just regular and then also a set where I twist as I come up to help. Is there something else I should be doing to help this?? Maybe it just takes time?

    I don't know if our situations are similar, but I have noticed that at some points, my stomach will look smooth... and then I'll lose a pound, and it seems to come off in a way that makes me look pot-bellied. Then I'll lose another pound and it will smooth out -- until I lose the next pound and look pot-bellied again. It seems to have more to do with the pattern of how the weight comes off than with my actual *weight*. So maybe you'll see something like that with the love handles -- they'll look more prominent at some points and less so at others, but the more you lose the less prominent they should get overall.
  • loupammac
    loupammac Posts: 194 Member
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    Unfortunately, it just takes time. I lost weight from my butt first :frown: and my love handles are slowly receding. Just keep going with your cardio and chuck in some toning exercises like oblique twists and those sit-ups you're already doing. I'm trying to lose from my thighs and while I'm doing Zumba, Aqua and a Cardio/Strength class every week, I haven't seen any drastic changes in that department. *sigh* We'll get there one day. :grumble:
  • YayMe17
    YayMe17 Posts: 62 Member
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    I too have been a little concerned about this. I'm just about where you are in terms of weight lost.
    The love handles are still there but my clothes are fitting better & my muffin top is a bit less muffiny. LOL
    I think we need to be patient. I will check this post later to see if there is something more we can do.
    Thanks for posting this.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    Yes it's takes time. Genetics play a huge factor in where the fat is shed. Continue with the strength training. More lean muscle mass means more fat burning through the day (you won't bulk up). Unfortunately, you can't spot reduce or target burn so you can do situps and crunches all day and not get rid of the fat there, only tone up the muscles underneath. I've lost a lot of my love handles but still have a pooch in the front that hasn't gone anywhere (my upper belly has toned and flattened). It looks a little odd.

    Just keep working at it.
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    Try adding in some oblique work into your routine
  • Grammy54
    Grammy54 Posts: 21 Member
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    Moisturize your skin it just might be loose skin that needs to shrink. Skin can be slow at shrinking.
  • TrainerRobin
    TrainerRobin Posts: 509 Member
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    You can't 'spot' lose or target love handles.
    Just keep up your cardio and weight training and watch your diet.

    The hard, sad truth. You can't spot train to eliminate the fat that constitutes love handles. All the ab work in the world won't eliminate the fat that's covering those washboard abs up. The only way to get to having a lean mid section and eliminate love handles, is to reduce one's body fat. Yep -- via diet mostly, and as he said, cardio and weight training. It's a slow process, and frustrating but keep it up and those love handles will keep shrinking along with the rest of you.
  • bugnbeansmom
    bugnbeansmom Posts: 292 Member
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    True that you can't spot reduce but continue with the cardio and muscle toning. In the mean time, this is why God made Spanx! Even though I don't need them to make me look thinner these days, I still wear mine to ensure those spots that are slow to catch up are smooth and don't distract from the areas that are ahead. :) I just remind myself that even stars that are a size 0 (which I would NEVER want to be) wear Spanx to keep it looking smooth! :bigsmile:
  • myukniewicz
    myukniewicz Posts: 906 Member
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    i have to agree with the above posters, you can't "spot target" fat. just keep up the cardio exercises and incorporate some more strength training focusing on your core.
    i have lost 13 pounds since my lifestyle change, and i workout very hard and i have actually seen my love handles shrink.

    do you take your measurements?? i think that taking your measurements & recording them is a great motivator because sometimes we don't see the changes because its our own bodies, but they are there!!! :) i just took my measurements today and i've lost a total of 2 1/2 inches since last month.

    keep it up, and don't give up. you are doing great!!!!! :)
  • mommahaworth
    mommahaworth Posts: 8
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    I have never thought about that before! Maybe I am just noticing it more than normal but things are fitting better! Thanks

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