All people have problems losing weight in a certain place on the body. Some put on more weight on their hips and thighs while others struggle to lose fat on their arms. Wherever the fat is located, the only solution is to lose body weight overall. Treating, toning or losing weight in a specific region is practically impossible. It is necessary to change some aspects of diet, exercise and lifestyle in order to lose weight and tone your belly.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Eating Right to Lose Love Lovers
Step 1. Escape from fad diets
Crash diets can have an immediate effect, but unless you stick to this diet forever, you'll likely end up regaining lost weight when you return to normal life.
- In addition, many fad diets, such as those involving the consumption of processed products, may not be healthy in the long run.
- Many nutritionists advise staying away from these diets and making small lifestyle changes. It's easier to be able to make subtle changes and keep them for a long time.
Step 2. Decrease your calorie intake
Unfortunately, there is no way to lose weight in just one place on the body. To get rid of love handles, you need to lose body weight in general, reducing the amount of calories consumed daily.
- Calculate the calories you eat by reading food labels and writing them down in a journal. There are also many sites on the internet that calculate calories for free and can help you track calories consumed and research the nutritional value of each food.
- If you want to lose weight quickly, consume 500 to 750 calories less daily. Thus, it is possible to lose between 0, 5 to 1 kg per week if you also exercise.
- A diet with less than 1200 calories per day is not maintainable and is not recommended. Low-calorie diets can result in nutritional deprivation over time.
Step 3. Have a balanced diet
The diet should consist primarily of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meat proteins. A balanced diet that includes all food groups ensures that you consume adequate amounts of each nutrient every day.
- Also, diversify your diet. For example, don't just eat an apple every day. Switch between apples, strawberries or oranges.
- A balanced diet implies the consumption of adequate portions of each food. Consuming the right size servings can help with weight loss.
Step 4. Prefer above all to eat lean meats, fruits and vegetables
This combination of foods helps in the diet, especially in the loss of fat located in the belly.
- Several studies show that decreasing carbohydrate consumption and increasing protein consumption helps to lose abdominal fat stored around the organs. Such a diet can actually eliminate love handles.
- To get a good amount of protein, eat 80 to 110 grams of protein with each meal and 30 to 50 grams of protein for snacks. This amount provides for daily needs.
- Complete the rest of the meals with fruits or vegetables. Some nutritionists recommend eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables while others suggest filling half your plate with these foods.
Step 5. Limit your carbohydrate intake
It's best to decrease your daily carbohydrate intake if you eat more protein, fruits and vegetables. In this way, the loss of fat from the love handles is accelerated.
- Carbohydrates are found in many foods such as dairy products, grains, starchy vegetables, fruits and vegetables.
- Do not completely remove carbohydrates from your diet. Cutting down on starchy vegetables and grains is an easy way to cut carbohydrates out of your diet. Many of the nutrients found in this food group can be found in other foods as well.
- Eat only one or two servings of carbohydrate-rich foods a day. Complete meals with protein from lean meats or vegetables.
Step 6. Avoid eating processed foods and junk food
The vast majority of processed and junk foods we eat have a lot of calories. Decreasing consumption of these foods can help in losing excess body weight and unwanted love handles.
- The best way to avoid consumption is not to have this type of food at home. If you buy healthy food, you will eat healthy food.
- Prepare your own meals at home whenever possible, as most restaurants fill their food with butter, sugar and oil. When cooking at home, abandon butter and use olive oil instead.
- When you go out to eat, order the sauce/seasoning separately and prefer protein-rich foods over pizza and pasta to reduce calories.
Step 7. Stay hydrated
Proper hydration is important for overall health. Either way, drinking plenty of water daily can help eliminate body overweight.
- When trying to reduce body fat and lose weight, drinking the proper amount of water can help a person feel fuller and more satisfied throughout the day.
- Drink at least eight glasses of water a day. However, some people need to drink up to 13 glasses depending on their age, gender and activity level.
- To help control hunger and lose weight quickly, try drinking a full glass of water before meals and snacks. Water helps to quickly fill the stomach, increasing the feeling of fullness with less food.
Step 8. Watch out for snacks
Try eating healthy snacks between meals, eating carrots, celery, apples, and yogurt. Caloric snacks can spoil your regimen or even increase your weight.
- Most snacks should be 100 to 150 calories if you're trying to lose weight.
- Also, only have a snack when meals are more than four or six hours apart.
- For some people, weight gain is not about what you eat with meals, but what you eat between meals. Quit the bad habit of mindlessly snacking while you're standing in front of the fridge or rummaging through the cupboards.
- Avoid late-night snacks and prefer to have tea or chew gum. Set a time between 7 and 8 pm as a time limit for eating your last meal of the day.
Part 2 of 3: Incorporating Exercises
Step 1. Perform alternating oblique abdominals
An exercise that helps tone the belly, especially the love handles and the oblique muscles, is the alternating oblique abdominal. To do this exercise:
- Lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Raise your legs so that they are 12 to 60 cm above the ground.
- Bend your left knee, bring it toward your head, and bring your right elbow toward your left knee, lifting your torso.
- Then straighten your left leg and do the same thing on the opposite side, touching your right knee to your left elbow.
- Do 15 to 20 repetitions, increasing the number as you get stronger.
Step 2. Do the Russian Abdominal
This exercise is a little easier to perform compared to the alternating oblique and also targets the strengthening of the love handles and the oblique musculature. To do the exercise:
- Sit on the floor with your back straight and your feet extended in front of you. Bend your knees a little and keep your feet flat on the floor.
- Tilt your body back a little so that your back is at an angle a little less than 90 degrees to the floor. Hold 2 to 4 kg dumbbells in your hands and turn your body to the left, bringing it closer to the floor.
- Return your body to the original position and then do the same movement to the right side. Repeat 20 to 25 times.
Step 3. Make the side plank
The plank exercise is great for toning the entire midsection of the abdomen, but the side plank specifically strengthens the oblique muscles. To do this exercise:
- Stand on your side with your right elbow supporting your body and your left arm resting on your hip. The body must be completely straight. Hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Repeat on the other side, using your left elbow to support your body. You can switch sides a few times.
Step 4. Do gymnastics to tone your body
Yoga and Pilates classes help tone your entire body and make your muscles bigger and leaner. These types of exercises are perfect for those who don't want to get "robust".
- Take classes at a yoga studio or at a club or gym if you are a member.
- Try yoga videos or DVDs. This option may be cheaper than attending a yoga studio or paying a gym membership.
Step 5. Do aerobic exercise
In addition to improving overall health, cardiovascular training also helps you burn calories and decrease total body fat.
- There are several exercises you can do. Try running, climbing hills, hiking, biking, dancing and kickboxing.
- It takes at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise five times a week to stay healthy and lose weight.
- If you don't have time to add exercise to your routine, try incorporating more activity into your daily life. Walk places instead of driving, do household chores, shop and so on.
Part 3 of 3: Measuring Progress and Maintaining Motivation
Step 1. Take measurements
In order to assess how far you've progressed, it's a good idea to take measurements. Thus, it is possible to observe the amount of fat lost in the hip and belly.
- Use a measuring tape to take the measurement from the waist and from the bottom to the waist (about 5 cm below the navel) and finally measure the hips.
- Measurements can help track progress and are more useful than a scale as muscles weigh more than fat.
- Don't forget to take measurements at the beginning for a reference.
Step 2. Weigh yourself
Losing love handles means losing extra fat, that is, total body weight. Regular checks on the scale can also help to observe long-term fat burning.
- Weigh yourself once or twice a week in the morning on an empty stomach. Remember that clothes and shoes also weigh a little bit, so weigh yourself without clothes or just underwear.
- Track your weight so you can gauge progress. You will be able to notice excessive weight gain or loss more quickly by tracking your weight.
Step 3. Keep a food diary
Studies show that people who know what they eat through journal entries lose more weight than those who don't.
- These journals can help you organize and realize the responsibility you have for the decisions you make, so that your choices are more conscious.
- You can use a pen or pencil and a notebook, or download an app to your phone.
- Write down all meals, snacks and drinks. This information can be helpful if you notice unwanted weight gain or loss. It is possible to assess the food choices you have made that may have interfered with the changes.
Step 4. Find an exercise or diet partner
Losing weight together with someone can be a great source of inspiration. Studies show that people with support did better on the regimen.
- Work out with someone for more fun and motivation if either one feels like giving up.
- Ask friends, family or co-workers to support you or ask if they want to join you in training and dieting.
Tips
- Always talk to a doctor before making any dietary changes or starting new exercises.
- Exercise doesn't help you lose that lingering abdominal fat. Toning exercises strengthen the muscles under the fat layer, but don't eliminate it. The only way to lose fat is to eat less.