The stored fat around your mid-section (commonly referred to as love handles) is typically the last fat to leave your body even after months or years of working an exercise plan. It is just extremely difficult to lose those last few pounds. Fact is - you cannot target fat loss ? no matter how hard you try or what somebody else is saying. There is a genetic factor that determines where humans accumulate fat. Women tend to accumulate it more in their hips, buttocks, and thighs, and men tend to accumulate it in their abdomen. Abdominal fat has been implicated in heart diseases, diabetes, and other health problems. Fat, no matter where it is located on your body, is part of the entire body, so you can't spot reduce, i.e., you can't do sit-ups and lose abdominal fat, and you can't do leg raises and lose thigh fat. Fat will be used as energy for your workouts and will be reduced after time performing cardio, resistance training, aerobic exercise, and eating healthy and in consideration.



The most important factor in losing those darn love handles is eating a healthy diet. If you fail to do so, no matter how hard you work out it will be difficult to reduce the fat around your mid-section. Basics for a good and healthy diet are to drink more water and less coffee or sodas. Also, increase your intake of fruits and veggies. When eating meats, try to use lean red meats ? it carries protein will help you to develop more muscles.

Speaking of muscles ? to increase your metabolism and to burn more fat you should build up more muscles. No, you do not have to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the more muscles you have the more fat your body can actually burn. Muscle is the engine that burns calories and sets your metabolic rate. It's a good thing to have lots of muscle, so any weightlifting as an example is very beneficial when trying to lose weight. When you start working out you might notice that you will lose fat in your face first ? this is a very common pattern when losing weight. So, how much workout should you do to lose weight? Working out about 5 times a week for 45 minutes each should get you going (combined with a healthy diet). If you are having difficulties at first, start walking and then slowly increase cardio exercises over time. Walking off the pounds is an easy way and even adds additional health benefits for your heart.

Whether you are a man or woman, you should do 30-45 minutes of activities like walking, running, biking, or swimming to burn off fat. If you can ? add pushups, squats, and some weight lifting, too. If you can extend your workout to 7 days a week and the pounds will come off faster than you would expect. A 7 day workout with 60 minutes each will a) give you good, visible results fast and b) will increase your energy level significantly.

Conclusion: Losing the love handles means losing fat in other body parts, too. You cannot force your body to lose weight in one specific spot. Combine healthy eating with exercise and you should see results fairly quick.