There are no miracle potions or tablets to quickly zap the love handles but there are a lot of ways to reduce them. A good combo of exercise and good old fashioned healthy eating will reduce the appearance of the fat stacks quicker than you think. Here are a few tried and tested 'Love handle reducer' techniques.

Cut down on alcohol.

I can here a collective gasp already. But the fact is, alcohol does contain a lot of calories. Excess calories is stored as fat which can manifest itself into great big love handles. Sounds sexy? Nope, not really. OK, so you don't have to go tee total. Just try and drink the stuff in moderation. There are also many low cal and light versions of our favourite drinks which are also well worth a try. It all helps.

Dumbbell side bends

This is one of those good exercises which will build up muscle and reduce fat in the love handle area. Start by standing up straight and hold one dumbbell in your hand at your side. Then slowly start to bend the torso sideways whilst letting the dumbbell drift toward the ground. Now slowly start to straighten back up to your starting position using your stomach muscles. Do 15 on each side.

Reduce the calories

This is one of the steps you can NOT avoid. To reduce fat and lose weight, you need to cut down on excess calories. It's simple. Even if your were to exercise like you were possessed, the fact is that you will always gain weight if you are eating more calories than you are working off whilst exercising. Get a grip on the amount you eat and the type of food which passes your lips. This practically always goes for fat and sugary foods.

Cardiovascular exercise is GREAT.

Getting on the treadmill or a brisk long walk. Spinning classes at the gym or a ride through the forest. Any kind of cardiovascular exercise is great. Be it football, skating, running or anything which could raise the heart rate and even break you into a sweat. Don't kill yourself, just do what you can. And it always helps to do an activity which you enjoy. That way, you'll do it for longer and burn more calories.