What causes love handles? Let us get one thing straight – most people hate love handles no matter how sexy the name sounds. While they are so easy to gain, they are difficult to get rid of. And this can be quite frustrating for people who are trying to get rid of fat around the waistline. When researching on how to get rid of love handles women and men alike are realizing that they are mostly the last and sometimes the hardest to burn.

Read on and discover what love handles really mean, what causes love handles and how to get rid of them. Find out on Love is All Colors, what might be holding you back from losing them and how to lose the extra fat in order to get that sexy body you have always wanted.

What do love handles mean?

To use simple words, love handles mean the fatty bulges that extend on the sides of the body at a person’s waistline. These are excess fatty deposits that accumulate on the sides of our abdominal areas. Love handles do not happen overnight. They develop over time. The fat just sits there and resists the workouts you do especially if you are not keen on figuring out what might have caused them.

Whether you are proud of your love handles or you hate them with all your gut, they are real. While some people are willing to accommodate them, they are the reason most people aren’t comfortable wearing fitting clothes. Fitting clothes aside, one of the main reasons you need to prioritize getting rid of them is your health first.

Why Do You Have Love Handles?

“Why do I have love handles?” “What causes love handles?” These are some of the questions that will be addressed as we move along.

When you eat foods that are high in fat, sugar or foods that have high calories, you are prone to develop love handles over time. This is because fat retention is a major cause of these little devils. Sadly, most people have unhealthy eating habits. They tend to go through their days eating unhealthy food and snacks.

One other thing that might seem like a cause of love handles is the lack of enough sleep. Adequate rest helps alleviate stress. But when you are stressed and too busy all the time, it can be nearly impossible to make healthy food choices. Develop a better time management plan that can help you manage stress and get enough sleep because high levels of stress contribute to weight gain, hence love handles.

The other reason why a lot of people have love handles is age. As we grow older, we are increasingly at risk of developing love handles because we tend to engage in physical activities less. We need to be active in order to burn fat.  So if you want to keep love handles at bay, try and stay as physically active as your strength and health will allow.

Some health conditions can also cause love handles. One such condition is the underactive thyroid also known in medical terms as hypothyroidism. Health issues like these make it really difficult to burn extra calories because they tend to slow down your metabolism. So if you have tried everything to burn fat and it’s not going away, see your doctor. An undiagnosed and/or untreated health condition could be the underlying reason.

Three ways to deal with love handles

Now that you know what causes love handles, what are you going to do about them?

If only losing weight was that simple! Oh, the joy!!! Sadly, it is not. However, you should bear in mind that the habits and activities you might be engaging in could be doing more harm than good to your weight loss efforts. You need to make a conscious decision to follow the recommendations given because some of them will require you to forfeit most of the pleasures you would normally indulge in.

When thinking of how to get rid of love handles women try a lot of things, and many of these are just not advisable. In this section, we explore ways of getting rid of love handles especially for women who want to get back in shape again.

Stop binge eating and change your diet

What foods cause love handles? As a result of work, you may find yourself in need of an occasional snack to get by. Unfortunately, snacking is a common cause of love handles as this habit contributes gaining some extra pounds you do not want. Get rid of the cakes, fries, chocolate and stick to a healthy diet. This will go a long way in getting rid of your love handles.

Include more lean proteins (beans, nuts, fish, among others)  in every meal. These help to balance your blood sugar. Stay off foods that are high in calories, fats, and carbs in order to reduce the accumulation of fat around your waistline. Energy drinks and sodas are not exempted from this as they are high in calories and will only contribute to making your love handles bigger.

Balance your insulin and cortisol hormones

It may sound off but your hormones have a great deal of influence on where fat is stored and retained, irrespective of gender. Love handles thrive on two major hormones; insulin (chemical hormone) and cortisol (best known as stress hormone).

Insulin is the hormone that gives way for sugar to enter the cells for production of energy. When high content of sugar is consumed, the body ultimately stores it as fat.

While it is easier said than done, you need to keep your stress levels at an absolute minimum and eliminate sugar completely from your diet. When your insulin levels are low, weight loss happens.

Reduce your alcohol intake

I can understand the once-in-a-while craving for alcohol to help you relax. However, if it becomes a consistent go-to stress reliever, then there is a problem. Alcohol contains a lot of calories. Two glasses of wine every day can make you gain two pounds in a month!

Opt for exercise as the ultimate stress reliever. Take walks, go swimming and do activities or cycle your stress away instead of relying on alcohol. Studies have proven that heavy drinkers tend to have a wider waist circumference compared to occasional drinkers.

Combine the above recommendations with exercise. Exercise is still the best way to reduce love handles. Do a combination of cardio workouts and weightlifting exercises such as bicycle crunches, side planks, mountain climbing… These are far healthier alternatives than downing the booze.

Much as love handles themselves may seem harmless, the accumulation of fat is a recipe for more serious health risks such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, among other diseases. Love your body and take care of it.

When you exercise right (the right combination of cardio and muscle building exercises), eat healthily and reduce your alcohol intake, you will get start seeing positive results, no matter how little. Always remember to reward yourself for any improvement no matter how little. If getting rid of love handles was so easy, every woman in the world would be a swimsuit model! So stop being too hard on yourself.

Follow the link and read about the common weight loss mistakes that are making you not reach your desired weight.