Both heavy and thin women get love handles, and there's no quick way to make them disappear. Several factors can contribute to love handles, the most difficult to address being your genetics. Not all women can erase their love handles completely but a dedicated exercise program can help you greatly reduce their appearance.
Step 1
Perform 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-to-intense cardio activity five days per week to burn calories and fat. Love handles are made of fat and since you can't spot reduce certain parts of your body, you need to burn fat all over. Any form of aerobic exercise that increases your heart rate is helpful, but more intense activities will help you get the job done in less time. For example, a 200-lb. person burns 228 calories during an hour of walking at 2 mph; in the same amount of time, that person can burn 728 calories playing basketball or 1,229 running at 8 mph, reports MayoClinic.com.
Step 2
Add core-targeting strength-training moves to your exercise routine two to three days per week. Muscle-building exercises can't shrink love handles but they can strengthen and firm the underlying muscles so the area is tighter once the excess fat is lost. Plus, adding lean muscle mass to your body increases your metabolism mildly so your body burns more calories all day long, according to the University of California, Berkeley. Targeting your oblique muscles will firm the area directly underneath your love handles, but it's important to work the entire core, including the abdominals and back, to keep the muscles balanced. Try dumbbell side bends, bicycle crunches, back extensions, supermans, reverse crunches, planks, side planks and bridges. Avoid working the same muscles on consecutive days to allow them to heal and try to mix up your routine with new moves every few weeks to keep the muscles challenged.
Step 3
Choose healthy and low-calorie foods to fuel your workouts. Eating healthy also means you'll avoid undoing your hard work. Cutting your daily calorie intake by 500 can help you lose 1 lb. in a week, but you also need to choose nutrient-rich foods to provide energy and repair your muscles after exercise. Most of your calories should come from fruits and vegetables; whole grains like whole-wheat bread and pasta and brown rice; lean proteins like poultry, fish, beans and low-fat dairy; and unsaturated fat sources like olive oil, nuts, salmon, avocados and seeds.
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