Will I Lose My Love Handles While Losing Weight?

Love handles is a term used to describe the area of the lower abdomen, just above each hip bone, which can develop a buildup of fatty tissue -- especially for women. In terms of chronic disease, having love handles is healthier than storing fat in the middle abdominal region, but you may find it undesirable for aesthetic reasons. Where you store fat depends on your genetics, but with exercise and a healthy diet, you can lose fat throughout your entire body -- including your love handles.

The Spot-Reducing Myth

Many magazines and advertisements encourage you to work the specific area of your body where you want to lose weight. According to the American Council on Exercise, this method of training, called spot-reducing, does not work. If you lose weight, it will come from the fat cells throughout your entire body rather than only the area of the body you are exercising. You are better off focusing on burning as many calories as possible during your exercise rather than doing exercises specifically to lose hip fat.

The Contribution of Genetics

Where you tend to store your fat is a result of genetics. Unfortunately, the American Council on Exercise notes, it is hardest to lose fat in the areas that you tend to store it first. For most women as well as some men, fat is stored first in the hip area, making it difficult to get rid of love handles. However, perseverance will eventually pay off as you lose weight throughout your whole body.

Exercise and Weight Loss

Because weight loss occurs over the entire body at one time and involves expending more calories than you are eating, exercising regularly will help you lose your love handles. Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling or swimming burns extra calories and contributes to weight loss. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you need to do a minimum of 150 to 250 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week for modest weight loss, while greater amounts provide more significant weight loss. Strength training is also an important factor in weight loss because it increases your muscle mass, which in turn increases your metabolism and helps you burn fat. You should do strength training at least twice a week to encourage muscle growth.

Nutrition and Weight Loss

Although exercise may be enough to help you lose weight without changing your diet, eating healthy, low-fat foods will also help you lose weight as well as sustain your weight loss. This, in turn, can help shrink your love handles. The USDA updated its Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 2010 in response to the rapid rise in adult and child obesity. The new guidelines suggest that everyone consume more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and low-fat dairy. At the same time, you should limit the sodium, saturated fat and trans fat, sugar and refined grains in your diet.