5 Best Ways to Shrink Your Love Handles, According to Doctors
Can't get rid of that stubborn fat on the sides of your waist? Follow this advice.

Love handles, muffin top, spare tire—these unflattering terms cast shame on anyone who has excess fat on the sides of their belly. But the fact that they’re so widely used also goes to show how frustrating people find it to lose that fat. It can make pants and swimsuits fit poorly, and it’s hard to know how to target this area since doing hundreds of crunches isn’t going to move the needle. So, there’s a very good chance you’re wondering how to get rid of love handles. For the tips and tricks that actually work, we spoke to doctors and nutritionists for their best advice.
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Why are love handles so common?

First, it’s important to understand why fat so easily accumulates on the sides of our waists.
Elizabeth Katzman, a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner and founder of Strong Choices, says it’s often the result of an imbalance in estrogen hormones.
“Estrogen isn’t just a reproductive hormone—it also influences where your body stores fat,” she explains. “When estrogen is too high relative to progesterone, even in men and postmenopausal women, the body tends to store more fat in the hips, thighs, and midsection.”
Another hormone that affects weight is cortisol, which is activated by stress.
“Chronically high cortisol levels promote fat storage, especially in the abdominal area,” shares Katzman. “When your body thinks it’s under constant threat (even if that ‘threat’ is too much caffeine, under-eating, or daily stress), it holds onto fat as a protective mechanism. This is why people who work out intensely but don’t manage their stress often struggle to lose belly fat.”
Sometimes, though, love handles are due to much simpler reasons and are caused by poor diet, lack of exercise, or genetics, according to Charles Carlsen, OB-GYN, chief technology officer of DRSONO Medical.
“Fat is stored in areas of the body like the hips for energy, but if you take in more calories than you use, it converts to hard-to-remove fat in the sides and lower back,” he says.
Regardless of why you’ve developed love handles, there are some easy ways to help get rid of this stubborn fat.
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2
Walk consistently.

Cardio is a key component of any weight-loss plan, as it gets your heart pumping steadily. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity (or a combination of both somewhere in the middle).
“Running, cycling, or swimming raises the metabolism to burn calories and shed fat, even in troublesome areas like the love handles,” notes Carlsen.
But Alex Lee, physiotherapist, fitness and recovery expert, and co-founder of Saunny, says he often tells his clients that they don’t have to go crazy at the gym.
“Walk every day,” he advises. “Activity keeps your metabolism active and burns off fat, especially around the belly.”
To ramp things up, many experts suggest walking at an incline, which can get your heart rate up similarly to a jog or run without the strain on your joints.
“Incline walking increases calorie burn and engages your glutes, hamstrings, and core muscles much more than walking on flat terrain,” Thomas Pontinen, MD, LCP-C, cofounder and physician at Midwest Anesthesia and Pain Specialists, previously told Best Life.
If you have access to a treadmill, you can try out the 12-3-30 incline walking program.
3
Be smart with core workouts.

As any fitness expert will tell you, you can’t spot reduce fat. In other words, love handle-specific strength exercises alone aren’t enough to get rid of them.
However, as Katzman notes, “Building muscle helps shift your metabolism and improves insulin sensitivity, which is critical for fat loss.”
“You can do exercises such as side planks, Russian twists, and bicycle crunches, which work your obliques, the muscle running along the sides of your abdomen,” suggests Carlsen. “Alongside an overall fitness program, they can define the area.”
And in terms of your overall health, the CDC also advises getting two days per week of muscle-strengthening activity.
RELATED: 8 Gut-Friendly Foods That Help Fight Belly Fat, Dietitians Say.
4
Eat less sugar.

We don’t have to tell you that eating healthily and reducing calorie intake (in a safe way, of course!) are imperative to weight loss. For any such goal, you’ll want to cut out simple carbs, processed foods, and saturated fat. But for love handles, specifically, you should also pay close attention to your sugar intake.
“Your body stores fat quicker if your blood sugar goes up and down all day,” notes Lee.
To that end, Katzman recommends balancing your blood sugar by consuming more protein, fiber, and healthy fats, which “reduce the hormonal signals that tell your body to store fat.”
5
Stay calm and sleep well.

As Katzman mentioned, a buildup of cortisol can easily trigger your body to store fat along your waistline. Therefore, she says it’s important to take steps to reduce this hormone by prioritizing “better sleep, breathwork, nervous system regulation, and blood sugar stability.”
RELATED: Scientists Just Figured Out Why You Can’t Get Rid of That Stubborn Belly Fat.
6
Drink more water

According to the experts at Johns Hopkins University, there are many ways in which drinking more water can aid in weight loss:
- Water suppresses appetite: “Thirst, which is triggered by mild dehydration, is often mistaken for hunger by the brain,” Melina Jampolis, MD, an internist and board-certified physician nutrition specialist, told them.
- Water can stimulate your metabolism, according to a 2013 study.
- Water makes workouts more effective: “When muscle cells are dehydrated, they break down protein (aka muscle) more quickly and build muscle more slowly, so your workouts are much less effective,” Jampolis said.
- Water can decrease cortisol production.