Obscenely large love handles - Page 2

+1 to this guy. Exactly what I was going to say.

Watch your caloric intake - keep a food journal. Try and reduce the number of calories you eat every day. Taking away things high in CALORIES (not fat!) will get you thinner.

Also, swimming is excellent for cardio. Try it out; it can't hurt.

Not really. Swimming burns calories at a much slower rate than weight-bearing exercises like running or high-intensity elliptical, thus not ideal for someone looking to lose weight fast.

Soooo many threads like this pop up all the time. Read up a little back on anything that contains 'does this tone' 'im fat' 'i need to lose my gut' etc etc.

Eat smaller, more often. Find your maintenance calories and eat a couple hundred less, but not more than that because you'll put your body into fat store mode. Do high intensity workouts as opposed to long cardio ones. For high intensity lifting principles look up "High Intensity Training" in google and look for stuf that Arthur Jones is involved in. You can shoot off there and do HIIT, Tabata, etc etc but for now just change up what you're doing as it's obviously not working.

I do this because I either don't get up in time to eat breakfast, or scarf down breakfast just before hittint the gym, where I typically do some pretty intense cardio. Have fluctuated between the two for, say, the last... 12 years or so, minus weekends. Hmmm... I thought that that method was called "getting a workout into a hectic schedule". Never knew it was actually good for me

Nearly makes up for the mocha I just washed down the 2 croissants with.

I don't think your problem is particularly mysterious. I am about your height (5'9"), I also 1-hour do endurance type workouts (running, swimming, cycling) with moderate intensity about 5 to 6 hours per week. I have good but by no means great body tone and a flat but by no means 6-packed stomach. Just moderately good shape w/o being particularly body-con.

I weigh about 140-145 pounds. The reason that you have big love handles is that you are at least 30-35 pounds overweight. Lose the weight, lose the handles. Figure out the quantity of calories you need to maintain your weight while maintaining your current very good exercise regime. Eat 500 calories less than that per day. Different body metabolism's may respond differently to different regimes. Play around. The internet is full of narcissists who will insist that the regime that works best for their metabolism is the only best regime. Don't ignore them because they can be a source of ideas about things to try. But whatever way you choose, exercise regularly and eat 500 calories a day less than your body mainetenance weight for the next year and you will have a trim waist. If you find the exact regime that works best for you, you may be able to lose that weight quickly, if not, it will be a little more slowly. My advice would be to do a course of exercise you find to be most fun. Since you are going to be healthy for the rest of your life, 3 months here or there wont be significant.

It can work, I am not saying that it does not. But, it is not necessary. Show me a few independent studies where this boosted metabolism theory is supported. I said a few and independent. Most people probably read in Mens health or on bodybuilding.com that 6 meals= fat loss. Look at history. As for your bodybuilding example, I doubt the OP will be hitting any double biceps poses in a pair of trunks anytime soon. Also, do you know any bodybuilders or fitness models? I do, and most of them do not eat that frequently. Neither do most "naturally lean" people. Do not believe everything you read. Also, let me say that I am not against snacks per se but I am against endless munching all day long. If you plan a couple of 200 snacks and it helps you not to binge, great. I have went from a 42' waist to a 34" waist, so I have a little practical knowledge in this subject.

A few independent "studies?" Ever watch The Biggest Looser? They're all eating 5 or 6 times per day, and loosing tons of weight. I went from 185 to 164 in approx. 3 months doing this, eating more than I ever have before in my life, lifting, and doing cardio. My metabolism went through the roof. Yes, I do know a bodybuilder and he does eat about 6 times per day, all healthy. You are wrong about naturally lean people, they do typically eat more frequently throughout the day, and overweight people typically binge eat. Do not believe anything I read? Hahaha....you're hilarious. Ok, I'll just dismiss my own personal results, the results of one of our forum member here who lost an incredible amount of weight eating like this, and the results of every single person on the biggest looser, and the results of every single professional bodybuilder because you say to "not believe everything I read" and you have "a little knowledge in this subject."

This threads issue goes beyond just losing weight.

Theres tons of advice and ways to lose weight, but unfortunately getting rid of your love handles isnt as "easy".

As others said the reason why you have them and others dont is genetic.

I gained and lost 20KGs, and had love handles pop up with stretch marks as well, just like you.

Im still not by any means skinny or toned, but the handles havent lost size as much as the rest of me. They still look quite big to me.

Ive known people who are completely ripped in the upper body, but have love handles sticking out that they just cant get rid of. Even runners who run extensively and in races have them sometimes. Some give up and just go to surgery.

The thing is, theyre probably gonna be the last thing to go. Youd have to lose any weight you can to get rid of them.

You cant really focus on the area to slim it, that doesnt work. And even toning your muscles there, ive heard, only makes the handles pop out more visually.

So really, youre gonna have 2 put yourself to a very severe regiment and lose a lot of weight, or just learn to accept a little bulging on the sides once you achieve a weight youre comfortable with.

Once i bulked up in the chest and arms, they dont bother me as much anymore tbh.

We have hijaked this thread and turned it into a dispute. I can say for certain that weight loss is a matter of burning more calories than you eat. Can we agree that their is more than one way to do so. You will lose weight on 5 300 calories meals or 3 500 calorie meals a day as long as you are only taking in 1500 calories a day. Are we in agreement?

And through disputes knowledge is gained. Lance's way works better. Hell, this discussion has been had 20 times before.

Partial agreement. Yes, weight loss is a matter of burning more calories than you eat, but it isn't that simple. People who take that to the extreme and eat say, one gigantic meal per day will often gain weight, because their body goes into starvation mode, especially if their eating patterns fluctuate a bit. And even if they do loose weight, they'll balloon back up to where they were before because their metabolism has slowed down so much. It's also why starvation diets don't last.

Most people except for the genetically blessed don't realize how easy it is to trigger starvation mode (the body learns that meals are coming less frequently, so it stores more fat to build up a reserve) and how easy it is to slow down your metabolism. I personally can literally feel a difference if I go back to eating only 3 times per day, after about 3 or 4 days. Same thing if I don't exercise. I just don't have the metabolism that I used to have anymore like when I was 17.

Also important is the type of calories that you're consuming. 300 calories from twinkies and donuts are very different from 300 calories of spinach.

All of these components work synergistically. Weight loss isn't easy, so you really gotta hit every angle.

Keep in mind that for every SCIENTIFIC study that says 6 meals boost your metabolism and helps you lose weight, there is another scientific study that says it doesn`t make any difference whatsoever.

In the end, what tthornell is saying is true...6 meals or 3, it doesn`t really matter as long as you are watching what you are eating and taking in fewer calories. Both ways work fine.

That's for certain. You can find numerous sources (med journals) on the web that discuss the differences in the thermic effect of eating different types of food. Protein rank much higher than simple carbs.

You'll also find articles about the meal frequency (and consistency) correlating to increased thermic effect.

There also seems to be a correlation between obesity and decreased thermic effect (particularly with carbs), but some studies conflict with these results.

While the basic rule of calories consumed versus calories expended continues to apply, what you eat, how often you eat, and how regularly you eat impacts the expenditure side of the equation.

I'd like to see one, just ONE scientific study that says it doesn't make a difference whatsoever. I've never found one.

If you are in your 30s or older you not going to drop or significantly reduce your lovehandles ever. Men genetically predisposed to accrue brown-fat there.
Do not starve yourself , also do not exhaust your body by exercising excessively it is not going to work. Professional bodybuilders go under knife to get rid of them.
So in-short- plastic surgery/liposuction is the only answer.