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I have been working out for 3 years and am in a good shape. My only problem is that I have extraordinary huge love handles and some belly fat that I can't seem to lose!

I workout in the morning 3-5 days a week. I have access to pool and I can do cardio. I've been on a diet for quite a long time, but I'm not losing the waist area fat. I'm 6 feet tall and weigh 93 kg. I'm planning to get to 87kg - 83kg, and people say I'm close to a mesomorphic body type.

What diet and workouts help the most in losing fat in the waist area (belly and love handles)? Are there any foods that I need to stop or take more?

My current diet, which I've been on for diets 2 months and lost 8kg, is:

  • a mid-size plate of white oats with honey and nuts
  • banana or an whole grain bar
  • salad with tuna or salad with 2 chicken breasts
  • apple or dates
  • a chicken based meal or fish based
  • around 2 beers a week

My workout, which also includes 15-30 minutes of swimming after each session, is:

  • Arms (7 workouts) + abs(2)
  • Chest (5)
  • Leg (6)+ abs(2)
  • Back (6)
  • Shoulders (4) + abs (2)

I switched to strength training last week.

arober11
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OmarQa
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2 Answers2

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Spot reduction (i.e., fat loss targeted to a particular of the body) is a myth. The areas from which fat is removed through metabolism are almost exclusively a function of genetics and hormones, and the particular exercise regimen that you employ cannot significantly alter your body's distribution of adipose tissue. Just continue to exercise and maintain a healthy diet and it's almost inevitable that you will eventually begin to lose fat from those areas of the body that you're trying to improve.

Per michael's suggestion, a few sources to corroborate my assertions:

  1. http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Myths.html
  2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17596787 (Results are somewhat equivocal: possible upper arm sport reduction in men via skinfold measurement [not accurate in my estimation as hypertrophy and water retention can skew these results], none in women. Conclusion states: "MRI found a generalized subcutaneous fat loss independent of gender, supporting the notion that spot reduction does not occur as a result of resistance training.")
  3. http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/292/2/E394.full (Article states that lipolysis occurs to a greater degree in adipose tissue adjacent to working muscle than resting muscle according to some observations. Authors nevertheless conclude that "[m]ore calories are expended during aerobic, whole body exercise than by exercise with local muscle groups, and, accordingly, a person seeking to loose fat must be advised to perform whole body exercise." There's no reasonable way to interpret this article as supporting the notion of "spot reduction" as it is typically presented, i.e., the loss of fat targeted to a specific part of the body, without reference to overall whole-body fat loss and caloric demands of activity.)
Greg E.
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  • so there is no certain workout that targets this area. – OmarQa Jun 03 '12 at 11:15
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    There are certainly workouts that target the muscles in that area, but that's completely different from targeting the area specifically for fat loss. – Greg E. Jun 03 '12 at 11:53
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    -1 No sources, no credibility. – michael Jun 04 '12 at 03:12
  • @michael, is that a critique of my post or just a disagreement with its assertions? – Greg E. Jun 04 '12 at 04:08
  • Technically it's not a myth, there is at least one way to achieve it: liposuction. – Mischa Arefiev Jun 04 '12 at 10:28
  • @GregE. Your post. My guess is that you are just repeating what you have heard with nothing to back it up. Maybe you are right, maybe you aren't. I can't tell from your post. If you don't link to some research, your answer doesn't mean much. It's not like you are an expert. – michael Jun 04 '12 at 12:56
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    @michael, fair enough. I don't purport to be an expert and I didn't make any claims to be one in my post. Anybody who reads the claims of a random stranger on the internet should have the common sense to seek confirmation from a more authoritative source. I've done a fair amount of research on the subject and what I attempted to do was to summarize the general consensus. That said, point taken, I'll add a few sources. Now that I've taken your advice, let me reciprocate: try not to be so condescending toward well-intentioned contributors, and don't make assumptions about others are thinking. – Greg E. Jun 05 '12 at 00:04
  • @GregE. Sorry to seem condescending. It wasn't my intention. I'm just trying to encourage people to post sources, and I pick on answers that have been voted up because stackexchange is supposed to push the cream to the top, and this site in particular is filled with unverified opinion. That said, I disagree with your analysis of the research you point to. It seems to be quite equivocal rather than clearly a myth. The studies suggest more studies should be performed, rather than reaching a conclusion. But, it's informative enough for me to remove my downvote. – michael Jun 05 '12 at 02:57
  • @michael, perhaps I was oversensitive and misread your intent. My interpretation of the research tends to err pretty heavily on the side of spot reduction being a myth unless we take an extremely literal view that allows even microscopic differences to be regarded as significant. The research indicates that very subtle spot reduction, detectable in a clinical setting, might exist. That's different from what people are looking for when asking about spot reduction vis-a-vis a diet and exercise regimen. None of this research supports noticeable spot reduction within that specific context. – Greg E. Jun 05 '12 at 04:47
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    @michael At some point, we're all going to have to realize that things can be true, and said to be true, without scientific references. If you want to change that on F.SE, the best course of action is not to stop by every few months and criticize someone, but to answer questions your own self, with the references you want. – Dave Liepmann Jul 10 '12 at 02:34
  • @DaveLiepmann On the other hand, many things that are said to be true, and are assumed by the general population to be true, are actually false. That is why we have science. Regarding my personal contribution, take a look at my 42 answers where I either reference personal experience or scientific research and tell me where I am being inconsistent. I don't bother answering questions where I have no expertise and can find no references. That's why I am not as prolific as many other people here who happily give out uncorroborated advice. – michael Jul 10 '12 at 19:27
  • @michael I was looking at the three stances that you've picked to make an issue about non-scientific answers: 1) you questioned the idea that people can lose weight and keep it off, 2) you stood up for vibrating platforms/belts possibly being an effective fat reduction technique, and 3) you're implying that spot reduction is not a myth. These seem strange choices to hang your scientifically rigorous hat on. In the absence of scientific evidence to the contrary (of which you admit you have none), our best option is to present less rigorous evidence. – Dave Liepmann Jul 10 '12 at 19:34
  • @DaveLiepmann First, there are mountains of scientific evidence that people cannot keep weight off. For the others, I pick on things that people have no personal experience with, but still post absolutist answers about. If you had said "I find no support for vibrating belts or spot reduction, but there doesn't seem to be research to disprove it" that is a lot different than "It is absolutely false", which is the answer that was given. I also focus on those answers fitting the above criteria which have been upvoted, as these answers are being (wrongly) endorsed by the community. – michael Jul 10 '12 at 19:41
  • @michael I come at it from a position of consequentialism, informed by the fact that exercise science is generally very poor, with many large gaps. Your equivocating answer is more accurate, but leaves mystical and wrongheaded thinkers much more room to advocate for BS like vibrating belts instead of proper training. The fact that science has yet to disprove every stupid marketing gimmick does not mean we should give these hucksters a generous benefit of the doubt, and thereby increase the number of confused people giving up on proper training and diet. – Dave Liepmann Jul 10 '12 at 19:46
  • Let's continue this in chat. – Dave Liepmann Jul 10 '12 at 19:48
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There is no spot reduction.

Diet is critical, you don't provide enough details to comment on it.

You're not doing very much cardio. Swimming, while a great exercise, may not be the most efficient for explicitly losing fat. I'd consider doing HIIT for your cardio, and increasing the time/effort.

It's not clear what the numbers after the body parts are, pr how often you're doing your strength training, although the diet and/or cardio are likely what's holding you back at the moment.

Dave Newton
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