How to Flatten a Stomach and Get Rid of Love Handles and Muffin Top

Burn fat with a bike ride.

While "love handles" certainly sounds nicer than "muffin top," they both refer to the unhealthy belly flab that overhangs your pants or skirt. This type of fat, known as visceral fat, not only makes it hard for you to buckle your pants, but it also increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer. Crunches won't help you lose your love handles, but a combination of healthy eating and regular exercise that includes aerobics and strength training is the way to go to flatten your stomach.

Instructions

1. Limit your portions to promote weight loss. If you want a flatter stomach, you need to lose weight. Use a smaller plate and skip second helpings to encourage weight loss. When eating out, order an appetizer as your main course to keep portions and calories under control.

2. Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Filling your plate with these low-calorie foods keeps you feeling full while helping you limit calorie intake for weight loss. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables, and one-quarter whole grains.

3. Include lean sources of protein. You can also save calories by replacing high-fat meats, such as hot dogs and bacon, with lean varieties, such as poultry, seafood and beans. The remaining quarter of your plate should be filled with your lean protein choice.

4. Increase aerobic activity to 300 minutes a week. Regular aerobic exercise is essential for losing abdominal fat. The more you do, the more fat you'll lose. A good fat-burning workout should get your heart pumping, and includes activities such as fast walking, riding a bike on a flat surface with some hills or a game of doubles tennis. Mowing your lawn with a push mower also counts.

5. Perform strength-training exercises twice a week. Building muscle with strength-training exercises increases your metabolism so you burn more calories and fat. For best results, work all the major muscle groups, including abs, arms, shoulders, chest, back and legs. You can build muscle lifting weights, using machines at the gym, using resistance bands or doing body resistance exercises such as situps, pushups and squats.

6. Strengthen your core muscles with crunches, planks and bicycles. Talk to a trainer to help you with form and proper movement of these exercises. Your core muscles include your abs, lower-back muscles and pelvis. Strengthening these muscles improves posture, helping give you the appearance of a flatter stomach.

Tips & Warnings

• Swap your butter and margarine for healthy vegetable oils such as safflower or soy. A diet high in saturated and trans fat is linked to belly fat.

• You can cut the amount of time you spend exercising if you increase your intensity. For example, instead of fast walking for an hour, jog for 30 minutes.

• Talk to your doctor about your new diet and exercise program before getting started. Your doctor can provide specific recommendations based on your health and fitness needs.

References

• The Harvard Medical School: Abdominal Fat and What to Do About It
• MayoClinic.com: Belly Fat in Men: Why Weight Loss Matters
• Harvard School of Public Health: Healthy Eating Plate
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: How Much Physical Acitivity Do Adults Need?
• The Harvard Medical School: Core Conditioning: It's Not Just About Abs
• MayoClinic.com: Strength Training: Get Stronger, Leaner, Healthier

Resources

• MayoClinic.com: Slide Show: Exercises to Improve Your Core Strength
• Helpguide.org: Easy Exercise Tips