Targeted exercises can help you lose stubborn back fat, love handles, and armpit fat. Discover the most effective gym classes like Zumba and at-home routines designed to trim your waist and thighs.
If you're having one of those days when it just feels like your pants won't button, but you usually eat right and exercise, it could be due to bloating. What you eat, your emotional state, hormones and, in some cases, medical conditions could be behind your swollen tum.
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If you have a pear shape, larger hips and a smaller midsection, be thankful. Women's tendency to deposit fat in the hips and thighs is protective against certain chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in a 2012 issue of the Biology of Sex Differences.
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"Middle-age spread" can appear at any age, but women may notice it most as they hit 50. Even if the number on the scale is the same as it has always been, your waistline may expand as your proportion of body fat to lean mass changes.
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Achieving a flat belly in two weeks may not be possible if you have a lot of weight to lose. Use the time to jump start a healthier diet and fitness program.
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When your belly expands due to weight gain, the fat surrounding the internal organs expands, and creates additional fat deposits into the omentum -- an apron-like flap that lies under your abdominal muscles and in front of the intestines. A mother's apron belly isn't unique to women who've given birth.
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Your upper belly balloons when you have an abundance of visceral fat that weaves in and around your internal organs. The fat actually acts like an endocrine organ, causing inflammation and releasing compounds that contribute to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other health concerns.
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Losing belly fat is important to your health. The American Heart Association reports that men with a waist size over 40 inches and women with a waist size over 35 inches should take immediate steps to lose weight in order to reduce the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other chronic conditions.
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You carry a spare tire in your car in case of an emergency, but you don't need the one encircling your torso. This layer of fat that sits around your waist, back and sides, is likely visceral fat -- which is a metabolically active form of fat that greatly raises your risk of developing certain diseases.
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Your hips and belly may be where you want to lose weight, but your body has other ideas. When you lose weight, these areas may slim down, but, despite what magazine articles and ads for fitness gadgets tell you, it's impossible to target them directly for fat loss.
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Weight loss requires you to burn a greater number of calories than you ingest. Exercise helps you burn calories, helping you create this negative calorie balance and lose weight. Exercising twice a day may help you lose weight, but only if you incorporate other strategies in your plan.
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Broad shoulders present fashion challenges and can make you feel self-conscious, but the size of your shoulders is based on genetics. Unless you're overweight, shrinking your shoulders is nearly impossible.
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Rid yourself of a stomach apron and fat, flabby belly with sensible dietary and exercise techniques. Your apron is likely a result of omental fat -- deep visceral fat encased in the flap of tissue known as the omentum that covers and supports your intestines.
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Exercises that promise to melt your middle are a staple in fitness magazines and on websites. Although these moves might make you feel the burn while they're developing the musculature of your abdominals, they won't rid you of the fat that covers your abs.
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The decision to breastfeed may be a healthy one for you and your baby, but it often complicates your attempts to lose weight—especially the unsightly postpartum belly fat.
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Fat around the back of your waist is affectionately known as your spare tire or on the sides, as love handles. The only way to get rid of this fat is to double down on your efforts to eat right and exercise. Portion control, reduced intake of certain foods and being physically active are key strategies to losing fat.
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You've got just two weeks to shrink your belly and hips before swimsuit season or that high school reunion. You can certainly jumpstart a weight-loss plan and see some results in two weeks, but how much depends on your starting weight and commitment.
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You diet and exercise faithfully, but the fat in your hips, buttocks and thighs refuses to budge. Your breasts, however, seem to shrink right before your eyes.
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Whether you're prepping for bikini season or just want a toned, tight stomach all year-round, you'll have to adjust your lifestyle to get the physique you want. You can drop belly fat with a well-planned diet, but food can't strengthen and tighten your stomach muscles.
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Girls often gain fat in their thighs as they hit puberty. This may seem like a problem area for you, but it's actually a healthier place to store fat than in your belly. Losing weight may help your thighs thin out, but you can't target them for weight loss.
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Extra pounds in your chest and the resulting bulge around the back of your bra line can cause sore shoulders, slouching and back pain. You may also be self-conscious when the extra fat rolls show through fitted clothing.
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