What if you could eat whatever you wanted to but wouldn’t grow any fatter? Wouldn’t that be a dream situation? Unfortunately, such dreams remain just that: dreams. We have to check what we eat lest we get to a weight that many would term undesirable for most of us. Read along through this guide to know how to get rid of side fat for men
One of the most problematic places to keep lean is around the abdomen. For example, can you count the number of men you meet that have a potbelly? What is side fat? The truth is that many men are struggling with belly and side fat.
So how do you get rid of side fat in men? Getting rid of such fat is no joke. It will require your ultimate dedication and hard work together with radical changes in your lifestyle.
We have here the various ways you’d get rid of such fat. If you don’t have much fat, you’ll learn a thing or two about keeping it that way. Feel free to click the table of content below if you want a quick answer.
What is Side Fat and How Does Someone Get It
If you didn’t just drop to the planet right now, you must have heard of a more common name for side fat: love handles. I guess they are called love handles because that where you hold as you hug someone, no? Anyway, that’s a story for another day.
Love handles or side fat are extensions of fatty skin above the hips and the abdomen’s sides. They become more visible when one wears tight-fitting clothes. Remember that tight muscle t-shirt you bought to relax at home with? Such clothes would show them.
The human body uses the calories it needs and stores the excess for a rainy day. A rainy day, in this case, would be when you are facing starvation. But what are the odds of someone facing such? Obviously not that high.
The body, therefore, stores these calories in the form of fat. As we had earlier said, most fat tends to accumulate around the abdomen and in the hips. These excess fats will mostly settle in your stomach but also on its sides just above your waist.
So how does someone get side fat? Just for the record, I know many people don’t like them. If they don’t like them, how do they let them creep into their physique unchecked? The answer lies in several factors.
1. Lack of Sleep
We often hear it drummed into us all over the importance of getting adequate sleep. But do most of us get enough sleep? Of course not! Most would say there’s too much work to sleep for enough hours.
The average human requires up to 8 hours of sleep. When you sleep, the body gets a chance to break down calories instead of storing them. Therefore, depriving your body of enough rest via sleep causes your body to retain a lot of fat.
This fat deposits itself around your abdomen, giving you love handles and, by extension, a potbelly. That, however, happens over a long period. Sleep deprivation is just a minor factor.
2. Physical Inactivity
With the advent of motor vehicles and more sophisticated travel methods, humans have become more inactive. All you need to do to get somewhere is take a cab. People are walking less and less.
However, you must realize that physical activity is necessary to keep your body in top shape. When you exercise, the body burns up many calories that would otherwise be stored away, making you fat.
3. Age
Of the people you met with pot bellies, how many looked 20 or younger? The rate of metabolism gradually slows down as you get older. It, therefore, burns less fat than it would when you were younger.
That is the reason why, as men get older, they start to have a large tummy. Due to the slow-burning of calories, such can get stored on the abdomen’s sides and develop into love handles.
4. Body Hormones
Have you ever heard of the hormone cortisol? The body releases the hormone cortisol whenever you are feeling stressed. When the body releases cortisol, it causes most of the fat to be stored centrally in the body’s organs.
In that way, you can quickly get love handles if your body produces too much of this hormone or produces it at unbalanced levels.
5. Underlying Health Conditions That Tend to Slow Body Metabolism
You must have heard of hypothyroidism, no? It is one of the conditions that can stay virtually hidden until you get tested and diagnosed. Such a situation would make you gain a lot of fat as the boy will struggle to burn calories.
The calories will, therefore, have to be stored and the most likely area? You guessed it, the abdomen. Hence the side fat.
6. A Poor Diet
This here is the leading cause of excess fat in many people. A poor diet, coupled with physical inactivity, would be a pretty lethal combination for your body.
For most people that are overweight or obese, poor food choices are usually to blame. If you tend to eat too many fatty or sugary foods, then the odds are firmly in favour of you gaining too much weight and becoming fat.
That is because you will be giving the body too many calories that it wouldn’t burn as fast as it has to. The body stores the calories it fails to burn in the form of fat. And where else but around the abdomen?
How to Get Rid of Side Fat Men
We know how one can get side fat, but how can you get rid of them?
There are tons of ways you can get rid of love handles. However, key among them would be drastic changes in your lifestyle and your diet.
1. Become Physically Active
As we have already told you, an active body burns up more calories than an inactive one. Therefore, it is imperative that you increase physical activity levels to burn more fat and thus eliminate love handles.
Such exercise would include going for runs each day or on alternative days. You could even start walking more. Anything to get your heart racing will help you burn as many calories as possible and avoid the body string them.
What Are Some of the Ways You Could Become Physically Active?
- Bike Riding
Thanks to your effort, riding a bicycle will help you eliminate side fat and fat in the thighs and hips. What better way to be fit than where you get to enjoy as you burn up calories?
If you’re to ride a bicycle, try doing that in hilly areas. Such areas are usually the most taxing and will enable your body to burn as many calories as possible. You will, however, need to be fairly consistent if you are to see any positive results.
- Weight Lifting
Weight lifting transforms fat into muscles. Muscles usually require more calories to move compared to fat. You will, therefore, burn up more calories and lose the fat from around your abdominal area.
Consistent Weight lifting over a long period should help eliminate side fat as you build up muscle.
- Go on Runs
Running is one of the most straightforward exercises to undertake. It is also the best exercise if you’re looking to burn calories. A one-hour run should help you burn up close to 1000 calories.
Your body will be fitter and less prone to fat depositing itself around your abdomen. Also, if you have a treadmill, why not put it to some use?
- Try Out Fat Removal Exercises
Specific drills and exercises, especially on the fat on your belly, or side fat, will also help. Have you ever tried out crunches or push-ups? What of Russian twists?
With high technology, it’s easier to get instructions on how to perform these drills. Going to YouTube and searching belly fat exercises will bring you a whole catalogue of activities to try out. You should, however, not overdo them.
2. Carefully Monitor What You Eat
If you’re looking to get rid of side fat or any other fat, then you’ll have to cut down drastically on certain foods. Foods such as added sugar, simple carbs, and fatty foods wouldn’t help your cause.
I get it! Sugary foods are quite addictive. Who wouldn’t want to try out some ice cream on a hot summer afternoon? You should, however, ensure you don’t overeat sugary foods.
Remembering to take a lot of water would also help in that regard. That might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many do not drink enough water.
Finally, try adding some more fiber to your diet by eating more fruits or cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli.
3. Sleep More
No matter how hard it is trying and finding some way to sleep for at least 7 hours a day will be a big boost to reducing the fat in your body. More sleep will enable your body to burn up extra calories, which translates to less fat retention in your body.
4. Avoid Stress
In as much as life might come with its challenges, and you might feel like giving up at times, don’t stress too much. Stressing will make the body release the hormone cortisol responsible for the centring of fat around your body organs.
I bet you wouldn’t want to add weight issues to whatever is currently stressing you out. To put it as legendary reggae musician Bob Marley would, don worry, be happy!
5. Reduce Your Alcohol Intake
Yeah, yeah, I know the bottle is one of the hardest things to stop. Often, we go into a pub for just one cold beer that changes to several, and before you know it, you’re wasn’t deep into inebriation,
If you are looking to get rid of the unsightly love handles, then that has to stop. If stopping is too hard, then cut back on it and see the results after some time.
Alcohol makes you hunger for more food, which might cause you to overeat thanks to an enhanced appetite.
Furthermore, most alcoholic drinks contain sugar as an ingredient that you already know isn’t advisable if you are looking to reduce body fat retention.
Finally, apart from alcohol making you add weight, it is also associated with so many health risks that you’d better off avoiding.
The Bottom Line
Side fat for men isn’t that hard to get rid of as long as you are willing to put in the work and change your lifestyle.
If you’re willing to work out and increase your physical activity level, remember to eat healthy as well. In that case, there is no way you won’t eliminate side fat.
It would, however, require ultimate devotion from you. No one said it would be that simple.
Good luck.
