Beating the Bulge: How to Lose Love Handles and Stomach Fat

The battle against the Evil Sagging Gut is an eternal one for most people. Whether it's a beer belly, love handles, or just the good old fashioned tummy blubber bag that won't go away, stomach fat is a problem almost everyone has to deal with. Here are a few simple tips you can take to deal with your rebellious cellulite.

Exercise - it's not a four letter word, but people treat it like that. If you want to lose your gut though, it's a necessity. Doing crunches and side crunches helps to trim body fat, along with cardio vascular exercises like jogging and calisthenics. Get into sports which require a lot of hip and waist movement to really burn off the tummy fat quick. Another alternative is sports which require high agility and reflexes like fencing or martial arts. These actually heighten a person's metabolism, contributing greatly to weight loss.

Diet - yes, the scary four letter word. Alongside exercise, dieting is a time honored way to deal with body fat. A lot of people say exercise and diets are over rated and don't really work. The sad truth is, 75% of the people who say this are just making up excuses for their own laziness and lack of self discipline. If that arrow hit a little close to the bulls eye, I offer no apologies. Getting into shape requires work, and you have to be willing to endure some discomfort to get what you want. Still, for the other 25%, you may just be doing things wrong. There are different weight loss programs out there, and some are just more suited to certain people than others. Find a diet that works for you.

Abstinence - beer is one of the world's leading causes of the belly bulge. There's nothing wrong with drinking alcohol in moderation, but note that the key word in that phrase is moderation. If you want to have a well earned brew after a hard day's work, by all means, take it. But resist those urges to vegetate on the couch in front of a TV with a 6 pack, pizza, and a bag of chips. Beer does double damage to your gut if you also tend to overeat junk food when you drink it just to keep the buzz from hitting you too fast.

Sweat Therapy - depending on how you do it, this can be either one of the most pleasant or unpleasant ways to lose a belly bulge. Some people go for the torturous approach of strapping a sweat belt over their tummies while working out. Others use those funny vibrating belt machines in health spas. Personally, I'd recommend going to a sauna steam bath instead. This helps you sweat out your excess fat, yet remains a very relaxing and stress relieving activity.

Liposuction - this is something of a last resort, in my opinion. While there ARE perfectly valid medical doctors who can perform safe cosmetic liposuction to remove a beer gut, keep in mind that there are also a lot of hack practitioners who actually wind up injuring or even killing their patients. If you decide to go this route, think about it carefully first, and make sure that the doctor performing the operation is someone you already know and trust or is recommended by one. To argue a bit against liposuction, I'd like to add that the rapid loss of cellulite caused by even a successful liposuction can cause post operation trauma and other complications.