How to Get Rid of Lateral Fat

Lateral fat, also embarrassingly known as a spare tire or muffin top, is the horizontal section of fat that runs across your lower back and extends to your sides. When this fat is accompanied by a belly pouch, it can leave you feeling self-conscious about your appearance. To get rid of excess fat on your back, or anywhere else, you must engage in cardiovascular exercises while eating a calorie-reduced diet. The addition of strength-training exercises for 20 minutes, two to three times per week, can help you firm up and tone your back muscles as you lose the excess fat.

Create a calorie deficit that will enable you to lose the excess fat. Start by reducing your daily caloric intake by 250 to 500 calories each day for a loss of 1/2 to 1 pound per week.

Exercises to Get Rid of a Muffin Top

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Exchange sugar-laden sodas and coffee beverages for water or herbal tea. Stay hydrated to keep your metabolism from slowing down and save 200 to 500 or more calories each day by skipping the sweetened beverages.

Eat a diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, lean protein sources and non- to lowfat dairy. Enjoy small, frequent meals throughout the day to avoid getting overly hungry, which can cause you to cave into the temptation to eat foods that don't promote weight loss, such as fast foods and vending machine snacks.

The Best Way to Reduce Visceral Belly Fat

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Participate in at least 300 minutes of exercise each week, recommends the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to lose excess weight. Add another 250 to 500 calories to your calorie deficit with exercise. Go for a half- to one-hour jog, swim or bike ride to burn that number of calories and lose another 1/2 to 1 pound weekly.

Tone your back muscles as you burn fat by participating in aerobic exercise that engages these muscles, such as swimming, tennis, golfing or rowing.

Tips

Check with your doctor before embarking on any new weight-loss plan. Spot reduction is a myth, according to the American Council on Exercise. To lose weight in your back, you must use an allover weight-loss approach.