A muffin top (also muffin-top) is a slang term typically used to describe a person's body fat that extends horizontally over the edges of the waistline of tightly fitting pants or skirts, visible when there is a gap between the upper and lower garment.
"Muffin top" is the slang term used to describe fat accumulation around the midsection, right above the hips. When wearing tight-fitting patents, the extra fat spills out over the waistband, creating the appearance of a muffin above the paper cup effect on your midsection.
Any woman can get a muffin top. But women are more likely to gain excess belly weight -- especially deep inside the belly -- as they go through perimenopause and into menopause, when their menstrual cycle ends.
There are a few reasons that you may experience this condition: You're committed to cardio workouts, but don't do resistance training. You have a poor diet, despite your amazing metabolism that keeps you skinny. Everyone's favorite reason – genetics.
Yes, a muffin top is a health risk. The fat in your abdomen can be divided into visceral and subcutaneous fat. Visceral fat is stored deep within your belly and surrounds your organs. It can cause your waist to become wider than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women.
The term love handles appeared in the 1960s; it refers to any pockets of fat that cause flab at your waist. Love handles are also known as "muffin tops," which describe the shape of a muffin that's formed above the waistline.
“It is definitely possible to lose the muffin top,” Robles says. “However, it is not an overnight fix.” It isn't possible to spot-reduce fat from specific problem areas. But as you lose overall body fat, you'll see your midsection shrink.
It is absolutely possible to lose your muffin top, but rather than this involving a specific “muffin top exercise and diet plan,” you have to lose your muffin top just as you would lose weight and body fat anywhere in your body: through a sensible, disciplined, comprehensive diet and exercise program.
Potato chips, sugar-sweetened drinks, processed meats and unprocessed red meat were each linked to weight gain of about a pound or more. Eating more french fries led to an average gain of over 3 pounds. Eating more refined grains and sweets or desserts led to about half a pound of weight gain.
Genetics determines your fat distribution. That's why you have that muffin top and why your mom has one, too. No matter how thin and fit you get, if you have a genetic predisposition to collect fat on your hips, you'll always have a little extra fat on your hips.
A muffin top is caused by wearing too-tight pants.
While it's true that a waist that fits too tightly can cause spillage, the cause is more likely the positioning of the waistband on your figure.
The key is to choose primarily whole foods and eat small meals regularly. The best foods to get rid of muffin top fat are whole foods. This means fiber-filled vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and healthy fats. Walk the perimeter of your local grocer or visit a farmers market just to see your options.
Total body movement exercises and cardio are essential to lose that muffin top. Candlestick dippers, hip dips, and Russian twists are some of the best oblique exercises which specifically target the obliques. Bicycle crunches, butt lifts, and hip lifts and twists involve body movement to a good extent.
Sumo Squat with Alternating Leg Check
It's perfect for getting rid of muffin tops and will also help get rid of other back and side fat you're dealing with. This exercise is like a side-crunch but in a standing position instead.
“Love handles” are fatty areas on either side of the waist above the hips. Exercises such as bicycle crunches can help minimize the appearance of love handles, as can dietary measures and certain choices of clothing. Love handles occur due to fat retention around the hips and abdominal area.
Hip dips and love handles are two common problem areas for people in the US. Hip dips are indentations along the sides of your hips that go down toward your thighs. Love handles refer to fat deposits on the sides of your torso under your ribs and above your hips.
Once love handles appear, biology makes them tough to ditch. “You lose fat in the reverse order that you deposit it,” says Westcott. “And typically for men, the last place they lose fat would be that midsection area—the first place they put it on.”
The Oval body:
It is also referred to the apple shape. Women with this body shape have an overall round appearance. An undefined waist line, large and low tummy, love handles, wider hips, fuller thighs and a flat fuller bottom.
Mostly, losing weight is an internal process. You will first lose hard fat that surrounds your organs like liver, kidneys and then you will start to lose soft fat like waistline and thigh fat. The fat loss from around the organs makes you leaner and stronger.
Love handles, the pinchable fat on both sides of your stomach that leads to a “muffin top” appearance, are especially stubborn.
Caramelization of the sugars and the Maillard reaction between amino acids and sugars is taking place on the top, which is exposed directly to the heated air of the oven. The part of the muffin protected by the muffin tin or wrapper isn't getting this heat and the reaction is taking place slower and less thoroughly.
"Hip dips are entirely caused by genetics and the shape of your pelvis. When someone has hip dips, this means that their hip bone is located higher than their femur, which causes their muscles and fat to curve inwards." Our bodies are what they are.