Love handles, or fat around the waist, are triggered by a mix of too many calories, poor diet (sugars/processed foods), /navlack of exercise, stress (cortisol), poor sleep, genetics, hormones (like insulin/estrogen), age, and certain medical conditions/medications, all leading to excess subcutaneous fat storage in that resistant area. It's essentially when you consume more calories than you burn, and your body stores the surplus as fat, often preferentially around the midsection.
What Causes Love Handles? Love Handles result from the accumulation of excess fat around the waist and upper hip area. Factors like genetics, age and diet influence the development of these fat deposits. Genetics: Some people are predisposed to accumulating fat in their hip and waist areas due to their genetic makeup.
Insulin Resistance and Belly Fat
Many patients who have 'muffin tops' or love handles also have insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone that stores fat in the body from excess sugar in the blood. If your body is resistant to insulin, the sugar will be stored and not used as fuel for energy.
Anatomical Factors in Women
Wider Pelvis: Women typically have a wider pelvis than men, creating a more noticeable curve in the lower abdomen and hip area. This difference in shape can contribute to the appearance of love handles, especially in women with pear-shaped body types.
The most common stubborn fat areas include the belly, thighs, hips, lower back, upper arms, and neck. These regions tend to store fat more easily and resist weight loss, making them challenging for many people. Fat in these areas is often influenced by factors like hormones, genetics, and lifestyle choices.
The 3-3-3 rule for weight loss is a simple, habit-based method focusing on three key areas: 3 balanced meals a day, 3 bottles (or ~1.5L) of water by 3 PM, and 3 hours of physical activity per week, aiming for consistency over complex diets. It simplifies fat loss by establishing rhythm through consistent eating, adequate hydration to support metabolism, and regular movement, promoting sustainable health without intense calorie counting or restrictive rules, says Five Diamond Fitness and Wellness, Joon Medical Wellness & Aesthetics, and EatingWell.
Cortisol belly looks like excess fat concentrated in the abdominal area, often described as an "apple shape," where your belly protrudes due to deep visceral fat (around organs) and superficial fat, sometimes with slim limbs and face, accompanied by stress-related symptoms like bloating, fatigue, cravings, and potentially wide purple stretch marks or a fatty hump between the shoulder blades, even if you aren't generally overweight. It's not a diagnosis but a term for stress-induced abdominal fat.
Body Shapes with the Highest Risk of Health Problems
Apple and pear body shapes tend to have the highest risk. Apples tend to be at greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, and strokes because they hold a larger amount of tummy fat.
The #1 habit to lose visceral fat is consistently moving your body through regular exercise, especially combining moderate cardio (walking, jogging, cycling) with strength training (lifting weights) while managing stress, prioritizing sleep, and adopting a healthy diet rich in plants, protein, and fiber. While diet is crucial, experts note that exercise often has a superior effect on reducing visceral fat specifically, even more so than diet alone for this stubborn fat, with consistency being key.
If you have a diet that is heavy in sugar, starch and fatty foods you can soon find yourself with love handles. There are millions of diets out there to lose fat and many are questionable. But one thing for sure, eating a high proportion of carbohydrates and fats will only make things worse.
“When you gain weight and start to grow extra body fat, one of the first places that it grows is in the back of your tongue,” Li said. Unlike the flexible tip or the strong, muscular middle, the base of the tongue acts like a “big fat pillow,” he explained, helping chewed food slide down into the stomach.
Call them spare tires or love handles—belly fat is bad. Bad news. It's not just obesity that can increase the risk of heart failure. A few extra kilos, especially around the gut, are dangerous, too.
PCOS belly typically refers to the weight gain or abdominal bloating many people experience with polycystic ovary syndrome. It's usually most noticeable around the midsection—think soft, stubborn fat around the tummy that doesn't shift easily, no matter how 'healthy' you eat or how active you are.
Stomach fat cells are also less receptive to breaking down than other types of fat cells, which is why fat seems to linger longer in this area even after achieving positive results in other parts of the body. A person's diet plays a large role in fat deposits forming in this area.
Women who exhibit the hourglass figure have been shown to be more admired, which can put pressure on women whose body shapes are noticeably different to strive to achieve the hourglass figure. This can lead to body dissatisfaction which can cause eating disorders in (often young) women from all over the globe.
Cardiologists generally advise avoiding processed meats, sugary drinks and sweets, and foods high in trans fats and sodium, like most fried foods and salty snacks, because they raise bad cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation, significantly increasing heart disease risk. Focusing on whole foods and limiting these culprits is key for heart health.
Let's add another fruit to our mix: the Banana, aka the rectangle or column. This shape can be defined as long and slender “boyish” figure or athletic build. While proportionally the Banana has a balanced upper and lower body and quite a slender frame, at times may have a less defined waist.
High cortisol levels, often from chronic stress or conditions like Cushing's Syndrome, cause symptoms like weight gain (especially around the belly, face, and neck), fatigue, high blood pressure, high blood sugar (leading to diabetes), thinning skin, easy bruising, acne, and mood changes (anxiety, irritability), plus potential issues with sleep, digestion, and reproductive health.
Oxytocin is sometimes called the "love hormone" because it's thought to be involved in falling in love, mother-child bonding and sexual arousal in females, as well as lifetime pair-bonding of sexual mates among some species.
How to reduce stress hormones
A 21-day cortisol detox is a holistic reset program focusing on nutrition, sleep, digital boundaries, and mindful movement to lower chronic stress (cortisol) levels, addressing issues like fatigue, belly fat, and poor sleep by nourishing adrenal glands and calming the nervous system. These plans often involve anti-inflammatory foods (leafy greens, fatty fish, berries), limiting digital distractions, practicing breathing exercises (4-7-8), improving sleep hygiene, and incorporating gentle exercise like yoga to restore hormonal balance and energy.
Key Takeaways
Supplements that may help reduce cortisol — and cortisol-related belly fat — include magnesium, vitamin B5, vitamin C, ashwagandha, rhodiola, and L-theanine.