How to Lose Weight in Problem Areas

Everyone has problem areas. Women tend to store more fat on the hips and thighs while men often suffer from excess fat around the stomach. You cannot spot reduce fat in one specific area of the body and to lose weight in one area of the body, you have to lose weight all over the body. Crash diets and restricting food groups to lose weight only sets you up for failure because your body will rebel and hold onto fat instead of letting it go. Incorporating exercise and proper eating habits are essential if you want to lose weight.

Instructions

• 1

  Consume 500 to 1,000 calories less per day to lose approximately 1 to 2 lbs per week. According to the National Library of Medicine, losing weight at this rate is healthy and lasting.

• 2

  Watch what you eat and how much you eat. Choose healthy foods that digest slowly so you feel full longer. Consume complex carbohydrates including whole-wheat breads and brown rice. Include lean protein, such as chicken and fish, in every meal and eat foods with unsaturated "heart-healthy" fats. Eat slowly because it takes 20 minutes for the brain to receive the signal that you are full.

• 3

  Eat five to six small meals daily to keep your metabolism burning and to keep cravings at bay. Consume your carbohydrates early on in the day and don't eat anything two to three hours before going to bed.

• 4

  Perform up to 45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise daily, three days of the week. Cardiovascular exercise will burn calories and fat from the entire body, including from your problem areas. Ride a bike, run, swim, or workout on the stair-climber or elliptical machine. Keep your cardio challenging by varying the type of exercise you do. Don't allow your body to get comfortable with just one type of cardio.

• 5

  Add weight lifting to your exercise routine because it will tone the muscles that will eventually show once you have lost unwanted fat. Build muscle mass because it forces your metabolism to keep burning calories and fat even when you are at rest. Train the entire body, don't just focus on problem areas.

• 6

  Tone your problem areas with targeted exercises. Perform exercises, such as crunches, sit-ups and side bends, if your stomach is your problem area. Lunge, squat. and do leg lifts if your legs are your problem area. Tone flabby underarms by working the tricep muscles with tricep extensions.

• 7

  Sleep eight hours per night to allow your body plenty of rest to restore itself. According to the website of the University of Chicago, lack of sleep increases ghrelin levels in the body which reduces energy expenditure, promotes fat retention and stimulates hunger.

• 8

  Avoid getting stressed to keep cortisol levels in tact. The Marilyn Glenville website reports that increased stress promotes the release or cortisol in the body. The stress hormone cortisol is associated with fat gain mainly around the stomach.