Simple and Effective Tips on How to Lose Back Fat
How to lose back fat the healthy way? Bet on the winning trifecta – Exercise, Diet & Lifestyle!
It’s mocked as the ugly “bra bulge“. Dreaded as fearful back fat. And commonly known as a troublesome adipose pad that overlies your back muscles.
It creates an unhealthy-looking fold just above your waistline, or spills over the top of your jeans.
How to lose back fat and do it in a healthy, safe and fast way that won’t leave you frustrated and hassled?
It’s simple – when you follow an approach based on
- Exercise
- Diet
- Lifestyle modification
What causes back fat?
Back fat builds up gradually over months, even years. The deposit of fat pads around the bra strap or behind the waist is accelerated by
- health problems such as diabetes (or insulin resistance),
- high testosterone blood levels, and
- an intolerance to carbs.
Compounding the problem are lifestyle choices.
- Not getting enough aerobic exercise and picking to lead a sedentary lifestyle as a couch potato worsen and hasten back fat deposits.
- A diet rich in sugar and sodium increases inflammation which in turn leads to the accumulation of extra fat everywhere in the body, including over your back.
- Bad posture and a poor choice of clothes to wear might make it seem as if you have more back fat than in reality.
- But by far the biggest culprit is one you have little if any control over – your genetic make-up.
Yes, your genes determine where in your body the extra calories that you eat will get deposited first (or in larger amounts) in the form of fat, leaving you with little choice over the final outcome.
So now you know what causes back fat, let’s look at the next issue.
Where does back fat build up?
You may store fat in three parts of your back:
- Upper back fat is where excess fat builds up and bulges around a bra strap, creating an appearance that some feel visually unappealing.
- Mid-back fat gets stored in the middle of your back, behind the waist area, forming rolls that are fondly referred to as ‘love handles’ – that most owners don’t quite love!
- Lower back fat is what gathers even lower down to roll in folds over the waistband of your jeans or trousers.
What’s responsible for this distribution?
Essentially, your genetic structure determines where excess fat goes – so it is random and unpredictable for any individual person.
What is clear is that to lose back fat, you’ve got to lose overall fat… because there is no way to target your efforts at fat loss to a specific part of your body.
Ok, so knowing what causes back fat and where it builds up, we can discuss the more practical questions such as how to get rid of lower back fat.
How To Lose Lower Back Fat
It isn’t impossible, or even difficult, once you know how to lose back fat – and develop the discipline to follow a simple plan.
You’ll need a combination of
- healthy eating
- calorie restriction
- exercises to lose back fat
With this plan to burn off extra fat and make your back strong, you’ll get rid of lower back fat in three weeks or less. So let’s talk about how to enjoy a visibly toned back next.
Eat Healthy To Lose Back Fat
No, there are no magic fat-burning foods to get rid of back fat.
But there are foods that boost metabolic rate, consume more of the calories you eat, and are used up as preferred energy sources instead of being stored as fat.
The best diet to lose back fat is one that’s balanced with vegetables, fruits and whole grain foods of low glycemic index. This means you’ll eat fresh produce that isn’t instantly converted into glucose, but gradually converted into nutrients that your body burns to meet energy needs.
Whole grains are ideal, and include:
- brown rice
- sorghum
- red rice
- barley
- millet
- black rice
- quinoa
Food that is low in salt and high in fiber content helps lose back fat.
High protein content helps build muscle and beans, tofu, mushrooms and lentils are good choices.
Some great food choices
- Avocados are filling and you won’t feel hungry for a while after eating.
- Hard boiled eggs are digested gradually, leaving you with less hunger cravings.
- Leafy green vegetables are dense with fiber and rich in micronutrients like vitamins.
- Tuna, salmon and other oily fish have omega 3 fatty acids that regulate insulin activity.
- Milk and low-fat dairy has whey protein that boosts satiety and stabilizes blood sugar.
- Lean chicken breast is protein-rich with little fat and builds muscle mass.
- Broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato and chickpeas with high fiber level help gut health.
- Almonds and other nuts or seeds combine healthy fats with plant protein.
Whenever somebody asks how to lose back fat, it’s as if they’re looking for a diet that will auto-magically make them thin overnight.
Well, there’s no single food that can achieve weight loss by itself.
Often, fat loss happens as the result of a combination of things – diet, exercise, sleep, lifestyle changes and better stress management.
But there are certainly some things that interfere with your efforts to lose back fat.
So make sure you avoid them.
- Beware the amount of sugar you consume, either as extra added sugar to food and drinks, or as rice, pasta, bread and other carbs.
- Stay away from junk food. Say no to burgers and fries, pizzas and packaged or processed foods.
- Most frozen food and packaged juices are loaded with preservatives and additives that will ruin your metabolism and prevent fat loss.
Create a Caloric Deficit To Lose Lower Back Fat
To get rid of a pound of weight as fat, you must burn off 3,500 calories. This means you must be able to establish a calorie deficit.
A caloric deficit occurs when you burn more calories as energy than you consume as food.
When you reduce by 300 to 500 your calorie intake in a day, while keeping your activity level steady, you’ll create a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories in 7 to 10 days – and drop a pound in weight.
How to reduce calorie intake?
Cut down on foods with high calorie values but poor in nutrition. An obvious choice is to avoid sugary drinks, sodas and bottled or packaged juices. All foods with artificial sweeteners or other preservatives fall into this category as well.
If you want to lose back fat, you’ll have to say goodbye to these hidden sources of empty calories.
You can speed up the process through exercise. If you go to the gym and burn off 300 to 500 calories in a fierce workout, you’ll double the caloric deficit – and shed excess fat twice as quickly!
Exercises To Lose Back Fat
When you tweak your workout routines to include targeted exercises for muscles in your lower back, like the extensors and obliques, you’ll get rid of lower back fat more effectively.
Focus the exercise on your upper and lower back muscles, and consciously strengthen postural and back muscles. Don’t neglect the hamstrings, glutes and back muscles.
Understand that you’ll have to combine this workout with aerobic/cardio training to burn off more fat and lose back fat in a lasting, permanent way. Aerobics help ramp up metabolism, mobilize stored fat for energy, and serve to elevate your mood as well.
You can choose between
- riding a bicycle for 45 minutes, or
- walking/running for 20 to 30 minutes, or
- doing jumping jacks as part of your workout
By adding HIIT (high intensity interval training) to your weight lifting routine not only helps lose overall weight but will get rid of lower back fat faster.
Which are the best exercises to lose back fat?
There are workout routines tailored specifically for muscles in your upper, middle and lower back.
Here is a short list, with detailed explanations of some of the exercises.
Exercises To Lose Lower Back Fat
- Reverse hip raise (with exercise ball): helps tone your back muscles
- Side jackknife: strengthens your obliques, and melts away “love handles”
- Superman: works out your glutes and lower back muscles, helping lose back fat
- Side crunches: exercises your lateral obliques, removes belly and back fat
- Bent over dumbbell/barbell rows: abdominal muscle workout that also loses back fat
- Kettlebell swing: improves posture and makes lower back muscles stronger
Exercises To Lose Upper Back Fat
- Lateral raises with dumbbells: for your deltoids and obliques
- Rowing: using gym equipment to exercise upper arm and back muscles
- Speed bag: build up strength in upper back muscles, burns off upper back fat
- Plank on dumbbells: boosts core strength, removes upper back fat
- Push ups: general back muscle exercise, aids overall weight loss and muscle gain
- Reverse Fly: tailored for upper back muscle strength
Exercises To Lose Mid Back Fat
- Lat Pulldowns: at the gym, using elastic bands to make lats stronger
- Resistance Band Pull-Down: similar to above, but also for obliques
- Back Extension: to strengthen small back muscles and erector spinae
How To Lose Back Fat – Instantly!
While eating right, creating a calorie deficit and exercising to lose back fat are all effective, long-lasting tactics, sometimes all it takes to get rid of back fat is a simple change or two.
One way is to wear a better fitted bra!
Yes, it could be as simple as that. A bra that’s too tight or fits badly could make fat bulge above and below the strap, making back fat seem worse than it is.
Try different kinds of bra to see if one fits nicely. Some brassieres are specifically designed to mask or conceal uncomfortable bulges. They are also more comfortable to wear for long periods.
Even the way you dress could make back fat vanish. Pick dresses and tops with a V-neck. Some brands of sportswear are stitched in a way to make you appear slim.
Bulges that are caused by excess back fat may look worse when you wear tighter clothes or tops that reveal more skin or dresses of sheer material you can almost see through.
Medical Procedures To Lose Back Fat
Rarely, in resistant or severe cases, medical procedures become necessary to get rid of lower back fat.
Procedures like liposuction and laser lipolysis, or name-branded programs like CoolSculpt and UltraShaper can eliminate back fat quickly and completely.
All medical procedures however come with some side effects that you should carefully consider before opting for one. They are also universally expensive.
If you choose to have a medical procedure to lose back fat, be sure to consult a reputed, board-certified and/or qualified dermatologist or plastic surgeon before you decide what will work best.
Lifestyle Changes Make Back Fat Loss Permanent
Whatever approaches you take to melt away back fat, you’ll want to make sure the gains are sustained for a long time.
This means consistency is key.
With a support system to keep you on track, and patience with the way you look and feel, it’s possible to retain the fat loss achievements you’ve made for months, or even years.
Here’s what goes into making these lifestyle changes.
- Start walking more regularly.
- If you smoke cigarettes or other forms of tobacco, quit it.
- Practice better posture. It makes back fat disappear.
- Get enough sleep. Rest helps fat loss.
- Prepare meals ahead of time. This saves time and prevents frustration.
- Lower stress levels through meditation and yoga.
All these measures go a long way collectively in keeping back fat off.
How To Lose Back Fat – Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do you lose back fat fast?
Here are 5 exercises to reduce bra bulge and lose back fat fast.
a. pull ups – do 10 reps
b. bent-over dumbbell rows – 10 times
c. inverted row – 10 reps
d. Pilates overhead presses – 10 times
e. arm slides – 10 reps
Do these consistently every day for 3 weeks and you’re guaranteed to lose back fat fast.
2. How do you get rid of back fat and love handles?
Be it love handles or folds of back fat or bra bulge, getting rid of back fat requires determination and patience. Even when you eat smart and exercise regularly, you may find stubborn back fat is tough to melt away.
Maybe you’re genetically predisposed to have fat stick on to your back. You have thin legs or slim thighs, but there are unsightly globs of fat over your back. That’s annoying, but there’s little you can do about it – except losing fat everywhere.
So getting rid of love handles and back fat means staying in shape, continuing your workouts and sticking with a healthy eating plan until the muffin top or back fat rolls disappear.
3. How do I lose belly and back fat?
Try following a workout that helps lose belly and back fat.
When you’re eating healthy food and exercising regularly, but not noticing the kind of back fat loss you’d hoped for, change your routine.
Add exercises that focus on back muscles and burn off back fat. Do it in the morning, afternoon while taking a lunch break, or any other time you can fit it in.
a. Plank row: Do 15 reps starting from a plank position, pulling your arm up to the side of your abdomen.
b. Side plank scoop: Do 15 reps on each side, starting from a side plank position and scooping your arm under the body.
c. Breast stroke: With feet on the floor, lift your back up and do a breaststroke using your arms. Try 15 reps.
d. Swimming in air: Lie down on the floor, raise all limbs and paddle through the air for 15 reps.
4. What causes back fat under bra?
A few different things contribute to back fat under the bra, often called bra bulge. Some are easily fixed. Others take some time and effort to correct.
- Poorly fitting bras can be uncomfortable and also cause bra bulge.
- Fat build up near the upper back bulges out when you wrap a bra over it.
- Loose, sagging skin over the back and chest might bunch up to look like back fat.
In addition, some people are genetically prone to accumulate fat primarily over the back whenever they gain some weight.
5. How do you lose stubborn back fat?
Once your healthy new lifestyle is in place, how do you target all that you do to better lose back fat?
Well, that isn’t quite possible, strictly speaking. You cannot get rid of fat from certain places without losing fat from other parts of your body at the same time. Essentially, all you’re doing is burning off fat – everywhere.
6. What exercises burn lower back fat?
Attempting to ‘spot reduce’ fat in selected areas is doomed to fail. It might work to build muscle, but when it comes to ways to burn lower back fat, it can only happen as part of a more general process.
So instead of doing just crunches that ignore back and core strength, include push ups, chest presses, leg presses, lat pulldowns and reverse flies, along with a fair amount of cardio exercise to burn lower back fat effectively.
7. How can men lose lower back fat at home?
It’s simple to lose lower back fat at home.
The quickest change to adopt is in your diet. Maybe you’ll go on a keto diet, or simply add healthier foods to what you regularly eat.
Just make sure you cut down on sugar and carbs, adding more whole grain, lean protein, fruit and vegetables to your meals.
The next step is to include cardiovascular (aerobic) exercises that burn calories and get rid of lower back fat. Two hours every week is optimal. You can run, walk, jog, dance, bicycle or do jumping jacks.
Finally, even if you’re trying to lose lower back fat at home, include strengthening exercises in your routine. Ensure that you focus on leg, arm and core muscles.
8. What causes love handles and back fat?
Love handles are bulges around the hip caused by fat deposits. Wearing ill-fitting or tight clothes makes them seem more pronounced. But unless you’re carrying around extra pounds, they don’t show up.
- Age and stress make it more likely that you’ll build up fat around the hips and waist.
- A sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating choices make the problem worse.
- Lack of sleep and hormonal disturbances are also causes of love handles and back fat.
Losing love handles and back fat takes a combination of exercise, diet and lifestyle changes.
So that’s how to lose back fat, shed extra pounds and achieve a toned, healthy body. A stronger back means better posture, less backaches, a sense of well-being and a more attractive physique.
Lose back fat as part of an overall fat loss program like Shaun Hadsall’s ‘14 Day Rapid Fat Loss‘ for sustained benefits that last for months or years. Learn more about this popular fat loss guide here – click.
