That's Fit

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Fitz, For about a year now, I've been doing exercises for my obliques. I've done them about three or four times each week and have done a variety of different exercises each workout. I'm also a naturally thin person who recently lost 10 pounds (so I'm really thin now) and I still have those awful love handles! How do I get rid of them? Emily

A. Ugh Emily! This is a question I've answered before, but since it's such a tremendous source of frustration for so many...I believe the topic of love handles is worth visiting again. You're actually the perfect example of how annoying they can be. You are a trim person who does a variety of abdominal exercises frequently. Most folks would believe that would be enough. Unfortunately for some people, it is not.

Love handles often have to do less with abdominal muscles and more with body type. For example. I'm a pretty trim chic, but when I have gained weight...it's all gone to my boobs, belly and thighs. In fact, I used to be 40 pounds heavier than I am today, but I've never had love handles. Some people get it all in their hips. Even if they achieve their ideal weight, some of those people are still stuck with dreaded 'saddlebags'. Your issue is the same. Great fitness. Lean body. One or two annoying pockets of fat.

Important thing to remember there. Love handles are pockets of fat. You can no longer shrink them by doing crunches than a person with chubby cheeks can shrink them by opening and closing their mouth a bunch. Side bends, twists and more will have no effect on a love handle. Some readers were very upset to hear that last time I addressed this issue, but one can only lose weight and fat by burning more calories than he consumes. The combination of healthy eating, cardiovascular exercise and strength training will help you lose weight wherever you happen to be storing it.

Crunches will certainly keep your abdominal muscles strong, but will have very little overall impact on the pockets of fat above your hips. Often folks who are very over-weight will lose their love handles once they achieve an ideal weight. Others, like yourself, may be forced to maintain an extremely low body fat percentage or look at other options.

I'm sorry I can't offer a magic pill or a few easy exercises which will provide a quick fix. Love handles are just 'fat pockets'. So if you can get rid of some more fat, I bet they'll continue to diminish! Let me know how things go Emily. Fitz

Q. Hello Miss Fitzness! How come all of the celebrities are so skinny? There has to a be a secret in L.A. which we just haven't heard about yet here in Texas. I see that you work with celebrities a lot. Any insight? I don't want to be famous...I just want to be thinner. Thanks in advance, Leann

A. Great question Leann. Of course, not all celebrities are super thin. But I have worked with a decent amount of celebrities and I do know what is keeping many of them in such great shape. It's probably one of the best kept secrets in Hollywood as well. Here it is.....they work their asses off and eat really well, because if they don't.....they could lose their jobs. It's not a sob story, it's just reality. Most of the "hot looking" performers got their first job because a casting agent or producer thought that they had both great talent and a great look. Once hired, these performers needed to keep up their looks in order to maintain their popularity and continue to get hired.

How many jobs do you think the uber-buff Mario Lopez would get if he gained 33 pounds of fat? Not too many! Remember the ripping Britney Spears took for looking a little less ripped in that crazy 'comeback' performance last year? The public is not incredibly forgiving when stars lose their sexy physiques. (For the record...I thought she looked terrific.)

Every celeb I've worked with has adopted a rigorous workout routine and makes aggressive efforts to eat nutritious, low fat, and low calorie foods. Imagine the things you'd do if you had to perform on television in a bathing suit! Of course some lucky people have the wild metabolisms that allow them to eat atrociously with no aesthetic price to pay. Those jerks are everywhere though. (Just kidding)

The things celebrities do have that work in their favor are:

• Pressure to look great on screen
• Financial ability to hire trainers, nutritionists, chefs, therapists and more.

Celebrities aren't privy to magical skinny secrets. They are however, in a position where every aspect of their appearance seems to count. Your livelihood probably does not ride on your looks. I'm not a super celebrity Leann, but I am an expert on the subject of becoming fit and am wildly successful at helping others earn the bodies they love living in. You should focus more of your attention towards folks like me who have real answers.

Be particular about what you put in your mouth. Sweat often. Avoid things like drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, saturated fats, white flour and sugar. Strive to become more FIT and maybe someday people will ask what your secrets are!

**To visit some of my past interviews with celebrities regarding their fitness habits visit Celebrity Fitzness Report.

Punches & Kicks,

Fitz

Fitzness.com

Note: The content presented in this Q. & A section is for informational purposes only and should not be viewed as medical advice or substitute for professional medical care.

Gallery: Ask Fitz! Celebs