Love handles refer to fat deposited on the sides of the waist. These unsightly bulges are also known as a spare tire or a muffin top, which occurs when excess fat hangs over a person's waistband.

Most people agree that having excess fat around the midsection is undesirable. Research shows that abdominal fat leads to higher risks of heart disease, diabetes and even certain types of cancers. But how do you go about getting rid of love handles?

One way to effectively eliminate love handles is to lose weight by following a reduced-calorie diet and by consistently doing cardiovascular exercise.

As you begin your diet and exercise program, you can disguise your love handles by wearing clothes that fit properly. Avoid too-tight clothing, low-rise jeans and midriff-baring shirts. Opt for pants that go around your natural waist and for women, skirts and dresses that sit at your natural waist.

Check out AOL Health's belly-bloating foods to avoid or eat belly-flattening foods. AOL Health also has sections on how to burn ab fat and ab workouts.

Last week, I told you five food tweaks that can make your Buddha belly less ... um .... Buddha-ish. But if changing what you eat isn't your thing, Prevention Magazine recently revealed another five tips -- no diet changes necessary. Here they are:

• Stand -- and sit -- up straight. Good posture instantly slims your whole body, but especially your ab area.
  
• Imagine there's a magnet behind your belly button drawing it to your spine. It's an old Pilates trick that works wonders. Do this often.
  
• Sit like royalty. Allow your spine to curve naturally and hold your shoulders back.
  
• Become a cardio queen ... or king. It's effective in burning stubborn fat.
  
• Clean your house. Seriously. Vacuuming, sweeping and scrubbing uses your core muscles.

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Would the site of your naked body wolfing down a sandwich be enough to turn you off lunch? That's the premise behind the 'Naked Lunch' diet idea: Eat your meals in the nude in front of the mirror, and the site of all your flaws exposed -- love handles included -- will cause you to think twice about taking a second helping. Although it should go without saying that this should be practiced only for at-home meals. And avoid eating hot soup.

Extreme? Yes. Does it work? Maybe; I've never tried it -- but I can definitely see the logic behind this. What do you think? Would you eat in the buff? Would it keep you from eating too much?

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Can women have love handles? Or are they called "muffin tops" instead? Whatever you call it, that extra layer of flab so many of us have around the midsection just might be one of the most annoying fitness challenges -- especially during this season of skimpy clothes and skin-baring swimsuits. Getting rid of those stubborn deposits of chub is best achieved with a combination of eating right and exercising fairly intensely in both cardio and strength training regimens. iVillage has put together a workout plan specifically for saying bye-bye to love handles, so give it a shot and let us know how it turns out!

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