Love handles

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"Love handles" is a colloquial or slang term for a layer of fat that is deposited around a person's midsection, especially visible on the sides, which is believed to have some resemblance to handles. The term is mildly prurient, as the name suggests that these 'handles' are conducive to "love making".

Love handles are more common in men than women, as the midsection is one of the first regions where fat is stored in the male body (women tend to accumulate fat around the hips and thighs). Love handles generally become more pronounced as a person ages and approaches middle age.

Both men and women tend to be image conscious around love handles, as many people develop them, sometimes leading to a negative body image.

While many products are targeted at eliminating love handles, it is generally agreed that spot reduction is impossible, and the best way to reduce them is to lose fat through cardiovascular exercise and a healthy diet. However, love handles are also regulated by genes, so past a certain point of exercising and dieting, the rest is in the luck of the draw.

Love handles also colloquially called "spare tire", which gives the same meaning as of, excess fat around the waistline.