how to get rid of baby fat

Trying to get rid of back fat can be an issue for many people. The fatty deposits are associated with insulin resistance, high testosterone and low carbohydrate tolerance, as well as increased risk of diabetes, PCOS and infertility, so in some cases, it's something to be addressed.

Before you let panic set you down the wrong path – if you've tried to get rid of back fat the same way you've attempted to lose body fat or get rid of belly fat – with unsustainable crash dieting or short-lived exercise routines, let us set you straight. The best way to achieve your body composition goals is by adopting healthy habits that make your life better, not smaller. This means not cutting out any food groups or suffering through a workout you hate, k?

But, and this is very important – back fat, like anything to do with your body – does not determine your worth or beauty. Never has, never will. What is important is maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself, food and exercise. If for you, that includes learning how to lose weight well, then we're here to help you do it safely, for good.

What causes back fat?

'Back fat accumulates slowly over time,' says elite PT and former professional athlete Henry Barratt. 'Each 10 year period, starting from 30 years of age, it becomes more noticeable how hard it is to shift, especially around the "love handles", "muffin tops" and behind the bra strap,' Barratt explains. This is due to something called somatopause, the phenomenon of declining growth hormone levels as women age. Lower amounts of growth hormone make it harder to build new muscle and maintain what we have already.

Besides that, lifestyle causes can include:

eating excess sugar or salt (which can contribute to inflammation in the body)
eating too many calories
a sedentary lifestyle
natural ageing process
poor posture can make back fat appear more obvious.

Moreover, not using your back muscles can contribute to a loss of strength and tone as, unlike those on the front of the body, the muscles that run along your back – e.g. the glutes, hamstrings and back muscles – can go neglected unless you consciously strengthen them.

Sometimes the issue isn't fat distribution but posture, which emphasises any lack of tone by allowing softer skin to wrinkle and bulge.

However, the fact of the matter is you can't spot reduce body fat. No way, no how. You can't spot reduce it through diet or exercise – and that goes double for those back fat exercises suspect internet sources claim are watertight. Rather, losing back fat is a case of reducing your overall body fat. We're going to walk you through how to do it safely and sustainably.

Healthy diet tips to get rid of back fat safely

'Exercise is important to help change body composition, however, the most gains can be made by changing nutritional habits', says Barratt. The old adage remains true; 'you can't out-train a bad diet.'

Mindful eating

A key part of dealing with excess body fat is mindful nutrition, ensuring you're eating a balanced diet full of vegetables and whole foods. To lose body fat, you need to be in a calorie deficit, something that mindful eating can really help with.

'It's not about dieting,' says Barratt. 'Just making sure you're eating the correct number of calories for your height and gender,' which for most women is normally between 1,450 and 2,000.

Not sure how many calories to be eating to be in a calorie deficit? Here's how to calculate yours. Remember, the majority of your meals should be made up of whole, nutrient-dense foods. There's always room for fun but moderation really is king here.

Or, if you're accustomed to eating in a CICO diet (calories in, calories out) fashion, learning how to count your macros for fat loss can help, too. Not familiar with macros? It's an abbreviation of 'macronutrients' and refers to the three main food groups humans need – protein, fat and carbohydrates. The ratios in which you eat these macronutrients can help you to build muscle or lose body fat.

We've broken down how to calculate yours at the handy infographic below:

how to calculate macros, women's health uk

Focus on energy and nutrient-dense foods

'Fuelling yourself with energy-dense foods is necessary to ensure sustainable and maintainable fat loss in the long term,' says nutritionist Jenna Hope.

Hope suggests incorporating the following seven foods into your fat loss diet:

Avocados: leave you feeling fuller and more satisfied for longer
Eggs: stabilise blood sugar levels and reduce cravings
Chickpeas: high fibre food to help with gut health
Almonds: provide a combination of healthy fats and protein
Milk: the whey protein in milk contributes to satiety and balanced blood sugar
Salmon: oily fish supports healthy insulin function which contributes to a healthy weight
Green leafy vegetables: high fibre and packed with micronutrients

However, advises Hope, 'while these foods are helpful in contributing to satiety and managing blood sugar levels, no one food will cause fat loss. Fat loss is a combination of diet, sleep, exercise, lifestyle and stress among many other factors.'

What exercises get rid of back fat? 6 best "back fat exercises"

Before we dive in, we'll remind you what we've already said about spot reducing fat in a certain area. However, if you want to target the muscles in your back, we've got you covered.

'Pull-ups are fantastic for shaping the back as are reverse flys with dumbbells and cables,' advises Barratt. We've rounded up six of the best exercises to sculpt a strong upper back below. (Hint, if you're Googling "back fat exercises", these will help with muscle build and 'toning' goals.)

These resistance training exercises work to strengthen your posterior muscles, which will not only change their appearance but also help to lower the risk of injury.

1. Reverse Fly

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells at your sides.
Move your pelvis back and bring your chest forward, hinging at the hips until your chest is parallel to the floor.
Allow the weights to hang towards the floor, with palms facing each other.
Make sure your core is strong, your back is straight, your chin is tucked and your knees are slightly bent.
Exhale and raise your arms out to the sides while squeezing your shoulder blades together and ensuring you're not hunching them up towards the ears.
Inhale and lower the arms back to starting position.

2. Resistance Band Pull-Down

rebecca jacobs

Hold the middle of the band with both hands.
Bend your elbows and separate your hands as you pull the band towards your chest.
Return the handles to the starting position with control.

3. Barbell Bent Over Rows

rebecca jacobs

Make sure you've got the right amount of weight as too much will make you more likely to have improper form, meaning you'll get less out of the exercise than doing it in a controlled manner.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees and hinge forward from the waist, with your back straight and neck in line with the spine.
Take hold of the bar with your hands, making sure your palms are down and they're just wider than your shoulders.
Ensuring you're strong through the core, squeeze your shoulders together and lift (or row) the weight up until it touches the chest.
Slowly lower it back down.

4. Back Extension

rebecca jacobs

Lie on your front and bring your hands to your temples, with your elbows out to the sides.
Engaging your glutes and core, lift your shoulders and chest off the floor, squeezing your shoulder blades together. (And lifting your legs for a more intense workout.)
Lower back down slowly to the starting position.

5. Dumbbell Swing

rebecca jacobs

Stand with your feet shoulder-width and hold the dumbbell with one hand in front of the other.
Keeping your back straight, bend your knees slightly, push your hips back and swing the weight in between your legs.
Once the weight is behind the body, contract your glutes and thrust your hips forward, swinging the weight up to chest level.
When the weight is at its highest point, contract your glutes, quads and core.
Allow the weight to swing in between your legs again.

6. Side Plank Variations

side-plank-thread-the-needle-easy- rebel

Begin lying on your side with the elbow under the shoulder, and feet and knees stacked.
Lift your hips up into a side plank, stretching your free arm towards the ceiling.
Then bring the free arm down and thread it through the space underneath the body while you rotate the shoulder and hips to the floor.

Is back fat unhealthy and how much body fat is normal for women?

First of all, women need a certain amount of body fat for proper hormone function – fact. It is also normal and necessary for women to carry slightly more body fat than men.

However, if you're carrying excess body fat, understanding how to lose it safely for good is helpful. Though back exercises alone won't reduce back fat, losing weight across the body will likely have an impact.

But that's not the only benefit; by being in a healthy body fat percentage range, you lower the risk of multiple diseases, such as heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, that are related to being overweight.

So what's a healthy weight range? BMI (a.k.a body mass index) used to be the way to calculate it, but it's come under criticism in recent years for not taking into account anything more than weight and height. As such, a bodybuilder could be classed as obese despite being in peak physical health.

Other ways to measure body fat include skinfold callipers, which pinch the skin to measure the thickness of your subcutaneous fat, or simply making sure your waist size is under half of your height (which can be done with a measuring tape or piece of string).

RENPHO Bluetooth Body Fat Scale

RENPHO amazon.co.uk

£29.99

Myprotein Body Fat Calipers

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£2.99

Fitbit Aria 2 Wi-Fi Body Weight Analysis Scale

Fitbit argos.co.uk

£79.20

Tape Measure 150cm - Inches and cm

Concept4u amazon.co.uk

£2.63

Rebecca Gillam Bex is a wellbeing writer, brand consultant and qualified yoga and meditation teacher who likes baths, crystals, running with her pup Gustav and making unboring vegan-ish food.

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