There’s nothing quite as disappointing as trying on a new outfit and feeling fantastic—loving the neckline, the perfect color, and looking sleek and sexy—only to turn around and see back fat spilling out around your bra, bunching up at your waist, and overflowing over your pants!
I completely understand how frustrating it is to feel like your “back boobs” are almost as prominent as your actual ones, despite your best efforts to eliminate them. Whether you wear a size four or fourteen, dealing with back fat can be a significant challenge!
You might assume that your usual weight loss strategies—eating well and exercising—would also help reduce the extra padding on your back, but that’s not always the case. Just like belly fat, stubborn back fat is often linked to other health issues that require a specific approach to tackle.
Fortunately, we have some tips and tricks to help you finally get rid of that stubborn back fat for good! Let’s get straight to it so you can slim down your backside and achieve the smooth, sleek physique you’ve been striving for!
While general weight loss can be achieved through a healthy diet and moderate exercise, hormonal imbalances can lead to fat accumulation in certain areas that are particularly difficult to lose. Some people notice this in their belly, while you might see it in your back (or, if you’re really lucky, both).
To make matters worse, a sedentary lifestyle or desk job can result in poor muscle tone and bad posture—both of which contribute to a flabby, hunched, and unappealing back. If you’re still struggling with your bra bulge and love handles, it’s time to switch things up!
Hormones play a crucial role in weight loss and may be the primary reason you can’t shed stubborn back fat, even when you’re losing weight elsewhere. Here are the most common hormones that contribute to excess back fat and how to address them:
Cortisol, often referred to as the “stress hormone,” can trigger your body’s survival instincts to cling to fat. Your ancestors may have needed that extra body fat to survive after being chased by a lion, but your body can’t differentiate between life-threatening stress and the stress of navigating through rush hour traffic.
The solution is straightforward—relax! I know, easier said than done, right? Start with small, manageable changes like getting more rest, meditating, and practicing mindfulness. You might be surprised at how much these little adjustments can improve your mood and weight!
If you’re not getting enough sleep, you may find yourself snacking throughout the day, sabotaging your weight loss efforts! Lack of sleep can lower your leptin levels, the hormone that signals to your brain that you’re full. Additionally, insufficient sleep can raise cortisol levels, so getting extra rest will benefit you in multiple ways! Aim for at least eight hours of sleep each night.
If love handles are your trouble spot, insulin might be the culprit. Fortunately, you can rebalance this hormone by cutting back or eliminating carbs and sugars from your diet. For more information on how to do this and why it’s essential, check out our article on insulin resistance and weight loss. Bonus: you’ll likely lose weight in other areas too when you reduce carbs and sugars!
Are you frustrated with bra fat, back boobs, and neck bulge? Upper back fat can be associated with a hormone called thyroxine, which is primarily produced by your thyroid gland. To balance this hormone, incorporate more cruciferous vegetables (like kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts) into your diet, and avoid gluten and soy. If this doesn’t help, you might have an underactive thyroid, so it’s wise to consult your doctor to rule out more serious conditions like hypothyroidism.
Spot reduction isn’t a real thing, but that doesn’t mean that targeting your problem areas (spot toning) isn’t beneficial! In fact, low muscle tone in your back could be why you still have extra padding there. While working out your back won’t lead to weight loss solely from that area, it will help tighten and tone it, reducing the appearance of fat.
You’ll also build more muscle mass, which will help you burn more calories overall since muscle burns more calories than fat. Here’s a great back toning workout routine you can do anywhere:
While improving your posture won’t directly eliminate back fat, it will make you look slimmer overall! This is especially true if you have extra fat across your back or around your neck and bra area. The best way to correct your posture is to strengthen your muscles. (And trust me, retraining your body to stand up straight is a workout in itself!)
You can improve your posture by tightening your abs, pulling your shoulder blades together, lifting your chest slightly, and sliding your neck back so your head is directly over your shoulders. Pro tip: Set a few alarms on your phone to remind you to check your posture regularly!
If you’re still having trouble keeping your back straight, a posture corrector can help you maintain alignment. While it won’t engage your muscles as much, it can help you get used to standing straight and open up your diaphragm while stretching tight chest muscles.
Reducing your calorie intake might help decrease fat, but your diet could still be undermining your silhouette. Water retention and bloating could be making your backside appear puffy—both of which can be addressed with simple dietary changes.
Most Americans consume over 1,000 mg more salt daily than recommended, which can lead to water retention and a puffy appearance. Even if you think you’re not eating much sodium because you don’t add salt to your food, you might be surprised by how much salt is in “healthy” foods. Common sources of hidden salt include salad dressings, diet sodas, soups, seasonings, diet shakes or bars, and most processed foods.
Be sure to read ingredient labels carefully and aim to consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. If you genuinely want to shed fat from your back or any other area, it’s essential to make some changes to your diet and lifestyle.
Figuring out what changes to make, what to eat, and how to choose the best options from the myriad of diet and weight loss choices can feel overwhelming. That’s why we created our 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge for people just like you—those who have tried everything to lose weight and keep it off but still can’t shed those stubborn pounds.
Our challenge offers a step-by-step plan to help you lose up to 21 lbs in just 21 days, with far less effort than you might expect! If you have more weight to lose, you can repeat the challenge as many times as needed to reach your goal weight—and it even works for those with insulin resistance!
The best part? Besides losing weight, the 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge is designed to heal your gut, rebalance your hormones, and retrain your taste buds—so you’ll be able to maintain your weight loss. Plus, balancing your hormones means you’ll finally shed fat from those stubborn areas like your back and belly!
If you’re ready to make some changes in your life, this is the perfect place to start. We’ll guide you on how to implement the necessary changes in your diet and lifestyle and how to maintain them “beyond the diet.”
Click HERE to start YOUR 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge today! Leave a comment below if you enjoyed this article on how to eliminate back fat or if you have any questions!
