Love handles: they have a cute name, but no one wants them hanging around! We all know that love handles—those pesky bulges of excess fat around the waistline—are one of the most challenging “trouble spots” to slim down. But we’ve come up with a 25-day challenge to help you finally kick those love handles to the curb.

The key to getting a trim look around your whole midsection is dedicated waist training in combination with a core-strengthening routine that blasts fat and builds up your abdominal muscles. Follow this waist training regimen and do the following workout three times a week (you can do additional cardio on the off days). And of course, stick to a healthy diet of natural, unprocessed food.

Ready to say goodbye to those love handles? Let's get started, and be sure to take before-and-after photos—we’d love to see your results on Instagram! #bethehourglass

Waist Training Love Handles Routine

Week 1

For the first week, aim to wear your waist trainer for five days, at four to six hours a day. The more you do it, the more comfortable you’ll get. Don’t forget to wear a workout band when you’re doing your core-strengthening routine in order to maximize the effectiveness (workout waist trainers heat up your core, making you sweat more with less effort when you exercise).

Week 2

By now you can wear your waist trainer for eight hours a day, split into two four-hour sessions. Do this for five days this week, keeping up your diet and exercise routine.

Week 3

Eight hours should feel great by now; see if you can do it all in one stretch. Aim for 5–7 days this week.

Week 4

Push through this final week at 10 hours of daily wear in your waist trainer! (By now you’re probably wondering how you ever got dressed without one.)

Core-Strengthening Fitness Routine

This routine will have you sweating hard and your abs burning (see more details at Change in Seconds). Do this entire circuit three times (resting up to 60 seconds between intervals to catch your breath), three days a week.

1. 20 Burpees

Drop into a squat, then kick back into a plank. Return to a squat, then jump straight up, reaching towards the sky with your hands. Repeat.

2. 20 Dumbbell Side Bends

Standing up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your hips steady, lean with your torso to one side and then the other. Repeat 20 reps on each side.

3. 20 Side Planks

Lie straight on one side with your feet stacked, holding your weight on one elbow, your hip and your ankle. You can rest your free hand on the floor for balance or on your hip. Keeping your back flat, push your hips straight up until you are in a side plank position. Return to starting position and repeat 20 times on each side for one set.

4. 20 Russian Twists

Sit with your feet in front of you and knees slightly bent. Holding your hands in front of your chest, twist your torso to one side and then back to the other to complete one rep. For added difficulty, suspend your feet in the air and/or hold a dumbbell in your hands.

5. 20 Bicycle Crunches

Lying on your back, kick your legs in a “bicycling” motion, while keeping your hands behind your head and elbows our. Whenever one knee is closer to your head, crunch up so that the opposite elbow reaches toward the knee. Repeat on both sides to complete one rep.

6. 20 Hip Bridges

Lie flat on the ground with your knees bend and your feet flat, as close as possible to your hips. Keeping your back flat, push your hips upward as far as they will go without putting pressure on your neck. Repeat.

Don’t forget to repeat this entire circuit three times to complete your workout!

At the end of 25 days of waist training for love handles, you should see a difference! To keep up your results, we recommend that you continue waist training and exercising regularly.