Love handles are those dreaded extra inches around the waist that come with age, stress, and poor nutrition. They are often one of the most difficult areas to target when it comes to losing weight and toning up. Despite their difficulty level, love handles are completely doable with a combination of diet and exercise.So what exactly is a love handle? Love handles are the area on either side of your stomach between your ribcage and hips. This area is typically composed of fat deposited in the subcutaneous layers beneath your skin. Why do they get their name? In medical terms, they are known as abdominal external oblique muscles; however, they got their nickname because they’re usually an area people “love” to grab onto when hugging someone special.Unfortunately, it’s also an area that can be hard to lose body fat from. Unlike other areas such as legs or arms which have larger muscle groups made up of multiple muscles, your love handles mainly consist of one large muscle group called your obliques. This single muscle group means there isn’t much spot targeting you can do for it – instead, you have to work across your whole core to improve this area.