The hips are areas of the body that store a large amount of fat, particularly in women. But why is it so difficult to slim the hips? What are the best solutions to tackle those extra centimetres? Is it possible to shift this stubborn fat quickly? Diet, exercises to slim the hips, or medical solutions — let’s explore all the options.
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Why do we gain weight on the hips?
What exactly are the hips?
The hip is a joint that connects the pelvis to the thigh, enabling a wide range of rotation and flexion movements.
It is the area of the body where the famous love handles are found. These appear as an accumulation of excess fat sitting just above the hips. These rolls, the source of many body insecurities, are subcutaneous fat deposits often caused by a poor diet or a lack of physical activity.
What causes fat to build up on the hips?
Fat storage is driven by cells found in adipose tissue, known as adipocytes. These cells grow and multiply particularly in sedentary individuals or those with poor dietary habits. Women are genetically more prone to these fatty deposits.
While curves are often seen as a sign of femininity, fuller hips can quickly become unflattering.
These fat deposits act as reserves that allow women to cope with pregnancy or breastfeeding, both of which require additional energy. During pregnancy, the hips are among the first areas of the body to gain weight. Women who have gone through menopause are therefore less prone to fat storage in this area, and may even lose it naturally.
In some people, the hips are wider than the shoulders — this is known as a pear-shaped body type. People with this body shape are more predisposed to storing fat on the hips.
Excess fat and volume around the hips can also be linked to an imbalance in the body’s water cycle, leading to water retention.
Even though all these causes of hip fat storage are physiological, there are many solutions available to shift these unwanted deposits and slim the hips.
Everyday solutions to slim your hips
Slimming the hips requires a healthy lifestyle, combining a balanced diet, good hydration, regular and targeted physical activity, and the use of slimming treatments.
A balanced diet
It is important to adopt good eating habits so that the body stores as little fat as possible, particularly around the hips. If you feel peckish between meals, a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit can provide the energy you need. The basic principle for slimming the hips is to always burn more calories than you consume.
Losing body fat requires a healthy diet, low in sugar, salt and fatty foods. Starchy foods, fresh vegetables and fruit, fibre, and protein should all feature regularly on your plate.
It is also recommended to favour lean proteins such as fish or chicken breast, and to drink enough water (at least 1.5 litres per day). Good hydration is the best way to flush out toxins and cleanse the body.
Regular physical activity
To build muscle while losing weight, regular physical activity is strongly recommended. Cardio exercises are ideal for burning calories, while targeted workouts help tone specific areas. Combining both is therefore an excellent approach to encourage hip slimming.
Cardio exercises to slim the hips
Endurance-based sports are great for the heart and highly effective at burning calories. These exercises are also beneficial as part of a fat-loss approach. Cardio activities help you lose weight all over the body, including the hips.
Opt for jogging, cycling or HIIT, and start at a moderate pace before gradually increasing the intensity. This is how motivation builds day by day, and how you’ll keep pushing yourself to do better.
Exercises to slim the hips
Toning the hip muscles through targeted exercises can help slim them down and reduce fat mass. The advantage of these workouts is that they continue to burn calories even after the session has ended. Well-toned muscle gradually replaces the fat deposits.
Standing leg raises
This exercise strengthens and works all the hip and glute muscles. Balance on one slightly bent leg and raise the other, keeping the thigh and knee engaged. Alternate between tension and release while breathing steadily; repeat the movement 10 times and complete 4 sets. You can use a stick for support to help maintain your balance.
Squats
Standing with your arms extended in front of you, lower yourself by bending your knees and pushing your glutes back. Rise back up by pressing through your heels, keeping your back straight throughout. This hip-slimming exercise works the hip and glute muscles. To target the hips even more, try a variation called sumo squats: the same movement but with your legs wider apart and your feet slightly turned outward.
Lateral lunges
This is a great exercise for working the hips, thighs and glutes all at once. Stand with your legs apart and toes pointing outward, then bend one leg out to the side. Alternate legs and complete several sets of repetitions.
Hip bridges
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, then lift your hips in line with your knees, as if forming a bridge. This exercise can also be performed with a ball placed between your thighs.
Slimming garments
Are slimming garments really a miracle solution? These textiles help sculpt the body when used alongside a balanced diet and regular physical activity. Slimming garments also help smooth and firm the skin, and reduce the appearance of cellulite and orange-peel texture.
The fibres used to make these slimming garments have a sculpting effect, thanks to cosmeto-textile technology. These smart fabrics are even more effective when the wearer is active. The friction of the garment against the skin triggers the release of micro-encapsulated active ingredients that act on fat cells.
Read also: Are slimming garments really effective?
– The slimming legging: it targets the lower body and helps slim the legs all over. Easy to wear, discreet and comfortable against the skin, the slimming legging should be worn for several weeks to maximise its effectiveness. Its main drawback is that it can feel uncomfortable in warm weather, and may feel restrictive when worn under trousers.
– The slimming shorty: it helps slim the buttocks and thighs while reducing love handles and hip volume. Versatile and easy to style, it can be worn under a skirt or dress without being visible.
Why choose the Cellublue Slimming Shorty?
- Up to -4.9 cm off hip circumference
- Up to -2.5 cm off waist circumference
- Up to -1.7 cm off midsection
- Up to -2.9 cm off thigh circumference
Results proven in just 21 days!
Slimming cosmetic treatments
Slimming treatments are rich in firming active ingredients designed to combat skin sagging caused by restrictive diets, pregnancy or weight fluctuations. They are effective at toning and firming skin tissue.
These slimming products provide valuable support in helping to eliminate fat. Both slimming and firming, these treatments contain increasingly high-performance active ingredients.
They offer genuine support as part of a slimming process, helping to improve blood circulation and firm the skin.
For fat reduction, opt for lipolytic treatments containing caffeine, which breaks down triglycerides into fatty acids. For skin firming, look for slimming treatments enriched with elastin and vitamin E.
Why choose Cellublue Hip & Belly Slimming Treatments?
The Cryo Slimming Gel for Belly & Hips helps reduce fat through a cold effect. When exposed to cold, the body uses more energy and burns excess fat. Clinical tests have shown results of up to -5.3 cm off hip circumference in 21 days.
The Cellublue Night Slimming Treatment for Belly & Hips helps slim the belly and hips while you sleep. At night, when the body is at rest, it stores energy and accumulates lipids. This is precisely when cells are most receptive — and when the Cellublue Night Slimming Treatment gets to work! Lose up to -3.5 cm off hip circumference in 21 days only!
Lipomassage
Eliminating fat also involves massaging the targeted areas using specific devices. A daily hip massage helps reduce fat through the effect of high-frequency vibrations. It is also an excellent drainage solution for relieving water retention. The skin is left toned and firmed.
Lipomassage stimulates the hypodermis, where adipocytes — or fat cells — are located. By applying pressure to specific areas, lipomassage promotes blood circulation, detoxifies the body and supports fat elimination. Stimulated in this way, fat cells release their stored fat, allowing the body to eliminate it.
Lipomassage slimming treatments are carried out in beauty centres, wellness clinics or by physiotherapists. These are mechanical massages performed using specific lymphatic and blood drainage devices. The number of sessions required is determined by the specialist, as some areas of the body take longer to treat than others. On average, optimal results can be achieved with ten lipomassage sessions, with noticeable improvement often visible from the fifth session onwards.
It is worth noting that lipomassage can also be performed at home using a slimming massage device. This allows you to adapt sessions to your own schedule and treat localised fat on the hips, as well as the thighs, buttocks, belly and arms.
Why choose the Cellublue Slimming Massage Device?
- Up to -3.9 cm off belly circumference
- Up to -2 cm off thigh circumference
- Up to -1.9 cm off arm circumference
Proven inch loss from 21 days of massage. Effective in just 15 minutes a day.
Medical solutions
Cosmetic medicine and surgery are options to consider if your body type or metabolism make it difficult to slim your hips through diet, exercise, cosmetics or slimming devices.
Liposuction
For slimming the hips, liposuction is a suitable technique that delivers noticeable results. Also known as lipoaspiration, this procedure is performed under local or general anaesthesia depending on the case. It removes deep-seated excess fat from the hips that is otherwise very difficult to shift.
Coolsculpting
This technique destroys localised fat deposits without surgery, using cold alone. In practice, it involves a device of varying size connected to suction cups that deliver cold when applied to the areas being treated.
Coolsculpting, or cryolipolysis, is performed by specialist practitioners. A gel pad is placed on the target area, and the suction cups grip the skin while drawing in the fat. The targeted area is essentially frozen, and the patient rests under a blanket for one to two hours.
At the end of the session, a draining massage is performed to redistribute the cooled fat across the treated area.
Ultrasound
This is a gentle technique, ideal for those who are apprehensive about surgery, and is also known as morpholiposculpture. The procedure involves injecting hypo-osmolar solutions through needles, after which ultrasound waves break down the fat cells.
The main drawback of these medical solutions is their very high cost.