Question: Hi, I am having a problem with back fat. I have not lost any weight recently. My stomach is not very big but I do have little love handles on the side of my stomach and it just goes right around to my back. It looks fatter than my belly does which is not normal if you ask me. This fat I am talking about is not bra overhang either; it is right above my butt. I am young and I like to wear low rise jeans. What exercises can I do to get rid of this back fat?

Thank you

Kris, New Jersey

Answer: I know what you’re talking about. I think almost every young woman in the country is having this problem. I thought it might be the fact that low rise jeans just aren’t that attractive. That not withstanding, your back fat problem is being caused by something I call “empty bag” syndrome. Gravity and lack of muscle are the culprits here.

Most people do “ab” work that concentrates on keeping their stomach area flat but forget that their midsection is a combination of muscles, three sets to be exact. I won’t go into the technical names for them but one set sucks the abdomen in and keeps it flat, another set allows the body to fold in half, and the last one allows the body to twist. This last muscle is the one that I believe is not developed and is making the fat look like melted candle wax on your back. The reason why I call this “empty bag” syndrome is that your skin is a bag and needs to be filled with something. If it’s not filled with muscle it will be filled with fat and if gravity has its way, it will look like candle wax dripping over your “low rise”jeans. You need to perform exercises that twist your body.

My favorite is the “criss cross crunch. If you lie on your back with your knees bent, bring your right elbow to the outside of your left knee and lower yourself back down and then bring your left elbow to the outside of your right knee and lower yourself. I would place my feet under something first because this exercise will be hard if you’re doing it for the first time. Fill that bag and write me back in a few weeks. I know you’ll be fitting much better in all those “low rise” jeans you have in you closet.