If you want to know how to get rid of banana roll fat naturally and without surgery, then you’ve come to the right place. Banana rolls are those stubborn fat rolls right under the butt.
It’s simpler than you’d think to get rid of these stubborn banana rolls, and you can do it without surgery. You can have a firm, flat, and smooth transition from your butt to your thighs and don’t have to feel self-conscious anymore.
But most make the mistake of just trying to lose weight to get rid of their banana rolls. Unfortunately, this can just make things worse! And using surgery isn’t the answer since it can cause your butt to lose support, then it’ll become droopy.
You can use these simple yet effective exercises and workout routine to fix the banana roll fat at home quickly. So keep going to uncover how to reclaim the smooth underbutt curves you want.
What Are Banana Rolls?
Banana roll fat is subcutaneous fat deposited directly below the butt. These fat rolls are slightly rounded downward and stretch from the length of the back of the upper thigh, resembling the shape of a banana.
This banana roll fat (or underbutt fat) can be quite stubborn to get rid of and resistant to toning. The banana roll fat can be a big spot of insecurity for many women who have it.
Unfortunately, just losing weight will rarely make banana rolls go away completely. With weight loss, you’ll also lose muscle, which will cause your body fat composition to increase.1
When this happens, you can become “skinny fat” and lack muscle toning and tightening effects. This can worsen the appearance of stubborn fat spots like banana rolls, hip dips, belly fat, love handles, etc.
This is why you can still have banana rolls even if you’re skinny. Which can make it quite frustrating when you’ve lost weight, but these stubborn spots don’t go away.
What Causes Banana Rolls?
There is usually more than one reason that causes banana roll fat. They can start really at any age due to a number of factors…
The main causes of banana roll fat include:
- Genetics
- Body Composition
- Aging
- Hormones
Let’s dive deeper into these causes of banana roll fat so you can figure out how to get rid of them…
Genetics
Body fat distribution is largely determined by your genetics.2 Depending on your genetics, your body will distribute excess body fat to certain areas of the body. For some, it’s their belly, hips, arms, thighs, etc. In your case, it’s the banana roll fat.
Many women with a natural pear-shaped body type tend to have the most problems with banana fat rolls. With a pear-shaped body, many women store their excess fat in their hips and legs, while apple-shaped body types store it in their belly.3
This is why you can have banana rolls even at an early age. If other women in your family also have banana roll fat, then genetics are definitely playing a role.
Genetics can make it frustrating to get rid of banana rolls since your body will naturally want to store excess fat there. But despite your genetics, you can still at the very least, largely improve their appearance, if not get rid of them altogether.
Body Composition
Having a less-than-ideal body composition is another cause of having banana rolls fat. Despite being on the thinner side, you could still have a higher percentage of body fat compared to muscle mass.
This results in having a skinny fat body. You can appear to be otherwise thin but still have too much fat on your body. This can cause the body to lose its tight firmness and give you sagging skin fatty spots.4
If you just lose more weight, then you most likely will also be losing a lot of muscle mass. This can worsen the problem, and instead, you should focus on improving your body composition by burning fat and adding toned muscle.5
And if you’ve been focusing on building your glutes, then this could make the banana rolls more pronounced. This is because you may be building more muscle in the area but still have fat that is now being “pushed out” farther.
Aging
Aging can cause your fat distribution to change and worsen the integrity of your skin. As you age, many tend to lose muscle mass, causing stubborn fat spots to become more pronounced, like the banana rolls.6
Estrogen levels can decline with age too, causing fat to be redistributed to the hips and thighs.7 This is why many middle-aged women can have increases in fat accumulation in their hips, thighs, and belly.
Many become less active with age, causing weight gain and increases in fat distribution to the trunk area.8 Less physical activity results in less calories burned, more fat accumulation, and a slower metabolism.9
Skin integrity and elasticity worsen with age from decreased collagen in the body.10 Collagen is the support structure for your skin and is also known to be your body’s “super glue.”
Collagen decreases every year, which can loosen your skin, causing stubborn fat spots like the banana rolls. The good news is you can supplement with collagen peptides to replenish this lost collagen in your body.
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Hormones
A hormonal imbalance caused by high insulin levels and reduced insulin sensitivity from eating too many sugars and carbs can be a driving cause of weight gain.11
If you’re eating too many of these bad carbs, then you’ll be fighting an uphill battle against your insulin levels. Excess insulin in your body can also cause you to have more fat stored in your lower body.12
When there’s too much insulin, it tells your body to store fat instead of using it for energy.13 And since you have the genetics to store excess fat in the underbust region, it’ll most likely make it harder to burn off.
If you’re stressed out too much or not getting enough sleep, then your cortisol levels can be too high. When cortisol is high, it tells your body to store more fat around your waist.14 This can then lead to having excess fat under your bum and make it harder for you to lose the banana rolls.
Key Takeaways:
- Genetics can make it more likely for you to store fat in stubborn areas like the banana rolls.
- Bad muscle-to-fat ratio can make stubborn banana fat hard to lose, even if you’re skinny.
- With age, your body will begin storing fat in the trunk area, such as the glutes and thighs
- Out-of-whack hormones can prevent you from burning fat off in the glute-ham tie-in area.
Yet, if you do want to know how to get rid of the banana rolls, then here’s how…
How to Get Rid of Banana Rolls Naturally
Getting rid of them naturally without banana roll fat removal surgery like liposuction or cool sculpting will be achieved mostly through a healthy diet and the right exercises. Some plastic surgeons may even refuse liposuction under the butt since it’ll lose support and become droopy.
At the end of the day, having banana roll fat means you have too much fat on your body. And your body is storing this excess fat right beneath your bum, and it’s stubbornly refusing to burn it off.
Spot reduction methods for targeted fat loss in specific locations aren’t very effective.15 So, simply doing under-butt exercises alone isn’t solely going to get rid of banana fat rolls if your body fat is too high.
The best thing you can do is to lower your overall body fat and excess weight while toning up this troublesome area. As you tone up your body with fat reduction, you can also add in some targeted exercises to further tighten up the banana roll area.
Improving your diet will play a major role in lowering your body fat percentage. Eliminating foods that spike your blood sugar and insulin will be effective in burning off this extra stubborn fat.
Improving your skin elasticity and integrity will also help tighten up any loose skin in the under-butt area. This can help to tighten up the extra fat roll so it doesn’t appear so pronounced.
How long does it take to get rid of banana rolls?
This is going to depend on how much fat you have underneath your bum to begin with. The less you have then, the faster it’ll be to get rid of it.
Once you start focusing on your diet, improving body composition, and tightening the under-bum area with the best exercises, you should be able to see results within a week.
But if you wanna get rid of them completely, then 1 to 3 months is about, on average, what it’ll take to get rid of stubborn fat when following a healthy diet and exercise program.
Best Exercises for Banana Rolls
So you can’t spot reduce fat, right?
That’s not entirely true. Sure, just doing them alone won’t get the job done for most. You’ll need to reduce body fat as well, but adding in these exercises will help to tone and tighten the under-butt area.
The best part about these banana roll exercises is they can be done at home. These exercises use minimal equipment that you can also makeshift with items around the house if you don’t already have them.
Donkey Kicks
- Start on all fours with your hands and knees shoulder-width apart. Keeping your back flat, raise your right leg straight back until your thigh is parallel to the floor.
- Squeeze your glutes as you raise your leg, and then slowly lower it back to the starting position.
- Repeat with the left leg, and then alternate between legs for a total of 10-20 repetitions. Donkey kicks can be performed with or without weight, depending on your fitness level.
Single-Leg RDL
- Start by standing on one leg with your knee slightly bent.
- Hinge at the hip to lower your torso forward, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
- As you lower down, reach your free hand toward the ground. Keep lowering until your hamstrings are parallel to the ground, then squeeze your glutes to raise back up to the starting position.
- Make sure to keep your shoulders square and your weight evenly distributed throughout the exercise. Perform 8-12 repetitions on each side.
Good Mornings
- To start, sit on the ground with your feet flat and your hands behind you.
- Then, hold a dumbbell high on your chest by your collarbone.
- Next, lean forward by moving your hips backward until your upper body is parallel to the ground.
- Finally, raise your upper body back into the starting position by moving your hips forward.
Hip Thrusts
- Start by placing your upper back on a bench, box or sturdy chair with your knees bent.
- Drive your hips off the ground until they make a straight line with your knees and upper body.
- Pause at the top and squeeze your cheeks before slowly lowering them back into the starting position.
High Step-Ups
- Start by standing in front of a platform that is about knee height. Place your left foot on the platform, and then explosively drive your right leg up, using your hips and glutes to propel yourself upward.
- As you reach the top of the platform, extend your left leg and stand up tall. Be sure to keep your core engaged throughout the movement to maintain balance.
- Once you have reached the top of the initiative, slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position.
Romanian Deadlifts
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip (palms facing your body). Let your arms hang naturally in front of your thighs.
- Keep your back straight, shoulders back, and chest up. Begin by hinging at your hips, pushing them back as if you’re trying to touch the dumbbells to the floor. Keep your knees slightly bent, and make sure to maintain a straight back throughout the exercise.
- Lower the dumbbells down the front of your legs, maintaining a slight bend in your knees. Go as low as your flexibility allows while keeping your back straight. You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
- Then, reverse the motion by driving your hips forward and standing up. Your hips should come forward in a controlled manner, and your back should stay straight.
Hip Bridge Walkouts
- Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent hip-width apart. and your heels on the ground with your toes up. Place your arms by your sides with your palms facing down.
- Engage your core muscles and squeeze your glutes as you lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
- Then take small steps away from you with your heels “walking” out.
- After 2-3 small walkout steps, reverse the process by slowly bringing your feet back to the starting position.
Single Leg Hip Bridge
- Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
- Extend one leg straight out in front of you while keeping the other foot flat on the ground.
- Engage your core muscles and squeeze your glutes as you lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your knee on the bent leg.
- Hold the bridge position briefly at the top, ensuring your hips are level. Lower your hips back down to the ground in a controlled manner.
Bulgarian Split Squats
- Start by standing with one foot placed behind the other, with both feet pointing forward. Bend the front leg and lower the back knee toward the ground, leaning forward with your torso to accentuate muscle usage in your upper hamstring and glutes.
- Once your front thigh is about parallel to the ground, press through the heel of the front leg to return to the starting position.
- For an added challenge, hold a dumbbell in each hand or place a barbell across the back of your shoulders.
Elevated Reverse Lunges
- Stand on a small step, box, or stair with your feet hip-width apart, your hands on your hips, or holding dumbbells.
- Take a big step behind you with one leg by bending your front knee until your back foot reaches the ground.
- Slowly lower the back knee towards the ground until the front thigh is about parallel to the ground.
- Then bring the back foot up to the starting position and repeat on the other leg.
Banana Rolls Workout Plan
The banana roll exercises above are going to work great for toning up and adding lean muscle to this area. But it’s best to combine them with a fat-burning workout plan for the quickest results.
Intense cardio works best to burn fat off the body the fastest. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts maximize fat-burning while also improving body composition by adding toned muscle.
High-intensity exercise combined with the above targeted exercises will increase body temperature in the under-butt area while also improving blood flow and hormone delivery.19 All of these help to burn stubborn fat.
After doing high-intensity exercise combined with targeted exercises, you can also add in slower cardio afterward to further enhance fat burning. 20-40 minutes of Zone 2 cardio (65%-75% Max HR) is effective for fat loss.
I’d recommend doing a stairclimber machine or incline sprints (or walking) for cardio and taking bigger steps. This will also help to target the under-butt area where the glutes meet the hamstrings.
Here’s an example workout plan using HIIT plus the above banana roll exercises:
Order | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
A1 | Jumping Jacks | 3 | 30 | |
A2 | High Step-ups | 3 | 10/side | |
A3 | 1-Legged Hip Bridge | 3 | 8/side | 30 sec. |
B1 | Jump Rope | 3 | 50 | |
B2 | Bulgarian Lunges | 3 | 10/side | |
B3 | Donkey Kicks | 3 | 12/side | 30 sec. |
C1 | Incline Treadmill Sprints | 3 | 30 sec. | |
C2 | Good Mornings | 3 | 10 | |
C3 | Hip Bridge Walkouts | 3 | 8 | 30 sec. |
Diet Plan for Banana Rolls
First, you have to put your body into a caloric deficit. Most women have a TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) of less than 1,900 calories.16 So you should be eating fewer calories than that per day, especially if you aren’t exercising and live a sedentary lifestyle.
Most women lose weight easily by consuming 1200-1500 calories per day. It’s best to use a food journal or nutrition app to record and track what you eat. Most people greatly underestimate just how many calories they eat per day, so measuring will be crucial.17
You’ll have to eat a high-protein diet, so you don’t lose lean muscle mass.17 If you aren’t consuming enough protein, then your body could lose muscle with the weight loss, which can make the banana rolls appear worse.
Lean protein foods such as chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef, legumes, and eggs will help you maintain muscle as you lose weight. If you have trouble getting enough protein, then try taking a low-carb protein shake too.
You should also be eating healthy fats such as avocados, olive oil, nuts, and seeds. These good fats help with hormone production and insulin sensitivity. Good fats make you feel fuller for longer. But stay away from bad vegetable and seed oils like canola and soybean oil.
What are the foods that contribute to the banana rolls?
- sugar
- refined carbs
- processed foods
- grains
- dairy
- seed oils
- starches
Bad carbs and sugars are the main culprits that cause stubborn fat gain. They also create AGEs (advanced glycation end products) in your skin that worsen skin integrity and elasticity.18
Instead, your carbs should be from dark green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach. Cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower are also great choices. A little bit of fruit here and there will be better than other sugary carbs.
Try to eliminate or at least minimize your sodas, diet sodas, fruit juices, and alcohol intake. If you have a hard time not drinking any alcohol, then take a look at my best alcoholic drinks for weight loss.
Then, you can also try adding in intermittent fasting to take things up a notch. It’ll help your body burn off more fat than it otherwise normally would, which will give you faster results.
Add a C8-MCT coffee creamer to your morning coffee when fasting to flip the “metabolic switch.” These MCTs are quickly and efficiently converted into the same ketones your body makes from fat. This helps to kickstart fat burning without breaking your fast.
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Banana Rolls: Before and After
Once you start to lose fat and build muscle tone, the banana rolls will start to tighten up and go away.
The stubborn fat spot where the butt meets the thigh can make any woman feel self-conscious. Many women hate the way it looks and see it as unattractive.
While you can’t spot reduce fat just by doing exercises, that doesn’t mean you can lose extra weight, burn body fat, and then tone up the area with targeted exercise.
You’ll be able to improve this stubborn area and make it perkier quickly. You don’t have to spend thousands on surgery, and you don’t need to learn to live with it.
Are Banana Rolls Unattractive?
Having fat in your underbutt area is perfectly normal. Many women tend to store fat in their hips and thighs, especially those with pear-shaped bodies.
Just like how having cellulite is normal and common, so is banana roll fat. You don’t have to feel insecure about a normal body. Some believe this roll can help to support and lift your but so it doesn’t appear like a sad saggy pancake.
But it’s also understandable if you want to get rid of the banana rolls too. We all have those stubborn spots on our bodies that we would like to change and improve. There is nothing wrong with this, either.
So the small bump of fat under the butt doesn’t have to be your biggest body insecurity. Loving and appreciating your body can help you accept this, and it doesn’t have to make anyone self-conscious.
Conclusion
Nobody is perfect, and we all tend to have these areas on our bodies that make us self-conscious. Banana roll fat is no different, and like all stubborn places on the body, it can make it feel impossible to get rid of.
But like all trouble spots on the body, its appearance can be improved despite genetics. Losing more overall fat on your body, in addition to targeted exercises to tone the area, can help get rid of it the fastest.
Butt cellulite will also be improved by following the methods above. But for cellulite on your hips and thighs, you’ll also want to use collagen peptides to firm up the skin.
Only losing weight isn’t going to be enough to get rid of banana rolls. You have to lower your body fat percentage on your body to lose them for good. If you only lose weight, then you could get a saggy butt.
Getting rid of a banana roll can be a little frustrating, but once you start following the above tips, you’ll be doing everything you can to get rid of this trouble fat the fastest.
Josh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition Science. He’s a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and he’s a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) by American Council on Exercise. He’s worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the high school and college levels. He has over 15 years of experience as a personal trainer and nutrition coach. He strives to bring inspiration and results for people to live healthier lives through smart diet and exercise.