Is it possible to avoid love handles when gaining weight?

I'm dieting and exercising to lose my love handles, but since I'm borderline underweight, I was hoping I could gain the weight back without getting love handles. I heard that love handles are usually caused by poor eating habits (I used to eat nothing but chips and doughnuts), so if I gain the weight back in a healthier way, will I still get that pesky muffin top?