Don’t dive into the deep end of the weight loss pool without some planning first. The way to approach healthy weight loss is not by rushing into it with no clear plan or goal. Start off by thinking about it before you start doing it. Deciding on some goals for your weight loss can mean the difference between success and defeat.

Be specific

You can have many goals with your weight loss. “I am going to lose 10 pounds in 30 days” is a good specific goal but “I am going to lose a lot of weight as quickly as possible” is not. You can also have goals like not snacking on junk food after dinner, or adding two servings of raw vegetables a day to your diet, or exercising 20 minutes every morning. These goals lead to good habits, just make sure you’re not trying to change too many things all at once.

Be realistic:

How much weight do you need to lose? What’s your time frame for losing it? It’s okay to have a big goal to lose a lot of weight, but realize it could and should take you awhile. Factor losing 1 to 2 pounds per week into your time frame. Losing weight gradually is the healthy way to do it. It’s not the dramatic pound dropping you wish for, but if you lose weight slowly and incorporate lifestyle changes you are more likely to keep it off. Check in with your doctor as to how much he/she wants you to lose on a weekly basis. They’ll know about any health factors you have and can advise you.

Set a start date:

If you don’t pick a date to start your weight loss program, you might fall into the trap of “someday”. “Someday I’ll start eating carrots and stop drinking soda…” or “Someday I’ll go on a diet”. Pick a date to start because then it will feel real to you and you’ll have no choice but to begin.

Track it:

After you have spent time coming up with your goals, write them down. Tracking your progress, especially your successes, will give you motivation to continue. Write down how you plan to achieve your goals. If you want to lose one pound a week, you need to cut out x number of calories or up your exercise by x amount. You can’t lose the weight just by wanting to… have a plan of action and make it reasonable and doable for you.

Get a little help:

There are lots of online weight loss support groups. Do a search and find a forum that resonates with you. You can also join a support group in person, if you’d like that route better. For some people, finding a weight loss partner, a supportive spouse, or a personal coach works best. Getting support is an important element in going after any goal and that’s especially true with weight loss.

Taking the time to set some goals for weight loss before you start your program can be a positive first step in achieving what you set out to do. Be specific and realistic with your goals, pick a start date, keep a journal, and get support to tip the scales of success in your favor.

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There are several health risks of not reducing your belly fat. You will see improvements in your overall health and self-confidence by reducing your tummy. Waist size has a direct correlation to your heart health – waists larger than 35 and 40 inches for women and men respectively, have an additional increase risk of heart disease.

Before I tell you about some simple changes you can make to get rid of that belly fat, watch this video from Dr. Mehmet Oz where he talks about the dangers of belly fat.

You can tone up loose belly fat in a short amount of time many ways.

Pay close attention to all of the ingredients in your food. You need to incorporate as many fruits and veggies into your diet as possible. Try to use as many as possible low-sugar fruit such as strawberries, papaya, and oranges.

Veggies that are enriched with water are the best in order to loose belly fat. Veggies such as iceberg lettuce, celery, or tomatoes are great examples. While veggies are highly encouraged, try to stay away from carrots and corn because they are high sugar vegetables.

Substituting water for whatever you usually have to drink is a great way to flush your system. Sodas of any kind have carbonation and carbonation has been found to give an appearance of a bloated mid-section. This tells you that even diet sodas, with their lack of calories, are not great for toning up your tummy.

Our diets – no matter where we are in the world – could always use some work. The increase in fast food in our diets has had an adverse effect on our bodies in many ways.

Once you’ve burned your belly fat, then you can start to tone your muscle underneath. Muscle toning exercises are things like crunches, squats, and push-ups. Dry swimming is also an exercise that will tone your tummy.

The most obvious way to slim your waistline is to work out! If you’re lucky enough to have a personal trainer, let him or her know that you want to do some core exercises in order to get a flatter stomach.

Always remember, doing a million crunches won’t get your belly fat toned – you can’t tone fat. You must first do fat burning workouts such as running or jogging, using the stair climber, the elliptical, or cycling.

Dry swimming is when you lay down on your belly, put your arms out in front of you and lift your legs up as well. Be sure to keep your hips pressed against the ground and hold your arms and legs up for 10 seconds. Dry swimming works your arms, legs, and abs. Swimming in water is a great workout too for arms, legs, abs, and lungs.

Toning up loose belly fat is easy as long as you’re consistent. Diet and exercise are both key elements in slimming down any part of your body. Whatever you do though, be healthy – don’t ever starve yourself because it will do more harm than good to your beautiful body!

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Contrary to popular belief, doing crunches won’t eliminate belly fat completely. You need to burn fat and then do crunches to tone your abs. Doing crunches after getting rid of that belly fat will work a lot better than doing them beforehand.

Before wasting your time doing a million crunches that won’t provide any results, do fat burning exercises such as jogging or swimming to burn the fat in your belly and use crunches and sit-ups in order to give you some definition in your abs.

The best fat busting exercise to do in order to help you slim down is belly dancing. It is not only useful for burning fat but also extremely fun to do. In one belly dancing workout session, you can burn up to 500 calories. Make sure to keep yourself well hydrated through the workout.

Another great belly fat busting workout is swimming. Swimming is great during the summer months – especially because it not only keeps you hydrated, but also lets you do many exercises without having the weight of your body keeping you down.

Swimming also works out many other parts of your body while working your midsection. Swimming helps your lungs build endurance so that you’re able to hold your breath longer. It also works your legs and arms at the same time.

Jogging is one of the belly fat exercises that also helps you slim down while keeping your heart rate up and giving your lungs a good work out. For most people, jogging takes them away from the hassle of everyday life, giving them much needed stress relief.

Doing Zumba classes once or twice a week can also greatly decrease the amount of belly fat your body is storing. Zumba is a Latin-based dance workout that’s really fun and easy to follow.

In one single Zumba class, you can burn up to 900-1000 calories alone! That’s almost all but 400 calories of your daily diet if you are a woman and all but 700 if you are a man.

Riding your bike is also a great way to slim your belly fat. Riding your bike gives your body a lot of variety. Biking up a hill gives you a hard workout and really makes you push yourself.

Biking down a hill gives you the little bit of rest that you need. Biking not only works your abs, but your legs and arms as well. When biking, always be safe; bring a water bottle, wear reflective clothing, and check the weather before you head out so that you can prepare yourself for whichever of Mother Nature’s miracles may be hurled at you.

Belly fat exercises to help you slim down come in many forms. Don’t expect to do them all in one day. Also remember that losing weight and getting a trimmer tummy takes time and you have to implement the proper diet and exercise regimen as well.

Don’t waste another day allowing that nasty abdominal fat to kill your confidence as well as contribute to your risk for major diseases. Get the solution to rid yourself for life of this problem at…Truth About Abs.

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Don’t quit! There are many sit down exercises that you can do and still derive the health benefits. Here are some exercises that you can do while sitting at your desk:

Ab exercise - Sit on the edge of your chair as straight as you can with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Raise your arms out straight in front of you and slowly lean back toward the back of the chair. When you get as far back as you can, slowly raise yourself back to a normal sitting position. Keep your abdominal muscles pulled in while you do these exercises.

Bicep curls - You can use the same drinking water bottle and raise your arm out to your side so that it’s shoulder level. Slowly bend your elbow in, bringing the water bottle towards you as if you were doing bicep curls in a gym. Do a few repetitions with that arm and then switch to the other arm.

Chair pull and chair stretches – Watch these videos… 

Front raise for arms - Sit as straight as you can in a chair. Hold a water bottle in one hand for a little extra added weight if you choose. With that arm straight out in front of you, raise it up shoulder level. Hold it there a little bit and release. If you choose, you can raise the arm higher as if you were raising your hand in the classroom. Repeat with the other arm.

Hip flexion - Sit in a chair with your feet planted firmly on the floor (or on the footrests of a wheelchair, if you’re wheelchair-bound). Raise one leg up – keeping your knee bent and foot down. Raise the leg up a couple of inches and hold it there for a few seconds. This is good for your hip muscles.

Inner thigh adduction exercise - Place a small object like a drinking water bottle between your inner thighs. Bring your inner thighs in to gently squeeze the bottle. These are good for your inner and outer thigh muscles.

Leg extensions - Keep your feet flat on the floor. Raise one leg up until you get it as straight as you can and hold it there for a few seconds. If you can, flex your foot up while you raise the leg. These are good for your thigh and calf muscles. Repeat with the other leg. Do this exercise in a slow and controlled motion. Don’t rush it.

These are just some of the many sit down exercises for you to try. Not everyone will be able to do all of these exercises, so know what your limits are and talk to your physician first to make sure they are okay for you to do. Remember that just because you have some limitations, it doesn’t mean that an exercise program isn’t available for you.

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Let’s talk about the social aspects of belly fat first before we get to the health risks. You are likely to be a subject of ridicule by being called by one or more of these popular slangs – beer belly, beer gut, love handles and muffin top. Not very flattering and begin to wear you down emotionally or could lead to serious psychological problems.

Having fat in the belly area is dangerous because it makes you store fat in your liver. This can interfere with the normal function of removing insulin from your bloodstream, making your body resistant to insulin. This excess insulin sends a signal to your brain that makes you prone to overeating. This sets up a vicious cycle of eating more and gaining weight. Being overweight is the leading cause of health problems.

Belly fat and its relationship to diabetes

People with excess belly fat or diagnosed with central obesity are predisposed to insulin resistance as explained earlier. Insulin resistance is a major contributor of developing of diabetes mellitus type 2 (Type 2 diabetes). Additionally, abdominal fat secrets a group of hormones called adipokines that could further reduce glucose tolerance. Major research studies have confirmed this direct relationship between belly fat and the higher risk of diabetes.

Importance of waist–hip ratio (WHR):

WHR is the ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips. It is calculated by measuring the smaller circumference of the natural waist, usually just above the belly button, and dividing it by the hip circumference at its widest part of the buttocks or hip. The absolute waist circumference (> 40 in (102 cm) in men and > 35 in (88 cm) in women) and the waist-hip ratio, more than 0.9 for men and more than 0.85 for women are used as measures of central obesity.

In a study done by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), WHR has been found to be a more efficient predictor of mortality in older people than waist circumference or body mass index (BMI). If obesity is redefined using WHR instead of BMI, the proportion of people categorized as at risk of heart attack worldwide increases threefold.

From left to right: the “healthy” man has a 33-inch (84 cm) waist, the “overweight” man a 45-inch (114 cm) waist, and the “obese” man a 60-inch (152cm) waist.

What can you do to get rid of belly fat?

Now that you know the harmful side effects of having belly fat, the real question you need to ask yourself is how to get rid of it. It is a common misconception that doing spot exercises like sit-ups, crunches and other abdominal exercises will reduce belly fat. That is simply not true as these exercises build abdominal muscles but have very little effect on losing the fat around the belly.

Probably the best way to lose belly fat is to jog or walk briskly for at least 30 minutes everyday to see measurable results.

Belly dancing is another great way to eliminate fat in belly areas. Belly dancing is not only effective, but also fun. It burns anywhere from 200-400 calories per hour! Belly dancing not only burns fat, but it also tones muscles making your stomach flatter and well toned.

A change in your exercise program as well as eating healthy will help you get rid of belly fat. Replacing high-caloric alcohol drinks with water will significantly decrease the size of your gut. Most mixed drinks have significant amounts of empty calories that will add to the fat in your belly area.

Cutting back on fast food also helps to get rid of that pesky spare tire around your middle. Reducing the amount of sugar in your diet does wonders for your body too.

If you do have a sweet tooth, try to use both artificial and organic sweeteners instead of raw sugar. Any sugar substitute will work in baking and adding to your tea or coffee. Try using honey instead of sugar for a healthier and tasty drink.

Most Americans tends to eat diets that are much higher in sodium content than is necessary. High sodium levels in your body make you thirstier. It is tempting to reach for a cold beer or a sugar-laden cola to quench that thirst. That of course won’t help you lose that belly fat.

Don’t waste another day allowing that nasty abdominal fat to kill your confidence as well as contribute to your risk for major diseases. Get the solution to rid yourself for life of this problem at…Truth About Abs.

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Is it possible to get the best of both the worlds? Yes, it is! It is possible to eat healthier comfort foods and lose weight at the same time. How? All you need to do is to replace some of the more fattening ingredients with healthier alternatives and you have yourself a healthy dish! Your favorite foods will still taste good but with a healthier twist.

Here are some examples of ways you can make your favorite dishes healthier by substituting certain ingredients:

Bacon - Many of our favorite recipes have bacon in them. You can still use bacon, but try a healthier version of it like turkey bacon. Another option is to use fake bacon since it has less fat grams and fewer calories.

Chicken – Remove the skin before adding chicken in your favorite dishes. This is the unhealthiest part of the chicken. Chicken can be a great protein for you but only if eaten without the skin.

Cocoa - Substitute cocoa instead of real chocolate for some dishes as a healthier alternative. It also gives you more control over the amount of sugar added.

Eggs - Eggs are present in almost every recipe. An alternative would be to try using egg substitute products or even egg whites instead of the whole egg.

Flour - Using whole-wheat flour instead of the usual bleached white flour is very healthy and it can add a little extra something to your favorite dishes. Whole-wheat noodles are better for you too if you must have your pasta fix.

Honey - Sometimes honey can be used in place of sugar in your favorite recipes. It still gives you that sweet taste, but it’s better for your body. Of course, you can also use artificial sweeteners if you like, but some people just don’t care for the aftertaste.

Olive Oil - Olive oil is a healthier option. Use it as a substitute in your dishes in place of corn oil. A few less calories add up to increased weight loss!

Two more tips for eating your favorite food while losing weight:

1. Eat them less frequently: Instead of eating them everyday, try cutting them down to once a week or better still, once a month.

2. Cut down the portion size: If your favorite food has a lot of calories, then eat only a half portion to cut your calories by 50%. However, this tip does require you to have self-control because it is too tempting to reach for the other half of the serving.

Eat healthier, but don’t give up all of your favorite dishes before you find out if there are healthier alternative ingredients you can use instead of some of the unhealthier ones that you normally put in your recipes.

With careful substitutions, eating comfort foods less often and cutting down on the serving size, it is possible to eat healthier comfort foods and lose weight.

Learn more about Eating Right for a Healthier You »

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The good fat that is missing from our diets is conjugated linoleic acid or CLA. It is a natural substance found in red meat, lamb, and dairy products. CLA according to many studies can reduce fat and improve muscle mass in the body.

You wouldn’t lose any weight if all you did was take CLA as a supplement with no change in eating or exercise habits but it could help you lose fat. It is often taken by men looking to lose weight and build their bodies at the same time. However, it can also be useful for anyone who is overweight and not exercising enough to increase muscle mass, which will increase the metabolism and thus burn more calories.

Like many natural weight loss products, conjugated linoleic acid combined with a healthy eating plan can lead to gradual long-term weight loss and prevent you from getting into the proverbial yoyo dieting cycle. Yoyo dieting, as you know is not good for your health.

Most health experts and nutritionists agree that a diet that works best in the long run is the non-diet. Instead of eating special foods and avoiding others, you eat slightly smaller portions of a normal healthy diet.

Of course, if right now you are living entirely on pizza, fries and chocolate, then some drastic changes may be overdue. But you can still have small portions of all of those foods occasionally. If this is the kind of diet that you want, then CLA can help reinforce your plan by boosting your fat loss.

Dr Michael Pariza of University of Wisconsin-Madison reported in August 2000 to the American Chemical Society that CLA “doesn’t make a big fat cell get little. What it rather does is keep a little fat cell from getting big.”

Many studies have been done on CLA. One study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that people taking CLA lost an average of six pounds of body fat more than a group that took a placebo. The researchers discovered that you need around 3.4 grams of CLA per day for it to be effective. CLA is found naturally in our food food, especially meat and dairy products, but supplementation is necessary for most people to reach that level.

Another study at Purdue University, Indiana, found that CLA improved insulin levels in about two-thirds of diabetics, and slightly decreased their blood glucose level and triglyceride levels, suggesting that it may help to maintain normal insulin levels. But see your doctor before taking any supplements if you have diabetes.

There are no magic pills for weight loss but if you are willing to commit to reducing your body fat permanently, CLA may help you. Keep in mind that its main effect is to convert fat to muscle, which by itself will not weigh any less. But your body will look more toned and feel healthier with CLA. Combined with healthy eating, conjugated linoleic acid can help you move toward your ideal weight too.

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1. Alter your mindset: One of the biggest problem for dieters is the way they view a diet, their mindset. It seems like a big sacrifice or losing your freedom like a prison sentence. May be you feel that you are depriving yourself. It helps to reframe your idea of what you’re really trying to do.  It is not just to lose the weight but to gain a healthier lifestyle.

Change how you view your diet so you can stick to it. If you’re too restrictive and never allow yourself to have the things you enjoy, you won’t be able to stay with it. Cut yourself some slack once in a while (see the next tip).

2. Give yourself a break: Don’t kid yourself, there will be times that you don’t live up to your own dietary expectations.  Instead of using that as an excuse to blow off your diet completely, just give yourself a break.

No one eats a healthy meal every day of their lives. You’ll need to allow yourself a few treats here and there.  If you eat too big of a meal, get over it and cut back on the next meal. Make healthier choices the next time.

3. Set smaller goals. Setting smaller goals will help you to monitor your progress and keep youself motivated.  Most people set weight-related goals that are not realistic.  And when the scale doesn’t show them immediate results, they quit.  Instead, set goals that closely match your diet plan.

For example, set a goal to drink 7 to 8 glasses of water every day, take a multivitamin, or eat fruits and vegetables for at least one meal.  Then when you reach those goals, you can reward yourself with a small treat for a job well done.

4. Find a diet pal: Working with a partner can help you to share your shortcomings as well as your successes. You can bounce ideas off your diet pal and hold each other accountable for sticking with your respective diet plans. You can swap recipes, trade meal ideas, and help each other enjoy the process of dieting instead of dreading it.

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Cold brewskis and friends: When men get together with their friends, having a few cold beers is the norm. Even in other social gatherings, alcohol is a constant presence. This is a challenge if you are trying to diet because alcohol tends to make you feel hungry, you reach for the snacks and as a result overeat.

The best thing for your diet would be to abstain from alcohol altogether. However, this may be unrealistic or difficult for you give up. In that case, you can try to slow down your rate of consumption. Sipping your beer instead of chugging, may not be very manly but will help your cut back on the number of beers you drink.

If you are into the hard stuff, alternate a glass of cold water between each alcoholic drink. It will help you feel fuller and cut down your drinks by half or more.

Some men are the salt of the earth: Unlike women who tend to have a sweet tooth, most men tend to have a craving for salty snacks. Usually these also tend to be high fat foods like nachos, wings, chips, and salty peanuts. These are often temptations for men.

Salty foods can really keep you from getting the weight loss that you’re seeking from your diet program. There are a couple of easy ways to help with the salt cravings. One method is to prepare your favorite foods in low-sodium, low-fat versions.

If you absolutely must have a serving of your favorite nachos loaded with salt and fat, stick to smaller portions. Finally, if you have a day where you eat a lot of extra salt, drink lots of water to help flush it out of your system. Salt by itself does not contribute to weight gain because it has no calories but high consumption of salt causes your body to retain water and leads to temporary weight gain.

When you start eating a diet that’s lower in sodium, eventually these cravings will die down. So take a break from the salt for a while, and you’ll see the cravings become more manageable.

Exercising to bulk up: Men tend to exercise with the goal of bulking up. In that case, you may find that you’re putting on pounds instead of losing them even though you are eating healthy and on a diet. However, it’s okay to be putting on muscle mass because eventually it will help you to lose the weight you want to lose. Don’t forget to add some aerobic activity to your routine. It will help you to burn fat faster so that you can see those hard-earned muscles.  Good diet with an exercise program will work wonders for any man.

Those are three diet challenges that are unique to men.

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Unless you are motivated to get up and cook that healthy meal or go out for that run, you’re going to find yourself sitting in front of the television doing nothing and becoming depressed. Take some time before you start and figure out what motivates you to lose weight. It doesn’t necessarily come naturally, so take a look at some interesting ways to get yourself moving towards your goals.

The first thing you can do when you are looking for motivation to lose weight is to start keeping a journal. Sometimes, nothing is more motivating than seeing how far you have come. This is something that can be a pain in the beginning, but it can help you go the distance with your weight loss plan.

Take pictures of yourself and start keeping a daily record of your weight. Measure yourself and write down every little 1/4 inch that disappears each week. This is something that can clearly show you the progress you have made. The more documentation you have, the more you will be able to really see how far you have come. This can be very motivating!

You may also want to see if one of your friends wants to lose weight with you. If you have a friend who can share in your diet talk or exercise talk, it is much easier to get excited about it. Ideally, your friend should have roughly the same goals as you. You can celebrate milestones with each other, share tips and hints, and even compare progress. Your exercise partner will hold you accountable and make sure you show up at the gym when you say you’re going to and that you are sticking to your weight loss regimen. It is a small thing, but it can really make a difference on days where you don’t want to workout or go for a walk. Someone else is counting on you.

Also keep in mind that when you are gearing yourself up to lose weight, even the most interesting type of exercise can get a little boring over time. While it is fine to have an exercise routine, give yourself permission to change it up a little and cross-train. Take a fun class in a type of physical activity you have never tried before. The interest in learning something new and having a class structure to go to can keep you motivated as well. Have you always wanted to learn to belly dance or try a martial art? Maybe you are interested in rock climbing or you love the idea of learning synchronized swim. Take some time and follow your interests. It doesn’t all have to be treadmills and free weights.

These are just three places to start when you are looking for motivation. Be creative! If there is something that works for you, go with it and remember that if it works, it works. Keep reassessing what motivates you as it may change with each pound you shed.

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