6 Things Causing Your Belly Fat

Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones. You do not have to watch your weight or lose belly fat, you devour what you like, you boast about not having to work out, and you shake your head in pity at your chronically-dieting friends.

Each day we make small choices that make a big difference to your body weight. Because we think little about these minimal decisions, the weight multiplies until it’s time for a full weight loss plan of action. Rather than waiting for the inevitable, start spotting these 6 diet saboteurs that may be steadily adding inches to your waistline.

Uncontrolled Weekends

Researchers have found that people take in significantly more on weekends without even noticing it; especially on Saturdays when fat consumption is at its highest. Those extra weekend calories can quickly add up.

To stay clear of overindulging on the weekends, control portion size and limit your alcohol usage

Eating On the Run

Eating on the move can lead you to eat too rapidly for your body’s hunger and satisfaction signals to keep up. If you take less than 20 minutes to eat a meal, you could be setting yourself up for cravings and over indulgence.

Over-Sized Portions

Cook at home instead of eating out and use a smaller plate for your meals. Don't forget that 1/2 your plate should be filled with vegetables and 1/4 with a lean protein. If you must eat at a restaurant, ask for a doggie bag before you eat and pack up the excess portion to avoid digging into too much food.

Costly Coffee Shop Beverages

Those specialty drinks can cost you about 370 calories and 15 g of fat. As a substitute, opt for a regular coffee with two tablespoons of sugar and you’ll strip about 17,000 calories a year from your diet, which is almost 5 pounds.

Skipping Meals

Skipping meals is another way to wreak havoc on your metabolism. Your body might store extra fat to prepare for other missed meals. Instead of skipping meals, eat small nutritious snacks such as a handful of nuts or fiber rich cereal when you can’t get to a complete meal.

Green Tea and Weight Loss

You’ve seen green tea products marketed everywhere; everything from green tea supplements and extracts to “diet” teas. While there is no shortage of product and marketing information on green tea, I was curious to see what the scientific literature showed. Specifically, I wanted to find out if green tea would be an effective strategy to lose unwanted fat.

Population studies show that consuming 2 cups of green tea a day for 10 years is associated with a lower body fat percentage, suggesting that green tea could be an effective weight loss aid. Particular interest has been given to green tea catechins which are antioxidant compounds also found in chocolate and red wine.

Green Tea Catechins with Caffeine

7 Trials involving Green Tea catechins and caffeine showed an average weight loss of 3 lbs when compared to those taking caffeine along. Surprisingly, 6 trials involving Green Tea catechins with caffeine showed even less weight loss of 1 pound compared with those who took no caffeine.

Green Tea Catechins without Caffeine

2 trials involving Green Tea catechins alone showed no significant weight loss.

Discussion

I should say that these studies used different forms of green tea. Some involved actual green tea drinks and others used green tea extracts. The combination of green tea catechins and caffeine looked to be the most effective for weight loss considering that green tea catechins alone showed no weight loss.

Green tea already has caffeine in it so perhaps there is an additive effect of the catechins and caffeine responsible for weight loss since the combination was more effective for weight loss than caffeine alone and catechins which showed no weight loss.

Is Green Tea an effective strategy for weight loss?

Green tea itself will not result in significant weight loss. Remember that weight loss with green tea was 1-3 pounds over an average of 12 weeks. For pharmaceutical weight-loss products on the market, patients are considered to have failed treatment if they have not achieved a loss of 5 pounds after 4 wk of therapy. So by this measure green tea would have failed as a weight loss drug.

What do I recommend?

If you drink 2 cups of green tea a day you should expect to lose about 1-3 pounds over 12 weeks. By all means drink green tea; just don’t think you’ll drop a couple pant sizes because of it. Oh… one more thing.. “diet tea’ is no more effective than regular green tea.

Also stay away from Green Tea Extract Products! There have been reports of green tea extracts causing acute liver failure and some patients even required liver transplants.

Foods That Will Wreck Your Diet

There are a ton of foods out there that will make you so hungry that you'll feel hollow inside. These foods can be detrimental to your weight loss efforts. These include any food that has been stripped of its fiber, such as white bread; food that turns to sugar quickly in the body, such as white potatoes; and food loaded with sugar, starch, and fat.

Some examples include:

• White bread
• White pasta
• White potatoes
• Pastries
• Doughnuts
• Cookies
• Cakes, pies, and other sugary baked goods
• Candy and candy bars
• Potato chips and other packaged and fried snacks

Why do these foods give you that irresistible urge to raid the fridge or pantry? It has to do with their composition.

The more fiber is removed from your food, the harder and more rapidly it hits your bloodstream. The sugar and refined starch it contains cause your blood sugar to soar sky high.

In response to that sugar surge, your body churns out insulin--so much that it drives your blood sugar below where it was before you ate anything. When blood sugar is that low, you feel tired and hungry, and in need of another quick pickup--often in the form of something sweet.

The Lure of Fat and Sugar

These ups and downs, coupled with the wrong food choices, can wreak havoc on your attempts to manage your weight loss. When a food contains both fat and sugar, as many of the foods listed above do, it can be downright addictive since many of us crave the taste of fat and sugar.

Make a habit of reaching for natural, wholesome, high-fiber foods and snacks instead. The Biggest Loser recommended whole foods are digested more slowly, causing fewer spikes in your blood sugar.

What's more, they tame your hunger, rather than drive it wild with those crazy blood sugar ups and downs. Before long, you'll lose your sugar/fat/starch tooth and be in better control of your cravings.

The Best Butt Workout

We should remember that losing unwanted belly fat should not be the end all in your attempt to lose weight, other parts of the body should not be neglected.

Incorporate these techniques into your daily butt busting routine to get better results...in less time! Remember: while there's really no such thing as spot training, incorporating a creative workout strategy, while eating right and getting in some cardio several days a week, will have you in double-take worthy shape in no time.

Keep your butt in plain view.

When targeting a problem area, people are usually inclined to cover that spot, but experts suggest exposing it in the workout clothes you wear. Exposing your bottom will allow you to focus in on that area and allow you to watch your muscles work while you sweat. You will also be able to see your results as they manifest.

Use weights, not just your body weight.

Adding weight to basic moves like squats or lunges will maximize your results.

Try the 30-second rule.

Instead of rushing through squats and lunges, freeze in the lowest position for 30 seconds. This will allow you to take an extra-deep contraction through your glutes and core and stabilize your body before standing up again.

Take it slow.

When doing strength training, don’t rush through your repetitions. It’s true the faster you do the reps the quicker you will get done, but doing this will stunt your results.

Do mini workouts all day long

Try and make the most of your breaks all day. Try keeping a set of ankle weights in your drawer and doing standing leg lifts or leg extensions during phone calls.

Tone While you walk

With each step, when one leg extends behind you, keep your heel on the ground as long as possible. When you do lift your heel, roll through the foot and press off with your toes. You’ll feel your glutes contract with every step.

The Six Best Fat Burners

The best fat burning exercises don't involve fancy equipment, or anything that you'd find only in an expensive commercial gym. Instead, you can burn that unwanted belly fat just as well in the comfort of your own home as you would in the priciest, swankiest gym.

Now, try any one of these, and you'll boost your metabolism for up to a whole day afterward. One small workout, one giant payoff in losing a jelly-belly.

1. Inline skating

Burns 425 calories in 30 minutes

While skating might be so much fun you forget you're actually working out, it actually burns the most fat and calories than any other exercise on this list. The big burn stems from the side-to-side movement of your thigh and butt muscles (demanding more from your body than the straightforward motion of our number-two activity -- running). And your core gets involved in a big way to keep you balanced.

2. Running

Burns 374 calories in 30 minutes

To get the most out of each stride, swing your arms close to your body, don't lean forward, and keep your feet low to the ground. To lessen impact, land on the middle of your foot, then roll through to your toes.

3. Jumping rope

Burns 340 calories in 30 minutes

To get the most from each jump, use a rope with handles that reach to just under your armpits when you stand on the middle of it, and follow these top-form tips: Jump with your feet slightly apart and body upright, and keep your jumps low to the ground. Don't have a rope? You'll get the same benefits by doing the movements rope-free.

4. Tennis

Burns 272 calories in 30 minutes

Simply find a flat area near a wall or garage door that you can hit the ball against. Alternate forehand and backhand shots -- then see how many you can do in a row without goofing. Stand 10 to 25 feet away, which will force you to hit harder.

5. Dancing

Burns 221 calories in 30 minutes

The key is to keep the tempo high, choosing songs with fast rhythms like Latin or Bollywood, and don't rest between songs. Download a workout's worth of your favorite tunes. Begin with an upbeat inspirational song, then move on to songs with increasingly faster tempos. Slow the beat toward the end to cool down.

6. Walking vigorously

Burns 170 calories in 30 minutes

A leisurely stroll with a friend won't cut it. You should be walking briskly enough that it's difficult to keep up a steady conversation.

To get the most from your biggest calorie-burning muscles -- legs, butt, and core -- take short, quick steps, keep your torso upright, and pump your arms back and forth in time with your stride. With each step, land on your heel and roll through to your toes.

Does Diet Soda Make You Fat, or is it Really Good for Weight Loss?

We all know by now that soda (aka "pop" in some areas) is one of the most evil things you can put in your body... the nasty chemicals, the gut-fattening, jelly-belly high fructose corn syrup, and a myriad of health problems caused by this carbonated cocktail worshipped by those that don't care about their health or body.

Since you're reading this Blog, I know that you actually do care about your health and the appearance of your body.

Surprisingly, many people falsely believe that "diet" soda is in some way a good thing for losing body fat. In fact, I hear people all the time proudly state that they eat so healthy and only drink diet soda.

So let's set the record straight...

There is NOTHING even remotely healthy about drinking diet soda. In fact, I've even seen several studies that showed dedicated diet soda drinkers got even FATTER than their regular soda drinking counterparts.

Here are some findings from an 8-year University of Texas study....

An excerpt from the study’s author:

"What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity," Fowler tells WebMD. "What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher."

"There was a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day," Fowler says.

Ok, as if we didn't already know how bad regular soda was for us, and now they're showing us studies that diet soda makes us even fatter than the already bad stuff!

There's a lot of complicating factors as to why this occurs...

One reason is that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas create a negative hormonal response in the body that increases fat storing hormone production and increases cravings for more sweets and refined carbohydrates in the time period after consuming the diet drink.

Another reason is that people may subconsciously think that because they are drinking a diet soda, that gives them more leeway to eat more of everything else, hence consuming more calories overall.

I've said this all along, but the bottom line is that if you're serious about your health and body, soda of any kind (and artificial sweeteners in anything for that matter!) should be avoided at all times, except for very rare occasions when you can't avoid them.

So what is a good alternative to diet sodas?

The best alternatives are good old water with lemon or unsweetened iced teas... you have plenty of options with teas - green, white, black, oolong, red... be creative in making your iced teas and you'll enjoy it more. Plus you'll get a more diverse array of antioxidants.

Tested Guidelines for a 10-Pound Body Fat Loss

Wanting to lose a few extra pounds isn’t that hard to realize. There are several guidelines for a 10-pound weight loss out there that you can surely utilize for your own advantage. Incorporating these tips with your diet and exercise routine can definitely help you lose excess weight in a shorter period of time.

Notify Others You Are On a Diet.

Making your diet public is a form of affirmation. It is not an easy thing to keep your diet a secret from others and there is no motive for you to do that anyway. Telling others that you are on a diet can really benefit you in the long run. More people would be able to help you on your mission and you can depend on them more for morale support.

The key to a successful weight loss is motivation. You can get this from those around you, especially from your loved ones. If you hear negative comments, just brush them off and think of the positive effects of what you are doing.

Don’t Forget to Drink Lots of Water.

Water is obviously very important to the body. It can even be more helpful during diets. Water doesn’t only help the body get rid of toxins and functions properly, but also eliminate cravings. A sudden shift in eating habits can cause unexpected cravings and hunger pangs. Water is very beneficial during these tough times.

A glass of cold water can effectively reduce any of your cravings even for just a moment. Whenever you feel like eating before meal time, grab a glass of water and drink until you feel the cravings melting away.

Buy a Weighing Scale.

You don’t have to buy those large weighing beams that they use at the hospitals. There are a number of digital scales available at your local hardware and electronic store. This is an important step in any diet; how else can you monitor your progress if you don’t own a scale? Always remember to choose a brand that is known for its reliability.

You can either go for a straightforward weighing scale that only has the basic ability to tell you how much you weight or one that has extra options like weight logging and comparison programs. The latter type of weighing scale is very useful in telling you just how you are developing through the diet.

Weigh Yourself Every Day.

Once you have acquired a weighing scale, position it in your bedroom where you can easily access it after waking up. Some people only weight themselves once weekly. Though this method is still effective, weighing yourself every day can tell your daily progress. This is even more evident if you purchase a weighing scale that is accurate to the last detail. Bear in mind that a 180.8 yesterday is different from 180.0. A weighing scale that can’t tell your accurate weight even to the last decimal is less useful.

Losing as little as .8 in your weight is significant because it shows you exactly how your diet is working. Keep in mind that the diet is only as good as its results. Continue to find more guidelines for a 10-pound weight loss or be creative and make one. You don’t know how much they can help you achieve your goal.