Hot on HuffPost Healthy Living:

 

Easy Diet Fixes to Reduce Fat

Posted on Jun 28th 2010 12:00PM by Jonny Bowden

AFP/ Getty Images

When it comes to reducing the fat on your abs and thighs, here's the bad news: Exercises for a specific area of the body are, unfortunately, pretty ineffective for reducing fat in that specific area.

Despite what late-night infommercials may claim, the only fat that things like Thighmasters separate you from is any excess fat in your wallet. "Spot reducing" -- the idea that you can get rid of fat by working the specific area of the body in which frat accumulates -- just doesn't work. Fat won't come off the belly by doing crunches, no matter how many of them you do.

Does that mean you shouldn't do crunches? Or thigh exercises? Of course not. Besides supporting your center (core) and helping with your posture, a good ab routine will help ensure that you'll have some nice muscle tone to see once the fat begins to melt away. Ditto with the thighs.

But to get that fat to disappear, you have to do a whole lot more than crunches (or thigh exercises).

Here's what you can do to remove the fat itself:

  • Work all your muscles with weights, which will keep your metabolic rate up and make you a more efficient fat-burning machine.
  • Change your diet to one built around lean protein and vegetables, like the one we use in Diet Boot Camp. That means no sugar, flour or refined carbohydrates.
  • Eat a minimum of starch (and get it from oatmeal, beans and legumes).
  • Eat more vegetables.
  • Eat only low-sugar, high-fiber fruit like berries, apples and grapefruit.
  • Eat double the amount of fiber you think you're eating (You can use fiber supplements, in addition to beans and vegetables. You can also sprinkle flax meal on everything as well.)
  • Be religious about drinking eight to 10 glasses of pure water daily.
  • Don't eat late at night.

Take that list, add rest, relaxation, good thoughts, stress reduction, sunshine, deep breathing and a healthy dose of patience. You'll be happy with the results. I promise you.

Jonny Bowden
, author, nutritionist and weight loss coach cuts through all the misconceptions about diet and fitness to help you transform your body, your health and your life.
His legendary "Diet Boot Camp" Summer Challenge begins July 5. Find out more about it here.

Around the Web

 
 

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

 

Share Your Success Story

Jupiter Images

Have you lost weight and kept it off? We want to know how you did it and what keeps you inspired!