Jelly Belly Be Gone

Welcome back! Today we take a look at an obstacle to our New Year diet plan, that many completely overlook. However, if we are to successfully get rid of that ugly stomach fat before to long, all obstacles must be considered.

THE CREDIT CARD.

Do you have a serious relationship with fast food? Combined with a penchant for paying by credit card, a love affair with the drive-through could mean double trouble for your waistline. More and more fast-food restaurants have put credit card readers on the counter and at the drive-up window, making it quicker and easier to swipe than pay in cash. But a study of fast-food transactions by VISA found that people spend 30 percent more when they pay with a credit card. That’s enough to supersize a meal or add a dessert or milkshake.

What explains the higher tabs? Perhaps people don’t feel comfortable using a credit card for a $5 purchase, so they add another item. Or maybe credit cards simply make impulse buying that much easier.

Whatever the reason, you can end up paying in pounds as well as dollars. According to a report in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (June 2006), the average up-sized meal at a fast-food restaurant costs an extra 67 cents, adds 397 calories and puts an additional 1.3 ounces of heft on your frame. Up-size daily and you could gain a pound every two weeks. Bottom line: Think before you swipe. Paying cash might be better for both your waistline and your wallet.

Like I said yesterday FOCUS - FOCUS - FOCUS. Tomorrow we explore the final in this important series.

Today we look at the third surprise detractor of our New Year diet plan. It has already been established that losing unwanted belly fat is not the easiest of tasks, as a result we need to focus on the goal ahead, even if it entails restricting relationships.

FRIENDS.

Find yourself loosening your belt another notch? Blame your buddies. According to a study in The New England Journal of Medicine (July 2007), when one person gains weight, close friends often do too. After keeping tabs on more than 12,000 people for 32 years, researchers found that an individual’s risk of obesity increased 57 percent if a friend became obese.

It’s not that obesity is “catching” like the common cold, but it spreads from person to person in other ways. Friends more often than not share health behaviors. In particular, friends tend to have similar eating and exercise habits. And if you notice that a friend has gained weight, you might think it’s OK for you to put on a few pounds as well. Even though we still have control over ourselves, friends are influential in our way of life. Our social network may have a bigger impact on our weight than our genes.

A recent national Poll reported a similar connection. Twice as many overweight adults as normal-weight adults said all or most of their close friends were overweight. And overweight people were less likely than normal-weight people to say their friends eat healthy foods or exercise regularly.

Of course, friendship cuts both ways. To change your own health behaviors, you need your friends and family involved, especially for support. Don’t stop being friends with someone because of their health behaviors, keep your friends and maintain the close connections, but tell them what your health goals are. Better yet, make a mutual pact to improve your lifestyles. After all, real friends stick together through thick and thin.

Check back tomorrow for yet another obstacle we need to watch out for.

Today we’ll explore the second in a series of simple but important elements that can derail our New Year plans to get rid of belly fat.

SLEEP.

There’s a reason why Starbucks sells a bazillion cups of coffee daily: We’re a nation of tired people. A 2008 poll by the National Sleep Foundation in the USA found that adults average just six hours and 40 minutes of sleep on weeknights, less than the seven to nine hours most sleep experts recommend.

Besides leaving you bleary-eyed and grumpy, skimping on sleep may set you up for weight gain. In a study of more than 68,000 women over 16 years, Harvard researchers found that those who got less sleep tended to gain more weight (American Journal of Epidemiology, 2006). Women who slept five hours or less a night were 32 percent more likely to gain 33 pounds or more than women who got seven to eight hours of shut-eye.

It has not been proven that lack of sleep directly causes weight gain, but several studies suggest that hormonal changes may be involved. In particular, levels of the appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin change when you are sleep-deprived, which could stimulate increased appetite. So make sleep time a priority in your day planner. It’s a low-tech intervention with no downside.

Tomorrow we look at yet another detractor of our diet plans.

As the New Year arrives, so does the urge to get rid of the holiday bulges around the middle. For most, the #1 resolution is always to lose belly fat, and even though the intention is to set a realistic plan and execute it over time, the detractors are forever present.

Make no mistake, sensible eating and regular exercise are the most important factors in any diet. But if you’re not losing the belly fat as quickly or as steadily as you’d hoped, you’re not alone. Before you decide to deprive yourself of additional calories (maybe even the healthy ones your body needs), relax. Literally. Stress is just one of five often-overlooked stumbling blocks that can stall weight loss or even promote weight gain.

Over the next five Posts these surprise derailers will be revealed along with ways to steer clear of them.

MEDICATIONS.

Two things tend to happen as people grow older: They gain weight and take more medications. This isn’t always just coincidence. Weight gain is an unwelcome side effect of many prescription medications, including antidepressants, antihistamines, diabetes drugs, corticosteroids and beta-blockers. Some medications increase appetite and make you crave certain foods. Others change the way your body uses calories or stores fat.

It’s a known fact that everybody is different in how much weight they gain, as a result, if you have three people taking the same medication, one might stay the same weight, one might gain a pound or two and one might gain much more. This is just natural.

It can be difficult to tell if your weight gain is due to a medication or to something else because the pounds often creep up gradually.  It’s advisable to track when you first start gaining weight, think about whether anything in your life has changed recently. Have you moved or switched to a more sedentary job? Have your eating or exercise habits changed? If you suspect that a new medication is the culprit, don’t stop taking it. Talk with your doctor about the best way to handle the situation. In some cases you may be able to take a smaller dose or switch to a different drug.

Lifestyle changes also can blunt the weight gain. To cope with a ramped-up appetite, fill half of your plate with food. Its fiber and water content will help you feel fuller on fewer calories. To deal with cravings, stick to a regular eating schedule. Eating three meals a day, four to six hours apart, plus one or two snacks is suggested. Cravings are worse when you let yourself reach the ravenous point.

Check back tomorrow for another of these surprise Diet Derailers.

This is a great day. After years of trying systems after systems to lose belly fat, I have finally found a tried and proven method to achieve this goal. Every year millions try to lose weight and are met with disappointment for the most part. This can be blamed on us living in a world filled with empty calories and endless temptations, making it easy to give in to cravings.

Over the years it has been proven that food consumed in the raw form ( for the most part) is best for keeping our health under control, thus reducing unwanted belly fat tremendously. The power of raw food is truly found in its simplicity. When we eat food that is uncooked, untreated, and unadulterated, we are eating food in harmony with nature’s intention and our body’s design. Raw food enthusiasts will tell us how well they have been able to lose unwanted fat, while deriving the benefits of what they eat.

When we consume raw foods, we are consuming all of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotics and phytonutrients in their most potent form. Simply heating foods can result in the loss of many of these important co-factors. When we consider the chemical treatments and preservative ingredients added, we are often left with food that is prime for that ugly stomach fat we develop over time. In all honesty, who among us would argue that eating canned, pasteurized fruit cup in syrup is better than eating a raw, organic apple?

While all food provides some nutrition, raw foods provide higher levels of the 45 nutrients we need to supply our body with every day to achieve extraordinary health. For those who are trying to lose belly fat and keep it off for good while creating and maintaining a healthy body, take note.