<<< Back to Fitness Articles

14 Small Ways to Lose a Big Belly
Rafael S. L.

When you're trying to drop pounds, little things make a big difference.
Here are 14 diet tips guaranteed to add up.

1. Fried foods are garbage. Potato chips, French fries and onion rings are pregnant with saturated fat and calories, yet they contain zero healthy or muscle-promoting nutrients. If you're on a fat-loss plan, simply eliminate fried foods. That alone will allow you to shed lard quickly.

2. Drink a glass of skim milk as soon as you wake up. Some quick protein before you even step into the shower will energize you and end those morning cravings for Egg McMuffins and pastry.

3. Do 2 minutes of pushups every morning. It's tough to exercise as soon as you roll out of bed, but you can burn off 21 calories a day--2 1/2 pounds in a year.

4. Toss a quart of water in your briefcase. Water helps you burn calories--96 calories just by carrying a bottle while you walk for 20 minutes. Serve it over ice in your office and your body will burn 31 calories warming it to 98.6. Then there's the aerobic effect of all those bathroom runs.

5. Want to look better naked? Try drinking half as much alcohol. Alcohol contains calories. You may drink like a fish, but booze isn't water. Even a light beer has more than 100 calories. Booze makes you store fat. Your body sees alcohol as a poison, and tries desperately to get rid of it. Your liver stops processing all other calories until it has dealt with the alcohol. So anything else you eat during the time you're drinking is more likely to end up as fat. Alcohol also lowers testosterone. With more abdominal fat, testosterone drops.

6. Want to stay lean and healthy? It's old news, but it's not going away: Vegetables are great for you. Get at least five portions of fruits and vegetables every day. Vegetables are also loaded with fiber, and recent research shows that people who eat plenty of fiber stay thin, even if they don't pay attention to the rest of their diet.

7. Dilute your fruit juice. Fruit juice is sneaky, a 16-ounce bottle of cranberry-grape blend contains 340 calories. Dump half and store it, then refill the bottle with water. You'll barely notice the difference, and you'll cut half the calories.

8. If you feel famished, flex your abs for 15 seconds. Firming up your abdominals can cut the flow of chemicals that cause hunger pains.

9. Eat in the right order. Eat your vegetables first, then the starches, such as potatoes and bread. Leave the fattiest items, like meat, for last. You may fill up before you finish the sirloin.

10. Listen to slow music while you eat. Studies have shown that people who listen to relaxing music during meals chew at a more leisurely pace and eat less than people who have "Livin La Vida Loca" playing in the background.

11. Go light on the starch. It can cause an insulin surge, which favors your bodys fat-storing mode. The result: Excess calories go right to your gut. Lay off starchy foods unless you're thin, and do at least an hour of aerobic exercise every week.

12. Keep a glass of water and some grapes by your bedside table. If you're the type who wakes up hungry in the middle of the night, the fruit and water will save you a trip to the kitchen, where the last piece of chocolate cake awaits.

13. Use condiments. One important secret of weight loss is making bad foods taste good. Slather the right grainy mustard on a vegetable sandwich and it becomes downright delicious. Use Worcestershire sauce to spruce up steamed broccoli and other healthful foods. Brush barbecue sauce on grilled vegetables and you'll actually crave that eggplant fillet.

14. Smell your food. Studies have shown that once you start eating, smelling your food can make you stop eating sooner by satisfying you faster.