The Best Way to Lose Belly Fat and Tighten Skin

Check with your doctor before starting any exercise or diet program.
Losing belly fat will make you feel and look better. In a study published in the March 2006 issue of the journal Neurology, Rachel A. Whitmer, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California said a large belly increases your chances of getting dementia.
Find the diet and workout plan that work best for you. Losing belly fat is hard work and takes commitment on your part.
Any plan that you stick to is the best way to lose belly fat for you.

Attitude

• Success losing belly fat takes a positive attitude. Thinking you cannot succeed is a sure way to fail.
  Understand that your progress may not be steady. Losing weight and inches will be greatest in the beginning of your program. Reaching a plateau is common. Giving up at this point would be easy. You will lose more weight and inches by sticking to the program and keeping these things in mind:
  Be realistic.
  Do not overdo it.
  Take precautions not to injure yourself.

Diet

• Eating a healthy diet is part of any successful exercise and weight loss plan. Have at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Consume enough protein and fiber.
  Two potential problem foods are wheat and dairy products. Many people are allergic to one or both of these types of foods. Try eliminating them one at time from your diet and see how you feel and look. If you feel the same after two weeks of eliminating either, then you probably can tolerate them in your diet.
  Eat plenty of fiber. Psyllium seeds are a good source of fiber. There are a number of colon-cleanse products available if that is the route you choose.
  Drinking plenty of fluids is another habit you must adopt, because it lessens gas, bloating and constipation, and helps eliminate toxins from your body.
  Some foods may speed up metabolism, according to John Berardi, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., author of The Metabolism Advantage. "You can't affect how many calories it takes to keep your heart beating, but you can burn an extra 500 to 600 calories a day by exercising properly and eating right."

Workout

• According to Nick Nilsson, fitness expert, "Your body cannot just eliminate fat in one area. So if you are trying to crunch your way to a flatter stomach without exercising the rest of your body and reducing your fat intake, you'll never see results."
  Consider a total body workout with particular attention to abdominal exercises.
  Work out at least three times a week for 30 minutes per workout.
  Vary your workout routine. When your muscles get used to a particular exercise, your body burns less fat and does not get the benefit that you got when you started the exercise.
  Choose several workout routines and alternate them.
  The best abdominal exercises are easy to do. This is the finding of a study conducted by Peter Francis, PhD, done at the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University in 2006. He looked at a variety of common abdominal exercises in order to determine the best abdominal exercises and what really works to strengthen abs.
  There have been recent abdominal workout routines suggested. Try several and see what works best for you.
  Avoid injury by gradually building up your workout level. Injury puts a damper in your workout plan.

Tighten Skin

• This is the least important aspect of your goals. Losing weight slowly will minimize this problem.
  Following your exercise routine after losing weight and inches will help prevent saggy skin.
  Continue eating a healthy diet. Creams and lotions produce limited results.
  Consider surgery as a last resort.